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Impact of COVID-19 on the education and healthcare services of persons with disabilities in Lebanon

This study examines the impact of the compounding crises that engulfed Lebanon during the COVID-19 pandemic on the schooling and healthcare opportunities and experiences of persons with disabilities. It further explores how disability interacts with other forms of discrimination, such as gender and...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Shuayb, Itab, Doueiry, Sabine
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10315842/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37404284
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1111972
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author Shuayb, Itab
Doueiry, Sabine
author_facet Shuayb, Itab
Doueiry, Sabine
author_sort Shuayb, Itab
collection PubMed
description This study examines the impact of the compounding crises that engulfed Lebanon during the COVID-19 pandemic on the schooling and healthcare opportunities and experiences of persons with disabilities. It further explores how disability interacts with other forms of discrimination, such as gender and socioeconomic factors, exacerbating the risk of exclusion from mainstream education and healthcare services. Qualitative research methods were employed to delve into the complexities of these issues. The researchers conducted a comprehensive review of 37 relevant COVID-19 reports, research studies, guidelines, documents, and rapid analysis studies generated by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, local and international NGOs, and UN agencies. Additionally, analysis of social media content and COVID-19 awareness campaigns was carried out to assess their accessibility and acknowledgment of the needs of persons with disabilities (PWD). Furthermore, eighteen virtual open-ended interviews were conducted with adults with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, local and international disability organizations, and representatives from the education and healthcare sectors. The findings from the interviews revealed that while the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the daily routines of individuals, persons with disabilities encountered additional barriers on top of the pre-existing ones they faced before the implementation of lockdown restrictions. The study identified five overarching themes at the policy and decision levels, as well as the academic and healthcare services levels, which hindered persons with disabilities from accessing education and healthcare. Drawing from the five main themes, this study presents and discusses key findings, implications, and recommendations. These findings shed light on the challenges faced by persons with disabilities during the compounding crises and the implications for their access to education and healthcare. The study provides recommendations to address these issues and improve the opportunities and experiences of persons with disabilities in times of crisis.
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spelling pubmed-103158422023-07-04 Impact of COVID-19 on the education and healthcare services of persons with disabilities in Lebanon Shuayb, Itab Doueiry, Sabine Front Public Health Public Health This study examines the impact of the compounding crises that engulfed Lebanon during the COVID-19 pandemic on the schooling and healthcare opportunities and experiences of persons with disabilities. It further explores how disability interacts with other forms of discrimination, such as gender and socioeconomic factors, exacerbating the risk of exclusion from mainstream education and healthcare services. Qualitative research methods were employed to delve into the complexities of these issues. The researchers conducted a comprehensive review of 37 relevant COVID-19 reports, research studies, guidelines, documents, and rapid analysis studies generated by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, local and international NGOs, and UN agencies. Additionally, analysis of social media content and COVID-19 awareness campaigns was carried out to assess their accessibility and acknowledgment of the needs of persons with disabilities (PWD). Furthermore, eighteen virtual open-ended interviews were conducted with adults with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, local and international disability organizations, and representatives from the education and healthcare sectors. The findings from the interviews revealed that while the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the daily routines of individuals, persons with disabilities encountered additional barriers on top of the pre-existing ones they faced before the implementation of lockdown restrictions. The study identified five overarching themes at the policy and decision levels, as well as the academic and healthcare services levels, which hindered persons with disabilities from accessing education and healthcare. Drawing from the five main themes, this study presents and discusses key findings, implications, and recommendations. These findings shed light on the challenges faced by persons with disabilities during the compounding crises and the implications for their access to education and healthcare. The study provides recommendations to address these issues and improve the opportunities and experiences of persons with disabilities in times of crisis. Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-06-19 /pmc/articles/PMC10315842/ /pubmed/37404284 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1111972 Text en Copyright © 2023 Shuayb and Doueiry. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Public Health
Shuayb, Itab
Doueiry, Sabine
Impact of COVID-19 on the education and healthcare services of persons with disabilities in Lebanon
title Impact of COVID-19 on the education and healthcare services of persons with disabilities in Lebanon
title_full Impact of COVID-19 on the education and healthcare services of persons with disabilities in Lebanon
title_fullStr Impact of COVID-19 on the education and healthcare services of persons with disabilities in Lebanon
title_full_unstemmed Impact of COVID-19 on the education and healthcare services of persons with disabilities in Lebanon
title_short Impact of COVID-19 on the education and healthcare services of persons with disabilities in Lebanon
title_sort impact of covid-19 on the education and healthcare services of persons with disabilities in lebanon
topic Public Health
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10315842/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37404284
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1111972
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