Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities Revisited: Perspectives Reflected by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Persons with disabilities have been disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 virus, experiencing difficulties in accessing health and social services during the pandemic. Lockdowns enforced public health restrictions to prevent spreading of the pandemic, a step needed to protect life. However, these restrictions have had devastating impacts with regard to social inclusion of people with disabilities. During the pandemic, most communication transitioned from offline to online, raising the following questions: How do people with disabilities cope with this change? and Can digital inclusion compensate persons with disabilities for their social exclusion in virtual reality? This book discusses whether the pandemic changes the nature and climate of social inclusion. One view is positive: Remote learning, working from home, access to health information, and interpersonal relations can enhance social inclusion. The opposite view is quite pessimistic: People who have accessibility difficulties online may have the same difficulties offline, mainly because nothing has changed with respect to their social capital. The book explores the roots of social inclusion and exclusion and current use of the terms with respect to people with disabilities, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social inclusion of people with disabilities, and countries' responses (particularly the United Kingdom and the United States) during the pandemic and afterward. These issues are discussed with respect to persons with various disabilities living in developed and low- and medium-income countries and children with disabilities.