The Impact of COVID-19 on Individuals with Hearing and Visual Disabilities during the First Pandemic Wave in Italy

Luciano Bubbico, Saverio Bellizzi, Salvatore Ferlito, Antonino Maniaci, Raffaella Leone Guglielmotti, Giulio Antonelli, Giuseppe Mastrangelo and Luca Cegolon
Additional contact information
Luciano Bubbico: Department of Sensorineural Disabilities, INAPP/Italian Institute of Social Medicine, 00198 Rome, Italy
Saverio Bellizzi: Medical Epidemiologist, Independent Consultant, 1200 Geneva, Switzerland
Salvatore Ferlito: Department of Surgical Medical Sciences and Advanced Technologies, University of Catania School of Medicine, 95124 Catania, Italy
Antonino Maniaci: Department of Surgical Medical Sciences and Advanced Technologies, University of Catania School of Medicine, 95124 Catania, Italy
Raffaella Leone Guglielmotti: Auximon Trainig Institute for Transactional Analysis, 00197 Rome, Italy
Giulio Antonelli: Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Department of Neurosciences, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy
Giuseppe Mastrangelo: Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences & Public Health, Padua University, 35122 Padua, Italy
Luca Cegolon: Public Health Department, Local Health Unit N.2 “Marca Trevigiana”, 31100 Treviso, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-20

Abstract: Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed radical behavioral and social changes in the general population, significantly impacting the lives of individuals affected by disabilities. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on non-institutionalized subjects with sensorineural disabilities during the first COVID-19 wave in Italy. Methods. A 39-item online national survey was disseminated from 1 April 2020 to 31 June 2020 via social media throughout Italy to communities of individuals with proven severe sensorineural disabilities, affiliated to five national patient associations. The survey collected extensive information on the socio-demographic profile, health, everyday activities, and lifestyle of individuals with hearing and visual disabilities. Results. One hundred and sixty-three respondents with hearing (66.9%) and visual (33.1%) disabilities returned a usable questionnaire. The mean age of interviewees was 38.4 ± 20.2 years and 56.3% of them were females. Despite the vast majority of respondents (77.9%) perceiving their health status as unchanged (68.8% of interviewees with hearing deficits vs. 96.3% of those with visual impairments), about half the interviewees reported sleep disorders during lock-down, more likely those with visual deficits. Remote services were seemingly more effective for business than school activities. Furthermore, although just 18.8% of respondents rated remote rehabilitation care unsatisfactory, only 12.8% of interviewees felt supported by health and social services during the COVID-19 emergency. The vast majority of respondents were concerned about the future and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 contagion, particularly individuals with hearing impairments. Among the various risk mitigation measures, facemasks caused the greatest discomfort due to communication barriers, particularly among interviewees affected by hearing disabilities (92.2% vs. 45.7%). The most common request (46.5%) of respondents to reduce the inconveniences of the COVID-19 emergency was improving the access to and delivery of health and social services for individuals with sensorineural disabilities (19.3%), followed by the use of transparent masks (17.5%). Conclusions. Although health protection measures such as face masks and social distancing play a key role in preventing and controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the unmet needs of disabled individuals should be carefully considered, especially those affected by sensory disabilities. Tailored access to health and social services for individuals affected by sensorineural disabilities should be implemented. Additional actions should include the use of face shields as a valid alternative to face masks to reduce communication barriers linked to hearing-impairment, as well as the improvement of remote services, especially distance learning at school.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; visual disability; hearing disability; lock-down; social restrictions; isolation; face masks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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