SOME PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND THE RATIONALE FOR SOCIAL ISOLATION
By Kim Pilic

Just imagine for a moment what it would be like to experience an abrupt halt to your weekly social and recreational community activities, without understanding why. It doesn’t take much to imagine really, given it is a situational reality for all of us at present. Without question, your own lived experience tells you a major disruption has occurred around daily routines; however, you also understand the basis and rationale for why this interruption is occurring.

Just imagine if you experienced Deafblindness, in addition to an intellectual disability, with only the basics of communication through minimal tactile signing, but no understanding of fingerspelling as a form of possible explanation. How would you begin to comprehend why your social and recreational activity participation are being denied, not to mention general community access? Do you think these individuals, who are often residing in supported accommodation, would feel a sense of uncertainty, frustration, entrapment, perplexity and unsettlement? How do you really begin to imagine their world of relative disconnect in understanding the magnitude of this pandemic, and its social isolation implications upon society at large?

When you are feeling challenged by social distancing and isolation, spare a thought for the predicament of these precious souls. Imagine their sense of isolation being compounded and heightened because they don’t have answers or a means of communicative understanding for the rationale.