“I've already lived like There's a pandemic”: A grounded theory study on the experiences of people with a mobility disability

Abstract

It is widely documented that people with a mobility disability are at increased risk of severe illness, morbidity, or mortality following a disaster. However, disaster risk is multifactorial and not simply a result of underlying health conditions. This study aimed to capture the lived experiences of people with a mobility disability during the first four waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sixteen people with a mobility disability from Ontario and Quebec, Canada, participated in 1-h qualitative interviews (ages 20–86). Participants' disability etiology included stroke, multiple sclerosis, amputations, and other. Using grounded theory methodology, we employed iterative, inductive coding and constant comparative methods. Through this, we built the grounded theory: Adaptation is Not a Choice, It's a Way of Life. This framework illustrates the process whereby restrictions imposed by the pandemic resembled everyday barriers for people with a mobility disability. Although compounded barriers increased disaster risk, internal and external assets supported adaptive capacity and resilience which facilitated the management of disability challenges from restrictions in the environment. People with disability took calculated risks to maintain quality of life during the pandemic. Although they shared a common dis-ability experience with the general population, the ways in which innovation flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic provided solutions to mitigate experiences of dis-ability. The tipping point for change is social justice, to support community resilience through accommodations for disability needs. Overall, planning, for both daily living and pandemic response, must be disability-inclusive, considering the assets and true risks of people with disability.