At risk but not adequately included: People with disabilities’ experience of COVID-19 in Zambia

Background: COVID-19 had an impact on all sections of society, including people with disabilities. Objectives: The authors aimed to explore the needs and experiences of people with disabilities in Zambia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: In this hermeneutic phenomenological study, we used a semi-structured interview guide to collect data from a purposive and snowball sample of 40 people with disabilities and their caregivers. The participants were from 11 districts in 6 provinces in Zambia. The in-depth interviews were done between July 2022 and November 2022. Data were managed in NVivo and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: The three themes included: (1) awareness and experience of public health measures on COVID-19 among people with disabilities; (2) experience of othering and stigmatisation as people with disability during the COVID-19 pandemic and (3) experience of COVID-19 symptoms and having COVID-19 among people with disabilities. Conclusion: Interventions were largely unresponsive to the needs of people with disabilities, exacerbating the risk of exposure to infection. In future, adaptations like emergency risk communication in braille, audio and sign language interpretation in adapted communication formats should be made. Further studies are needed to quantify the gaps in access to health, explore policies and strategies to improve health outcomes for people with disabilities in LMICs like Zambia. Contribution: The findings may contribute to the development and enhancement of policies and interventions responsive to the needs of people with disabilities in future pandemics in the Zambian context.