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home / 世界杯决赛2022

albertans with disabilities grapple with isolation during pandemic

herman koo spent 10 days in a coma after being shot in ...

by jason herring

nov 6 2021
read time 2 minute read
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herman koo at his home in edmonton on november 5, 2021. herman was shot in the head while driving home in 2018 by a man on a random crime spree and was not expected to survive. there have been severe social impacts from the covid-19 pandemic on people like herman who live with disabilities. larry wong / postmedia network
herman koo spent 10 days in a coma after being shot in the head while driving home from an edmonton gym in march 2018.
he wasn’t expected to speak or walk again, let alone survive, due to brain injuries sustained in the random attack. but following extensive rehabilitation efforts, koo relearned how to move and communicate, and returned to living on his own only about a year and a half after the shooting.
a new challenge emerged for koo in march 2020, however, when the covid-19 pandemic began, putting on a pause on non-essential, in-person interactions and disrupting routines.
“when it first started, i didn’t want to go out,” koo said from his edmonton home. “i isolated myself. in those first four or five months, i didn’t want to go out ever, and i just had phone calls with my friends and family. … it was very difficult.”
the covid-19 pandemic has had an outsized impact on people living with disabilities across the country, according to christina sperling with march of dimes canada. she said this has led to an increase in isolation and loneliness among a population already facing societal barriers.
“we saw it loud and clear over the course of the last year. people with disabilities were disproportionately impacted,” said sperling, the charity’s director of community programs. a recent survey from the organization found 88 per cent of people with disabilities in canada cite social barriers and isolation as a key issue, with nearly one-third saying they feel depressed or anxious nearly all the time.
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“they told us they felt depressed, undervalued, lonely, isolated and they didn’t feel like they necessarily had control over their lives. they felt there was a social stigma and discrimination against them, and they felt that even more so over the pandemic.”
march of dimes offers programming to support canadians living with all types of disabilities, sperling said. within alberta, that slate includes skills development to help young adults live independently, a camp for people with aphasia, and job coaching.
koo connected with march of dimes following his injuries, including attending the alberta aphasia camp, and continued to access services and social groups virtually after the pandemic started. he said he cherishes the kindness of his peers and instructors.
herman koo is learning to talk again after he was shot in the head in a random act of violence in march 2018. he was working with nicole salvador, a second year speech language patholigist at the university of alberta on february 18, 2020.
herman koo is learning to talk again after he was shot in the head in a random act of violence in march 2018. he was working with nicole salvador, a second year speech language patholigist at the university of alberta on february 18, 2020. shaughn butts / postmedia
he added he re-earned his drivers’ licence, enabling him to see loved ones face-to-face when relaxed public-health rules made that possible.
“it allows me to go everywhere, and visit my friends and family without having to rely on them to pick me up. that’s the greatest thing possible,” koo said.
sperling said people with disabilities don’t receive the same access to educational opportunities as their able-bodied peers, leading to barriers to employment. she said covid-19 has underlined a need for broader changes, including employers taking steps to facilitate people with disabilities to be part of their workforce.
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physical barriers, like inaccessible spaces, as well as social stigma can contribute to people with disabilities feeling as if they do not belong, sperling said.
“these barriers, they exist in society. and the way those play out, they still lead to the same unfortunate outcome,” she said.
jherring@postmedia.com
twitter: @jasonfherring
jason herring
jason herring

jason herring is a reporter and editor at the calgary herald and calgary sun, joining the papers in 2019. he graduated from the university of calgary, where he was the editor of the school's student newspaper, the gauntlet. he is an avid cinephile and an amateur crossword puzzle constructor.

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