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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Proposed Book Title: Disability and Covid-19 Responses in Africa: Lessons for the Future
Editors: Prof Tsitsi Chataika and (TBA)
Publisher: Routledge
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus as a public health emergency of international concern due to the speed and scale of transmission on 30 January 2020 (WHO, 2020). The virus has instilled fear and destruction, with fatalities estimated at more than one hundred thousand people within the first four months after its outbreak and has rapidly reached grave pandemic proportions necessitating a global reflection and response. This is because Covid-19 has crumbled economies and negatively impacted freedom of movement and association across the globe (UNESCO, 2020). All this makes Covid-19 both a complex and multi-dimensional pandemic, with no one knowing what the future holds. To date, the number of confirmed cases and deaths from the Covid-19 pandemic in Africa are far less compared to Asian, European, North and South American countries that have been seriously hard hit by this pandemic. However, considering the struggling economies and health facilities in most African countries, if Covid-19 is to attack on Africa as it has done in high income countries, the results would be more devastating. To date, COVID-19 has affected 213 countries and territories around the world and tow international conveyances. To date 6,290,853 covid-19 cases and 374,343 deaths have been registered globally, with Africa having 146,951 cases and 4 223 deaths as of 31st May 2020 (WHO, 2020).
Prior to Covid-19, disabled citizens in Africa have for a long time being struggling to access support, services and being part of the decision-making processes due to attitudinal, environmental and institutional barriers (Chataika, 2019). I observe serious discrepancies in the overarching preparedness and responses to the pandemic, particularly when it comes to disabled persons. Although both WHO (2020) and UNESCO (2020) issued specific recommendations for disability services and vulnerable populations, there is little information about such necessary measures from African governments with regards to covid-19. In this proposed book, I explore the effects of covid-19 on disabled people, lessons learnt and recommendations for the future if similar pandemics occur. I will draw several examples from various African countries with the view of supporting governments to proactively respond to the diverse needs of disabled persons in the event that they are faced with similar pandemics. Thus, each chapter should identify specific effects and possible strategies and recommendations for disability inclusive pandemic responses. In this book, the focus is on, but not limited to the following broad themes:
· Covid-19, disability and human rights
· Covid-19, ICT and disability
· Lockdown, vulnerability and livelihoods
· Physical and social distancing; and personal support
· Covid-19 intercepting other health related conditions
· Covid-19 and mental health
· Governments’ interventions on Covid-19 and disabled persons
· Disability, Covid-19 and Education
· Covid-19, civil society organisations and disability inclusion
· Accessibility and quarantine centres
· Personal narratives of disabled people amidst covid-19
· Experiences of families of children with disabilities during lockdown
Interested contributors should submit an abstract of not more than 200 words to Prof Tsitsi Chataika at [log in to unmask] (The 2019 Taylor & Francis Outstanding Book and Digital Product Award Winner (co-editor) in the 2019 Outstanding Handbook Category - https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Disability-Activism-1st-Edition/Berghs-Chataika-El-Lahib-Dube/p/book/9780815349303) by no later than 25 June 2020. Authors with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities are encouraged to submit abstracts. Those with successful abstracts will be notified by 04 July 2020. Routledge has demonstrated a keen interest in publishing the book. The proposed publication of the book is 2021.