Report transcript in: Clenton's story - Narratives of the Global Impact of COVID-19

Please Report the Errrors?

sure.

So my first question is, would you introduce yourself?

Uh, my name's, uh, Clinton Barson. Uh,

I'm,

I'm a son. Uh

um, Born to par. Uh, uh, parents of windrush. Uh uh, generation.

And that's how I would describe myself and a disabled person as well.

Thanks. Clinton. What part of the country from Clinton?

I'm from, uh, uh,

I It's the central, uh, and and and the heartbeat of, uh, the UK Birmingham.

So, um,

so, uh, we we're really exploring, like,

the experience of deaf disabled people and some carers.

So, um,

what impact did the covid pandemic and lockdown

have on your life as a disabled person?

Where do I start? And,

um,

start from the beginning. I I would say

my experience. And, um and and I suppose my story of,

uh um,

uh, of covid is a personal one, if that makes sense

and a personal experience of a lockdown, Um, for me,

um,

it was two fold I had to deal with,

um,

one. Uh uh,

My family.

Uh um

you know, uh, I had an aunt

that passed away from covid. I had

my godson who, uh, passed away

from, uh uh, covid And I also had to deal with, um, my mum having, uh,

covid and going into

a hospital, then me catching covid three times and being hospitalised.

And that's the,

uh,

the lens of how I

see, uh, covid covid very personal

to er to me. And it brings up

some really, uh, emotive, Um

uh, experiences because, um,

for my, um

for my wife, Uh uh, um

and And she works in the hospital. And she saw, um,

saw me at my, uh,

you know, drips And, you know, uh, things that you know in I t u and on ventilators,

you know, and And she tells me the story that it was very frightening.

Uh uh, for her. And it was frightening,

uh, for for for me.

But I can remember of, you know, uh, of it,

and I wouldn't like I wouldn't wish that on my my worst.

Er, er anyway, so

that's

what um,

that's what? Uh, yeah, that's what, uh,

covid is done. Er done to me. It's, um, made me realise it's very personal. It's not,

um,

it's not this distant policy.

Um,

thing that people talk about this disproportionately affect

it affect me in my living room.

And my, uh uh uh, you know, and my family

Thank you, Clinton, for being so,

um, open and like, sharing such personal stuff.

So I'm wondering like she's talked about sort of

your mum and relatives.

And sorry about your relatives that have passed and your own experience.

How did you make sense of, like the pandemic as a disabled person?

So, like, how did you

like what? What changed in your life? How did you make sense of it?

That's a great question. I I don't think I ever made sense to me.

It just felt that,

um,

me and many other, uh, disabled people were invisible.

You know, um

um, the, um

What?

What? It felt like it. It was lots of

fragmented activity around covid that, you know,

saying you could get guidance here, get guidance there.

When you were looking, it was confusing.

Er, er guidance. Which then,

um you know, I wanted to help my own mum and my family and really didn't know

where to, uh, where to turn, even though,

um,

we, uh, in social care. They started a covid stakeholders group,

you know, And that was the only thing that, um, kind of

reass reassured me that

I was feeding in

from other people that, you know,

Don't forget disabled people. Don't forget,

Er, you know, um, people who are on direct, uh, payments, you know,

don't forget carers.

You know, when you're talking about

the workforce, you know it, it's everyone.

It's all of us, you know, carers, unpaid carers,

And, um, that kind of

kept me sane. If that makes

sense that I I felt I was doing something of importance.

Thank you. Thank you for sharing that.

So I just wanted to go back to that sense of, um,

like,

the the mixed kind of mess.

Look, I'm getting a sense that there's lots of information coming out.

You said you used an interesting phrase like people leaving people behind.

Do you think people felt left behind?

Oh, um,

I I I know, um, people were er er er left

behind.

Uh,

I was speaking to, um,

other, uh, direct payment recipients.

Uh, because we, uh um my company, um my organisation runs

a er a direct pay a peer,

um, support network. So, you know, and we used to do that

in person, face to face.

And then when, uh, lockdown and covid it get

we, um, went to the virtual world

and, um, that

I have to me kept me saying it kept

and others, you know, just having that, um,

that I, um

we you know, um, we were weathering the

the,

you know, the storm together and, you know, and we realised very quickly

that, um even though people saying, um, you know, we're all weathering

the storm, but we weren't in the same boat,

you know, and and and and for me, that was more,

uh, what

of what people were saying. They were frightened that, uh,

the emotions, um,

people felt, um, frustrated

that, um

they thought that

no one cared.

It sounds really profound and very resonates very much with my own experiences.

So I'm wondering if you had a view on Do you think

these things existed within society before covid and were were magnified,

Oh,

um,

when we talk about, uh, Inequality,

Uh, inequality has always

existed.

The, um The only thing that was different was

covid shone a massive

light.

Uh uh. To show the chasm.

You know, the big, massive gaps that we took for for, uh, granting.

And, uh, everyone you know, thought that we had a safety net

that was there for, uh, to to catch us

in, You know, in,

uh, circumstances like

like we we found ourselves in,

but the safety net and massive holes

in it, uh, you know, uh, whole people and whole communities were getting lost in,

and, uh uh, for me, it was, um

uh, uh a

I was angry because,

um,

it was people's lives,

you know, and, uh, that were being destroyed.

You know, families, uh, friends neighbourhoods

that, you know, uh, you know, you know, was being destroyed. And I just found

that, um,

it was for me. It regardless around what political?

Uh, colour or leaning on how you vote.

Um,

inequality has been around for eternity,

and

different political parties made

political choices where they would put their focus

really, really powerful.

And I was wondering

if we could go back to you. Talked about,

um, the role of peer support. So,

um,

and your organisation so did disabled people.

And people like yourself come together to support each other.

And what impact did you think that had,

uh uh

it kept me sane.

I'll be, uh uh,

totally, Uh uh, honest. I was

I was scared. Um,

I didn't know where to, uh, to go,

but, um, it was

the peer support for me. Was,

um it showed that we cared about each other,

and it wasn't. Um

uh, and And we were We

were going through this storm,

not on our own.

And we were,

uh,

uh, you know,

giving ourselves information

that could upskill us to know what? How to try and navigate.

Uh uh, the the So we also, uh,

uh came together and,

um,

music.

Um you know, we, uh, played music to keep our,

uh you know, uh, sanity

and a spirit of,

you know, and, um, all through, uh, lockdown, my

my go to, um

song was, um, Kirk Franklin.

Uh, I smile

and and

that was

I needed something to, uh, to hope for, you know, and and And give me,

uh, hope that, uh,

tomorrow would,

you know, uh,

would be different,

you know? And, uh and I know

other members of the peer support group,

um, had their own different, uh uh, songs and just talking

to each other kept us safe,

you know, and sharing information. And,

er er working out plans to keep us safe.

So get a sense that people,

um, did what they needed to do because of a lack of maybe,

um, information or I I I get a sense that you

did what you needed to do to get through.

I I I had to, um

uh you know, um,

because we felt we were left behind the the information and the

and the guidance

it started to come through, but it was

It was, um,

very light in getting there, and it wasn't clear

what? Um, the message and how we should,

uh uh um uh, you know, uh, how do we get P PE? How do you know?

How do we enable our personal assistant,

uh uh, to go shopping and get stuff for it? Get the medication.

All of those, uh, sort of things we have to work it through,

You know, uh, and,

you know, um,

when everybody else was talking about the workforce, you know,

the front line using language, it was the front line, like it was an army,

but personal assistants and

uh uh, direct payment. Uh, recipients were

thought of er like that, and it weren't till very,

you know, um, I think

because we were

making our speaking up very loudly at,

um, my myself and and and you and others

to make sure, you know,

to say we're here and we would like

some signposting of information and advice that helps us

to be safe.

Do you think if that information was available at that time,

the outcome would have been different for people?

think so. But, uh, I think, um,

if the information,

uh, and, uh, and

talking to the most marginalised of people and communities and society and helping

uh, uh, create some sort of, uh um

to play on the, um

you know, I said,

um, the safety net

a springboard.

You know, that could help, uh, look at the the human potential of us all

and connect and have a quality of life.

But it it just felt that we were surviving in that

in that, um,

two year, you know, nearly three year window,

You know, it was surviving, and,

um,

it was very scary in listening to how people's mental health

deteriorated that was scary and feeling helpless that you couldn't,

you know, just hug someone.

Or, you know, uh,

because you could see they were physically in pain,

you know? And that's

I will never forget that.

Yeah,

thanks for

for sharing and also that

really difficult stuff that people couldn't support their loved ones.

Um, at times, which were really difficult to them because of all of these rules. And

so, Clinton there is lots of talk.

Um, and I'm sure you'll love this question about a post pandemic world.

What does this feeling look to like to you as a disabled person?

Uh, a

post that, uh, for me

eight.

The fundamental thing that, um, we need to,

uh, reprogram

our

system that we call,

uh, society.

And then we've created systems to deliver, like housing,

welfare?

Uh uh, social care. Uh, public transport.

think we need to, uh,

reprogram take the the the the

the keys back. Uh, rewrite the rules, re, You know, um,

because fundamentally, we have to.

The measurements that we

say are important. The value that we say is important about

wealth and economics.

But it wasn't about

people,

so I had you know, I'm not saying,

you know, wealth

to me with when you talk wealth, you can't have wealth without health. So for me,

how do we

reshape

when we say, um, you know, uh,

you know, healthy prosperity,

but good lives.

You know, I would, uh, think, uh, good lives and meaningful lives.

We need infrastructure

that enables us to have good lives,

because you you know, um

and that's the fundamental

thing that I I've I've taken from a pandemic.

We have to redesign the systems and structures

that

our society is built up

because we've got,

um,

the analogy

I I use around, um

inequalities.

Uh, inequality is designed. It's designed into the into the systems that we have.

It's designed into the structures that we've built. So

if inequality is designed,

it can be redesigned.

But it has to be redesigned with the,

uh uh the the people who are the most marginalised

Uh uh Who

do not trust systems or do not trust organisations.

How we bring,

uh, people together that it's about all of us. Not some of us,

all of us,

you know, and and and we can

There is a brighter future.

But it can only be a brighter future if we

include,

uh, you know, more inclusive more.

Uh, one of the biggest things that I take out of,

um,

the pandemic. How do we create a sense of belonging?

Everyone talks about, you know, inclusion.

But for me, inclusion isn't a place

inclusions belonging.

So wherever you are,

uh, you know,

you know your situation, how do you create a sense of blogging with an accent?

The, uh, uh uh, place or neighbourhood or communities of interest.

You know, it's about feeling a sense of belonging

so nicely brings me on to my question. And I think we started to cover this.

What

would you like?

The covid inquiry to hear from deaf and disabled people

about their experience of CO the covid pandemic and lockdowns.

But, uh,

I'd like to er there's There's five. I think it's, um,

five things I would like to try and

er er hear. Yeah. Five things. I would like to, uh, hear, um,

from

deaf and disabled people. And,

uh and, um, you know, black

and, uh, Asian m, uh, minor.

Um,

ethnic communities.

What was the ability to influence resources and,

uh, allocations,

you know,

in your

you know, uh, location

and neighbourhood. How easy was it

Was it to,

you know, um,

inform.

You know, uh, um, you know the local decisions and support,

Uh uh, for you,

uh, as a, uh, as an individual and as a family and as a community, the second would be

how much influence

with decision making.

At a local level.

Did you feel you had

never mind a national level or a regional level?

You know, I would like to hear from people,

uh, how they felt they could influence at a local level. You know, uh um,

And then my third would be to hear from people

how they felt

the, uh,

the infrastructure for

networks and peer support.

Hi.

You know, uh, do you do they feel that could have

helped

you know?

And my fourth would be, um, around,

uh,

advocacy,

You know, uh, do you know the

capacity? You know, it's easy. It's easy to I've always found it's easier to speak.

Um, for other people,

I've always found it harder to speak for yourself.

Now, how do we, you know,

how would

advocacy and, uh,

and the capacity for someone to speak on your behalf. How useful would that have been

in in the pandemic?

And then my my fifth one would be, um

What about the, uh

I'd like to

find out from people's, uh, perspective and on the covid

how they felt they had the ability to influence information,

provision and communication.

Uh, you know, throughout,

uh, covid.

Thanks, Clinton. So that's some really big

points to, um, direct the inquiry.

Do you have any final thoughts you would like to to share with

the inquiry about your own experiences or that of your family members?

But, um um

I just think, um,

we definitely have to have

intentional actions to do. Do not repeat

the past.

Everyone keeps saying, you know, we'll learn from the past.

We This is

the opportunity to really, really learn from the past

and hear from the most marginalised of

people who feel,

um you know, um, a distrust

to, uh, systems and structures that we have in society

How we, um, build AAA

more caring

society that

we care about

each other

not,

And the, you know, the the whole language of around inequality and, uh,

disabled

and racism.

We've You know, the, uh it's all over.

And it's dehumanised

uh,

you know, And if you think how deno, uh, dehumanising it can be for, for For me,

it always starts

with the language we use to describe people.

You know, we can do better. I think we we can.

And we all need to take action and care about those who haven't.

Er, um, got someone to, uh, shout out for or speak up for.

Thanks. Clinton.

Do you have anything else you wanted to share?

I just want,

you know, not just disabled people.

Uh, uh uh, you know, deaf and disabled people and and, um,

ethnic minorities. Uh uh, you know,

I want all

the population

to care

about each other.

You know, this isn't you know, um, when we talk about, uh, inequality,

inequality and climate change

are bedfellows,

but we should be talking,

uh,

a about that together that climate change will affect disabled people Will affect

er er, um, black and Asian, uh, minority ethnic, uh, people.

It will affect other protective characteristics.

And that's why for me, it's about

er all of us, not some of us.

Thanks, Clinton.

I think that's a really nice place to stop if you don't have any further comments.

Thank you.

Thanks. Hinton.

Toggle

Posted By

Author

streetreporter

Post date

18/04/2023