Report transcript in: Evan's experience over the lockdowns, and his hopes and concerns over the impact on the way disabled people are being treated.

Please Report the Errrors?

OK.

Hello, Evan. Nice to meet you. Hello.

How are you?

I'm great. Thank you. How are you today?

Very well, thank you.

Great.

So thank you very much for agreeing to tell us about your experience of lockdown. Um,

I'll just let you carry on and say whatever you would like to say to us.

OK, thank you very much.

So, um,

as as you as you're aware, lockdown

happened in, um, March of last year.

And

it was

it was a bit of a surreal experience to begin with, because it was

it was supposed to be a very big year in terms of

and, um, my sport that I do. I'm a I'm a great British judo athlete.

And obviously there was the Paralympic Games.

And

for for the world, to be shut down and

and just

not knowing

what was next was an extremely tough thing to sort of

grasp in my head.

And

for for the first couple of weeks, I had a serious lack of

mo motivation on what to do

and

how how to deal with

the the covid situation.

Uh, but

the

we started talking to our our teammates and

our coaches and

it was

they. They come up with a really good solution of

doing our training and keeping as fit and as healthy as possible through

zoom sessions and

making sure that

we're not gonna be,

uh, doing things on our own As such. We're always gonna have

people

around us just through the computer,

because we were training with all our all our teammates, just

just online,

and I feel like that was a massive

that was massive mental

mental,

um, support. At that time, I'd say during the during the first lockdown

And

in that first lockdown, I'd say, other than the first two weeks, we

stayed very, um,

mentally strong and very uplifting and very upbeat

about the whole situation because I was like,

No matter how things are now, it will get better.

And

that's the attitude I had through the first lockdown, which was just

I think it was.

It was the best way to be at the time.

But

looking back on it, probably,

um,

maybe slightly unrealistic in in my head, because obviously

they

looking back on it now is we're still in the situation, aren't we? So it's

it makes it quite tough.

Um,

but

we we were allowed to go back to

training

in July.

And, um,

we had to We had to build back into our training because

we were given exemptions on what elite athletes are allowed to do.

So we, um, got back to training. We

did, Did some really good work over the next few months.

And then, um,

the

sort of a as we were building in to come into the second lockdown,

it was

it It was strange because

the the consistency

started to break up.

And

I'd say

during during that during that time

and possibly since

I'd say I've

I've struggled a fair bit with,

um,

inconsistency.

And

with with that inconsistency brings

a bit more a bit more struggle to me.

And

when I'm training

and

I'm with my team and stuff and things like that, I I live in, uh, Birmingham.

So I'm not I'm not with my family.

I'm on my own up there

and I'd say, going through going through these situations

and not having not having your family there

is I think it makes it so tough in it.

I have so much

sympathy

because I've been I've I'm going through that situation

and

people in the first lockdown. That's all they had

for the whole time. They just had themselves in

their thoughts.

And I think

it is just

It's just a not very not very nice situation to be in because

there's just a constant

unknown of what is coming next.

And

everything you see on the news

a worry because you hear, like

the prime minister is going to go on the go on the news and make an announcement.

You're like, Oh, no, what now?

And you're never you're never

you never think

Oh, it could be some good news

And I think I think that's

that. That's hitting everybody in some way.

And, um

But

I I'd say as it goes on, and as it

um, the situation carries on, and

I say It's just

it's getting

I've been through a struggle stage,

and I now I now think

I'm on the back of it in the sense that

I'm realising that

we are going back into a similar situation that we were in last in last year. Almost

like we're allowed, we're allowed to do cer certain more things,

but in

in regards to the

the severity of the situation and how people need to react to it.

I think

now, now it's more serious. I think it makes

it. It changes your attitude because you realise you have a

you have a responsibility almost to sort of, um,

do your part to keep

as many people safe as possible.

Absolutely.

And um

so, yeah, I think that's

that's sort of where we're at at the minute.

But it

I'd say

ov overall lot. It's been quite tough because of the

because of all the sit the situations and getting everything

put in place for the country. Uh, some people are,

um,

losing their

their patience a little bit with, uh, disabled people,

I would say,

because

you get I get certain I I've had a couple of certain situations where,

uh, I'm in a supermarket

and

I've been

shouted at

for not properly

socially distancing and

and there

as a as A.

And I was told that I should wear a necklace

to say that I am visually impaired

and,

um,

per personally, I'm I'm not a fan of those ideas

because I don't I don't like

the fact that I would have to wear a label

to point out what what I am. I know that I'm visually impaired.

Uh, because I I have been for 21 years of my life, you know,

and then I get

somebody that's never met me before.

Just go straight to

that sort of thing and having a having a go at me

when?

Nine times out of 10.

I'm probably absolutely fine.

But now

I've lost a lot of confidence in public

situations on my own. So now I I

rarely go

into

a supermarket or into

a really public situation or

on my own because of the worry of

bumping into somebody and potentially hurting their feelings over me,

Possibly not socially distancing.

OK,

and I I could I I

can only imagine that I am. I'm not the only one that's been through something

like that during this period.

Absolutely.

I would definitely agree with you on that.

Yeah, so

it's, um,

I suppose it's just part of the situation that we're in now,

and that's that's the way

life life is at the moment. And hopefully

it does get better

and it will get better,

but

it's just a case of

time,

I think.

And, uh,

that's

that's all we can hope for, I suppose. I just I suppose we can only hope for

for things, things to get better.

Yeah,

well, thank you very much for telling me all of that. Um,

and I think a lot of what you said people will resonate with.

And probably like you said, Unfortunately,

I shared some of the negative experiences as well.

And hopefully, by sharing these stories and

helping to people to understand what others are going through,

um,

raising awareness of a bit more

kindness and understanding in different situations

rather than jumping to the accusatory stance

which,

which you've, um, suffered from from people in the supermarkets

just out of interest.

Was it, um do you Do you happen to know if it's members of public or staff, or how was it?

No, it was, uh, it was staff. And

I I did

When I when I got to

the point, when I was getting served by the the particular

woman at hand,

I did, I did say to her that

she really does need to take consideration for who

she's talking to because she doesn't know their situation.

And

what what makes it worse for

not so much

had but

the

the companies as well.

Is that how they are currently?

Um,

sort of making sure that they're getting their word out,

that they are like they are supporting people with invisible disabilities

through their through the Taos.

And they're always saying, like,

don't always make assumptions because not all disabilities are visible,

but and then you have staff members that are

not even following that,

right? So they're contradicting.

Yeah, uh, it's just

it's just, um,

a bit of a thing. I didn't I didn't make a complaint and I didn't do that. I'm not.

I'm not that petty,

you know, like

at the end of the day, if that's the if that's the way she wants to be, then fair enough,

but

it it was just a bit of a, um

there was a bit of a a taken

back moment where it's not something I've necessarily encountered

in that way before,

but

it just got into my head like

that's just gonna happen more and more now

because because the way people are

in just

the situation they? Some people are extremely,

um,

paranoid

about the social distancing and

and things like that, and it's a worry, and that that's that is fair enough. And,

uh uh, I've had

I've had I've had I've discussed it before. I think it's just something that

people

disabled people are gonna

are gonna experience.

I I feel like, uh the way

that

some

disabled commun communities as a whole, whether it's visual impairment, whether

it's a wheelchair and

and

things like

things like that. I I think we have gone backwards in,

like, sort of being able to get

everything put out there, where people are OK

with disabilities.

I think it has gone backwards

in that sense,

but

we can

get we can, and we will get back to a place

where it is OK to have disabilities, and

people won't judge you for it, or they won't treat you any differently for it.

So, um,

I just think again,

we're go.

We're gone back in time a bit, but it's just a matter of time,

just like the the situation.

Until

we're able to get back to that place.

Yes, absolutely.

I share that hope with you And he is hoping that by sharing your story,

it will help people understand

how people with disabilities are having to cope

with extra stresses and pressures during this time.

Well,

thank you very much for talking to me. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Um,

no, I think I think we're We're all good.

OK,

well, thank you. I'm just gonna stop the recording now, then.

Toggle

Posted By

Author

WiltsCIL

Post date

28/01/2021