Normative Exclusion of Students with Disabilities and Enforced Isolation of Healthy Adults during the COVID -19 Pandemic: A Thought-Provoking Lesson

ABSTRACT Due to the Corona virus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the world in year 2020 experienced a significant upheaval in the lives of many. This study aimed at drawing parallels between the enforced isolation of healthy adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and the systemic exclusion of students with disabilities in educational systems around the world. Moreover, it presents an opportunity for people who have faced isolation during the pandemic, to better understand the feelings of students with disabilities. In this study, a sample of 22 people without disabilities from Saudi Arabia were interviewed to disclose their experiences and feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of quarantine on their social and psychological lives. Their responses were compared to many experiences of students with disabilities obtained from a systemic review involving many related studies. The main findings of this study reveal some isolating, psychological and social effects. This may lead stakeholders in legal and educational matters to rethink their perspectives on exclusionary practices that face many students with disabilities.