It has been over 100 days since I last left the house, a decision I took voluntarily two weeks before the British government advised those at the top of the high risk group to stay home for 12 weeks.
When we first heard of the mysterious and frightening Covid-19 virus we were told that it does not discriminate. It could hit anyone in any part of the world. That soon proved to be a myth as far as disabled people were concerned.
Here in the UK, the overall message from both the government and the media was a reassuring nod, but only to the young and the healthy. The message early on seemed to be: don’t panic, it is more likely to affect the elderly, the disabled and people with underlying health issues. This automatically set off alarm bells in my head that I was about to be excluded from the rest of the population.
When you have lived with a muscle-wasting condition and a respiratory problem since birth, you are used to the fear of infections. It is always complicated and it is always an ordeal. But this time was different. This fear made me numb, as it was a new feeling to realise that disability further singles you out. It makes you more likely to catch the virus.
These thoughts caused me many sleepless nights. Then came the lockdown. Weirdly enough, it was only then that I started sleeping better. For the first time in my life I felt the world was equal. Everyone was stuck at home – something that is familiar to disabled people. Most of us have experienced long spells of having to remain indoors. I felt people might realise finally what it feels like to be unable to go out and enjoy life.
As it turns out, when the non-disabled are prevented from going out, the world, it seems, does everything to keep them entertained. All of a sudden everything that was denied to people who could not go out because of the lockdown, became available online and free: theatre performances, art exhibitions, virtual concerts, virtual travel, free films and books, new online courses, the list goes on.
It is not just the hospitality field or the arts and culture industry that rushed to keep the general public entertained but work places all of a sudden made it easy to work from home. Yet for nearly four years I was going from one job interview to another and as I would reach the final stage and ask to split my work between home and the office for health reasons, I would be told it is not possible. Now, working from home is the trend.
Like me, people are excited by the opportunities that have miraculously become available, but there is also disappointment about why it took so long
These realities and contradictions have caused me mixed feelings. I am thrilled that options I had been deprived of for years are now just a ‘click’ away, yet I also feel angry and cheated. I cannot recall the number of times I have not been able to go see a play because it was being staged in a heritage building with no wheelchair access, or missing out on a musical or a concert because the theatre had space for only two wheelchairs. I have often wished there was another way for me to watch these shows but online performances did not exist prior to the pandemic.
I am not alone in this feeling this way. Lojen Mohammed, a teacher in Iraq who has a physical disability, has also been at home for more than three months. But Lojen does not see it as a big issue because, as she says, if you are disabled and living in Iraq, going out is a luxury.
The general lack of accessibility means being at home is in any case the norm. Lojen enrolled for online cultural events and gained certification in courses that were newly being offered. Her one worry was access to medical care because if you are disabled you are less likely to go to a hospital and get tested for the virus. Iraq does not offer the option of home testing.
Speaking to other disabled people gave me further insight. Like me, people are excited by the many opportunities that have miraculously become available, but there is also disappointment about why for so long we have been deprived of options that are now readily offered.
Mohammed Idan Jabbar, the founder of Iraq’s Short Stature Association, and a person of short stature himself, lives in Belgium. He talked to me about his anxiety that in these past few months have affected his sleep patterns.
Although he utilised this period to learn new languages, cook, study and pursue courses online, he fears the state of the world’s economy will affect everything that disabled people have spent decades to gain. For example, with so many shops, restaurants and theatres struggling financially, they might not consider making their places accessible to disabled people as it will cost money that they don’t have, which means the disabled consumer may no longer be a factor, let alone a priority.
But these realities apart, I truly hope that the pandemic has generated questions that might make society a more equal place. The pandemic might just have been the first time that people understood the struggles of all disabled people – the inability to go out is just one among many.
Raya Al Jadir is a freelance journalist and co-founder of the first Arabic lifestyle e-magazine of its kind, Disability Horizons
Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
The specs: 2019 Audi A8
Price From Dh390,000
Engine 3.0L V6 turbo
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 345hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy, combined 7.5L / 100km
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Premier League results
Saturday
Crystal Palace 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2
Cardiff City 2 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Bournemouth 2
Leicester City 3 Fulham 1
Newcastle United 3 Everton 2
Southampton 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Manchester City 3 Watford 1
Sunday
Liverpool 4 Burnley 2
Chelsea 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
Arsenal 2 Manchester United 0
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
The biog
Family: Parents and four sisters
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing at American University of Sharjah
A self-confessed foodie, she enjoys trying out new cuisines, her current favourite is the poke superfood bowls
Likes reading: autobiographies and fiction
Favourite holiday destination: Italy
Posts information about challenges, events, runs in other emirates on the group's Instagram account @Anagowrunning
Has created a database of Emirati and GCC sportspeople on Instagram @abeermk, highlight: Athletes
Apart from training, also talks to women about nutrition, healthy lifestyle, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
