The COVID-19 pandemic and the response of the government of the United Kingdom have exacerbated deep-seated inequalities. People of color and disabled people have been disproportionately impacted during the pandemic. This essay has two authors, Sophie, a white disabled academic from England, and Denise, an Asian music therapist from Hong Kong; we are friends who live in Bristol. By examining our understanding of the pandemic through our lived experiences and identities, we provide transparency for engaging with our individual and shared perspectives. We use Mia Mingus’s concept of access intimacy to characterize our friendship as one which prioritizes accessibility and a deep understanding of each other’s realities whilst respecting and learning from our differences. We explore the idea of vulnerability and what it means to be made vulnerable during COVID, as well as the notion of ungrievability. Through engaging the concept of embodied belonging we address care as a necessity in response to all the ways in which this pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated vulnerability, ungrievability, and challenges to finding a sense of belonging. We demonstrate solidarity, empathy, joy, love, respect, and a deep reverence for each other and our journeys through hostile environments, providing a counterpoint to the neoliberal structures of oppression as we find ways to live, create, and flourish.
Articles by Denise Wong
Denise Wong is a disabled East Asian music therapist and academic originally from Hong Kong, and now based in Bristol, UK. She is a member of the British Association for Music Therapy and a registered professional on the Health and Care Professions Council. Denise works with children, young people, and adults impacted by trauma surrounding illness and disability in addition to working with NEHK, a community-led group for and by HongKongers living in the UK. She contributes to undergraduate teaching of healthcare professionals, specifically her experience surrounding racism and ageism. She is a forthcoming member of the advisor panel on the editorial board of the British Journal of Music Therapy.