COVID and Activism: Negotiating the Accessibility of Activist Spaces in Victoria, by Ky Bubola
This is a Humans of Heart & Hands appreciation + cross promotional post of one of our talented H&H clients of which Christina has formed both a professional and personal relationship with. This is a great opportunity to highlight our client’s wonderful, vibrant and joyful body of work!
Sometime in late February 2025, I noticed this poster circulating around on Instagram stories. The survey for this study was active for 4 consecutive weeks from Feb 9th – March 9th, 2025.
Heading into our 5th year of maintaining one of the only remaining COVID/respiratory virus safe clinical spaces in Lekwugen Territories and the ongoing toll it takes to enforce a our simple policies in an increasingly apathetic society that disregards the needs of the disabled and the reasonable reduction of disease transmission, the title of the project felt hopeful and a breath of fresh air.
This was also coming off an initial organizing meeting with a “Still COVIDing” gathering over Zoom where folks from all different walks of life wanted to connect and envision ways to enrich their lives while remaining COVID conscious. So, participating in this study seemed to align with recent events, so I figured, why not!
So, with curiosity and in solidarity, I enrolled in the study by completing an initial 10 question survey. The survey was open to all people who identify as activists or as someone involved in activist efforts and had attended an in-person activist space in Victoria within the past year.
Secondary data collection was conducted through interviews. The interviews were semi-structured with 5 questions designed to answer the main research question, “how do activists’ understandings of COVID shape the accessibility of in-person activist spaces for people who are at high-risk for being impacted by COVID?” with 5 interview questions centered on experiences of safety and accessibility within in-person activist spaces in Victoria. Interviews were open to all people who met the survey participation criteria (people who identify as activists or as someone involved in activist efforts and had attended an in-person activist space in Victoria within the past year) and identify as someone who is at high-risk for being impacted by COVID. Participants then by means of the final question of the survey, were invited to further participate in the study via a 30-minute Zoom interview.
On, Mar 3rd, undergrad thesis candidate, Ky Bubola and myself met face to face for the first time over our computer screens. Ky allowed for the time and space for within the structure of the interview questions for me to candidly elaborate on the general exhaustion and frustration of not only trying to reduce disease transmission at Heart & Hands, but in general how this aspect is entirely overlooked in many community gatherings. Masking being one of the main things that is rarely ever considered in our current way of life. It just seemed to disappointing and counter to activist circles that public health measures and disability rights, especially now that long COVID is a common and growing cause of disability are no longer a priority.
Holding this particularly unique position in the community as a racialized, immunocompromised, front-line, Allied community healthcare practitioner and have held the line since reopening to serve the community in May 2020, it was the least I could do to add my experience to Ky’s research. I just wished we could do better to protect our vulnerable in spaces they should have safe access to and it is simple to implement measures to do so. Our tiny team has been doing it for 5 years and counting, it is possible.
I’m uncertain whether our interview did stay within the 30 minutes, but in the end, it was a great first meeting and I was happy to lend my voice to their relevant and important undergrad thesis. Ky who lives with long COVID was heartened to hear that Heart & Hands was a community clinical space with wrap around masking and air purification and that we were doing our best to provide relief for folks living with this unpredictable condition. Furthermore, with a growing number of clients seeking relief for the highly variable and unorthodox presentation of long COVID, our acupunking team is starting to gain more and more experience dealing with these particular cases.
Ky became a member of the Heart & Hands community April 2025 and we have supported them through our Community Acupuncture practice. Since then, I felt it was pertinent that we share their work with the greater community. Our hope is that we might encourage individuals and groups in the community to either continue their COVID-cautious efforts or perhaps, even sway folks to start masking again and incorporating additional precautions to spaces and gatherings.
Ky’s undergrad thesis project is available to read and download below:
Abstract
This research project explores the intersection of COVID and accessibility in activism. Using Disability Justice and Crip Theory as theoretical frameworks, this study aims to identify how activists’ understandings of COVID shape the accessibility of in-person activist spaces in Victoria for people who are disproportionately impacted by COVID. Findings from sixteen surveys and two interviews suggest that there are significant discrepancies in activists’ understandings of COVID shaped by various factors, and that such discrepancies are creating inaccessible in-person activist spaces for people who identify as at high-risk for being impacted by COVID. The findings imply that many in-person activist spaces in Victoria lack adequate COVID safety precautions and highlight a pressing need for all in-person activist spaces to implement mandatory respiratory wearing by those who can, increased air filtration and ventilation strategies, and clear sickness guidelines. Through centering the experiences and needs of high-risk identifying activists, this research showcases the importance of integrating Disability Justice into existing activist movements, communities, and spaces throughout Victoria.
Bio and Reflections
Hi all! My name is Ky Bubola and I’m a white, queer, disabled settler and activist living on the traditional territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples. I’m also an undergraduate student at the University of Victoria in the faculty of Humanities and am majoring in Gender Studies with a minor in Anthropology. I am currently in my final year of studies, and part of my program requirements for graduation include conducting my own research in an upper-level course.
When first presented with the task of coming up with a research topic, I was navigating significant changes in my health triggered by a repeat COVID infection and was dealing with the grief and isolation that arose with them. During this time, many of the activist spaces I once attended became increasingly inaccessible to me as I could no longer take the risk of being one of the few people taking precautions against viral illnesses, such as COVID. The struggle of separating my personal experiences from my academic responsibilities soon led me to embrace the complexities of this connection and explore the intersection of activism, COVID, and accessibility in my research project.
I began preparing my study and learning various critical research practices in the fall of 2024, and conducted the research throughout the winter of 2025. To allow myself the necessary time to tend to both my well-being and this research, I extended the timeline of the project and completed my final research report in the summer of 2025. It feels surreal to be presenting this research a full year after it first began, when just six months ago I struggled to imagine finishing it, let alone sharing it with others! I feel incredibly grateful for this opportunity to share my work and highlight the experiences and needs of other disabled, immunocompromised, and high-risk identifying activists throughout “Victoria.”
Through doing this research, I was given the immense privilege of forming a relationship with Christina and joining the Heart & Hands community. Prior interviewing Christina I was unfamiliar with the Heart & Hands Health Collective but have since witnessed and experienced their unwavering commitment to COVID safety and Disability Justice. Heart & Hands was my first time being in a space where precautions are adequately taken against airborne viruses, which felt incredibly relieving and served as a reminder that centering COVID safety and Disability Justice in our shared spaces is not only possible but sustainable and life-giving. May the commitments of Heart & Hands alongside the findings of this research affirm and encourage the practice of COVID safety and Disability Justice in all of our spaces.
Thank you to Christina for your care and invaluable contributions to this research and thank you to everyone who takes the time to read our important work!
