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Show Summary:
Every day we are inundated with reports about COVID-19: statistics, new cases, and worse. Every day we hear of how the coronavirus has impacted people all over the world, but have we heard specific reports of its effect on blind and visually impaired individuals?
In this ninth episode in our series, Around the World with COVID-19 from a Blindness Perspective, we hear from Lori Thompson in Minneapolis Minnesota.
Thus far we have spanned the globe with blind citizens Around the world, from Australia and Malaysia, to the united kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada. Now we hear a first-hand report from Lori with her unique perspective on how the coronavirus has affected her in the states.
Lori Thompson lives outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States. As an essential worker for the state of Minnesota, Lori shares details about how corona and COVID-19 have impacted her work life. Specifically, she speaks of how she has had to abandon public transportation and Para-transit, and find alternate modes of transportation to go into the office as she is on a staggered work schedule, working a few days at home and a few days in the office. Lori shares how she has had to learn the intricacies of Skype and zoom at home, , and misses the on-site presence of her IT department. in recent weeks, her workplace has opened up with more and more people coming into the office, and more and more duties being resumed by Lori and her coworkers.
She is a guide dog user Who is concerned that Logan is not getting the exercise that he needs. She makes every effort to work him, but nothing can provide a substitute for his full routine workload which He has not enjoyed for more than three months.
like so many of us, Lori and her family have seen changes in their day-to-day routines, including their eating habits. In the past, where they may have ordered from one of the many fast food restaurants in her area, she is now reaching for her cookbook and cooking family meals which bring everybody to the dinner table. Lori comments that this is a welcome change brought about by this pandemic.
perhaps the biggest impact that corona has had on a lorries lifestyle, wise with her inability to travel. She used to go on regular vacations, but is no longer able to travel in that same style. However, another unexpected change is that her families is now finding it beneficial to get away for short trips, camping, hiking, and day trips rather than the lengthy vacations they used to take.
Lori observes that COVID-19 has made us stop and take a breath and slow down, and ask ourselves what we’ve been doing. Is this a common thread we are hearing from so many of our guests?
As usual, Blind Abilities has inserted news stories to enhance the report and paint a tine-line for you to better understand the sequence of the COVID-19 progression.
special thanks go out to Chee Chau, for his beautiful song and titled wayfarer.
Be sure to tune in to more informative episodes to hear how your BVI counterparts around the world are coping with and adapting to cOVID-19.
Contact Your State Services
If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361.
To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency.
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