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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 rarely have we heard specific reports about its effect on blind and visually impaired individuals.
In this fifteenth episode in our series, Around the World with COVID-19 from a Blindness Perspective, we hear from Chelsie Reid in New York City.
Thus far we have spanned the globe with blind citizens Around the world, from Australia and Malaysia, to the united kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada and Japan. Now we hear a first-hand report from Chelsie with her uniquely fascinating perspective on how the coronavirus has affected her in the states.
Chelsie is a college student living in New York City. Her studies, her life and her well-being were interrupted by the Corona virus. The pandemic happened to hit hard mid-way through her college semester causing Chelsie to experience anxiety and some depression.
As a person who finds it necessary to stay busy, and prompted with advice from a college counsellor, she set out to participate in a variety of projects which would not only keep her busy and occupy her mind, but also serve to make her a better overall person. Chelsie found several activities to accomplish this, including resuming activity on her YouTube channel, simply entitled: Chelsie Reid, including an interview with her old mentor Jonathan Marin, author of See Us and creator of the Discovery Project. She also enrolled in a class to improve her public speaking in anticipation of becoming a teacher; she got involved with a project on professionalism and joined the Runway of Dreams program to provide adaptive clothing for disabled individuals, . Chelsie feels that all of these activities have made her a better overall person, kept her busy and, as a result, helped her cope with the depression which she had experienced earlier.
Also during the NYC lock-down, Chelsie turned 21, a prospect which held little excitement in light of the distancing rules which would no doubt put a damper on any party plans that may otherwise have marked such a momentous milestone in her life. But her Mom and her
sister stepped up and threw her a real Corona bash, replete with colorful streamers, fantastic presents, and her friends made a flattering birthday video which warmed Chelsie’s heart.
The moral of this story is that Chelsie found a variety of means to cope with and combat the anxiety and depression that plagued her at the outset of the pandemic. Some of these activities may also be just what the doctor ordered for the rest of us who may also be experiencing similar doldrums, anxiety and even depression. Of course, be sure to seek out professional medical advice when facing such issues.
As usual, Blind Abilities has inserted real 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.
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