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Show Summary:
Guest in this episode: Jeff Bazer, South Carolina
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 tenth episode in our series, Around the World with COVID-19 from a Blindness Perspective, we hear from Jeff Bazer in South Carolina in the US.
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 Jeff with his unique perspective on how the coronavirus has affected him in the states.
Jeff Bazer is the South Central Regional Sales Director for Vispero Freedom Scientific and lives in South Carolina in the US. Jeff shares his viewpoints on Corona and its impact on his employment, his life as a citizen in South Carolina and as a blind person.
. Jeff speculates that “… because COVID-19 chose the tine it did to visit us all around the world, at least we had technology.” Without it we wouldn’t be able to listen to podcasts, communicate with friends using Zoom or have our children educated via distance learning.
Jeff reminisces about CSUN earlier this year and how attendees finally realized that they just needed to go hone as Corona crept into California in mid-March; of the subsequent curtailing of his travel, and how Vispero made the decision to provide its software to students and workers, free of charge, regardless of their location or their device.
He speaks of how he worked with his ex-wife to optimize the care and education of their seven and ten-year old children and how difficult it is for them to truly understand Corona and what it means. Essentially they just need to “steer clear” of others in order to stay healthy and safe. This too is difficult for all of us to understand and we seem to be of differing opinions about exactly how to accomplish this: whether to wear a mask or not. Is this really that difficult a decision to make? Really?
Jeff shares a few specific examples of how COVID-19 has altered his routine, perhaps permanently, first at his favorite sandwich shop wear they have moved tables to ensure social distancing, causing a serious impact on his ability to hear the interaction with employees. Then, he describes his new experience at a drive-through window where his order was merely placed in a container for him to take, something for which he was unprepared. Jeff points out that these are things that we as blind people will find different and possibly difficult in the future. (While this may well be true, our question is: why is Jeff using a drive-through window? Is he actually driving?)
Finally, Jeff points out the significant increase in the time it now takes to get an Uber or Lyft ride as compared with a few months ago.
Listen as Jeff conveys specific examples and draws more profound conclusions to fit what we may all be experiencing in this “ age of Corona”.
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.
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