MyLife InFocus
My experience during the COVID 19 pandemic has been positive, but some aspects have been very challenging.
I am used to going from class building to class building, but since I have graduated from UNCG the momentum of doing these things does not exist. This has been difficult to get used to. But I am finding new and creative ways to get moving around Raleigh. With the Go Raleigh and Go Triangle Buses I have been getting out of the house more. But with this Coronavirus outbreak, I have to find new things I can do inside my home since I can’t go out anywhere.
My routine changed during the pandemic. The first thing I did was have breakfast; I started walking around the neighborhood from 7:00 - 8:00 am every morning. Sometimes I even took breaks from walking around the neighborhood. Instead, I went about my whole day.
These are the things I do during my free time since I can’t go anywhere. I exercise by watching instructors on YouTube, Facebook, listening to podcasts, playing games, playing my Nintendo Wii, reading audio books, and watching YouTube. One of the Podcasts I listen to is the Moth Radio Hour. It’s about people from all over the world telling stories in one Moth Stage. The stories can be about anything that you want them to be. I exercise and listen to Moth Radio Hour. Also, every Sunday I look forward to calling my friend in Raleigh and just catching up with her. Half the time it goes to voicemail so we can’t talk, which makes me sad. I also text friends in Greensboro. Additionally, I watch TV when it is time for me to watch a specific show that I want to watch. I sometimes watch Lifetime Movies on YouTube. I am going to start playing my Wii because someone bought me a used Wii on Monday, August 31, 2020 because I have not been playing it since it broke on Sunday, May 3, 2020. It arrived on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, and we tried to get the remote to connect to the used Wii. Sometimes I even ask myself, “When is this virus going to be all over so that I can go and have a normal routine before this pandemic occurred?”
I want other people to know that living with a disability during the COVID-19 pandemic is very challenging because I constantly have to be alert of what I touch. For example, if my face itches I use my shirt instead of using my hands.
At first I thought, “Am I going to get this virus?” But if I am to follow the guidelines and do the things that they advise us to do, for example, wipe down surfaces that are often being used every day etc., I don’t feel like I am going to get this virus.
If I were to go out and about I would be respectful by following the CDC Guidelines by social distancing, waiting 6 feet apart, using hand sanitizer, and wearing masks.
I am feeling bored during this Coronavirus Pandemic because I am not able to go anywhere and have to do the same thing over and over again. The most difficult thing during this pandemic is not being able to make plans and hang out with friends.
When this pandemic is over I am going to resume my two goals that I have been working on before this started. Those are obtaining my apartment and getting a job with the help of my job coach that I got before I graduated UNCG. This pandemic cost me my life after graduation. I had plans, but now those plans got paused until this pandemic is over. Ever since graduating UNCG I have not been able to go to events and meet people my age. Will I ever get the chance to meet them someday?
InFocus Advocacy hosts Zoom calls with several self-advocates to talk about thoughts, ideas, and advocacy efforts as our country begins to open up in the midst of a national pandemic. The Zoom call is about whatever we want to talk about in the meeting. It could range from a topic about a living situation or where you want to work. It all depends on what the individual person wants to talk about in the session.
I was also involved in the Supported Employment Department of The Arc of the Triangle before the pandemic started. I was going to their place to do a job search with my job coach. Due to the pandemic, we have been doing one on one calls every Friday.
While this pandemic has been challenging, I have learned that I have to keep myself busy at all times. If I do not, I think that I have been wasting my time and that I could have been doing other things instead.
Tenzin Namgyal
InFocus Advocacy Consultant
"LIVING WITH A DISABILITY
DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
IS VERY CHALLENGING"