You can be a part of a project that aims to give back to organizations that are instrumental in advancing mental health initiatives during this time.

Back in January, I wrote a post about meeting Katherine Schneider while we both were at the Seeing Eye training with new guide dogs. a retired clinical psychologist, Katherine supports the Schneider Family Book Award, the annual award administered by the American Library Association to honor the children’s book that best captures the disability experience for children and adolescents.

Katherine contacted me recently to let me know she is looking for essays for submissions to Blooming In the Shadow of COVID-19, an anthology of stories about resilience and growth during the pandemic. From a press release:

As we share our experiences during the pandemic, we also advocate for one another and connect with one another. As assumptions drop, people allow themselves to be known and to know. So, it is our hope this is the Bloom in the pandemic.

While Project Bloom can’t accept all essays, Katherine assures me they “very much want to read yours” and are open to all views and expressions related to your experience of COVID-19. “We’re looking for authentic expressions and stories, not perfection,” she says.

All submissions are due by July 15, 2020, and there is no cost to participate in this collaborative anthology. All funds generated from sales of the book will be donated to an agency or agencies supporting multicultural mental health initiatives. Personal essays should be written in the first-person, and the storyline should represent the author’s personal, lived experience during the pandemic. Poetry and artistic submissions will be considered as well.

In general, essays should be at least 800 words and less than 2000 words. The essay, a short biography (250 words), and a photo of the author needs to be emailed to Lisa@BeingAsil.com by 5 p.m. central time on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

I live in Chicago, one of the cities where businesses and other public places are starting to re-open.

I also use a service dog.

The re-opening of public places comes with many new regulations and rules about wearing masks, staying six feet apart, temperature testing and occupancy guidelines. One thing those of us with disabilities need to remember is that with all the changes resulting from the coronavirus, one thing that stays the same is this: The law still gives us the right to have equal access to public places, transportation, and air travel.

And people with disabilities who use service dogs? We have equal access to public places, transportation, and air travel with our service dogs, too.

My Seeing Eye dog Luna has been guiding me to more places lately as Illinois has entered Phase Three of re-opening. During these walks I’ve come across people who are absolutely sure that dogs spread COVID-19. They are wrong. Here is some information from the CDC about COVID-19 and animals:

The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing, and talking. Recent studies show that people who are infected but do not have symptoms likely also play a role in the spread of COVID-19. At this time, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.

Studies do show that the virus can survive for a period of time on surfaces, including a dog’s fur. but there is no evidence that dogs can transmit the virus to humans. And besides, people shouldn’t be touching our service dogs without our permission anyway.

One might argue that Luna and I benefit when the person with this misinformation is out on the sidewalk or in an intersection we’re crossing: that misinformed person gets wayyyyyyy out of our way and therefore does not distract us from our progress. But that benefit is far outweighed by the idea that this fear of COVID-19 transmission could leave store owners, government officials, and airline executives with an excuse to try and deny us access.

But guess what? Fear is not an excuse for denying access to a qualified service animal under the laws that protect us.

But speaking of fear, I’m still a little reluctant to be away from home in close quarters. As much as I could use a haircut, for now I’ll stick with my French braid. Social distancing can be difficult to judge when you can’t see, so my own comfort level (or circumstances about the pandemic beyond my control) might prevent me from going to some other places that have recently opened up as well. But whenever possible, for all of us with disabilities who use service dogs, that choice should be ours. We may have to work a little harder to educate people and advocate for ourselves during these challenging times, but our independence and dignity are worth protecting.

Easterseals hosted its first Disability Revolution Book Club, a virtual discussion with a powerhouse panel of female disability activists.  It was a lively, motivational and relevant conversation on civil rights, disability inclusion and representation, all amid the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Hundreds participated.  The 90-minute live conversation centered around Judy Heumman’s new must-read memoir “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist.” The panelists included pioneering disabilities rights activist Judy Heumann, along with her co-author Kristen Joiner, Tony award-winning actress Ali Stroker, and award-winning actress and influencer Lolo Spencer. Disability advocate and journalist Emily Ladau was the moderator. Throughout the event, they took questions from the live audience and discussed the fight for equal rights, the importance and impact of representation, and what comes next in the conversation surrounding disability rights.

If you missed this motivational gathering, you can still tune in and watch it.

Need further reason to check in out? Here’s a few highlights from this compelling conversation:

“I had a disability growing up as a kid, and I never had heard someone else’s story and felt, “that was my story too.”  And in reading and speaking Judy’s story, it did something to my own.  It allowed me to wrap my arms around my own experience and to process it through Judy, through her words, through her experiences.  It shook me to the core.”        – Ali Stroker

“I think people get caught up in thinking, when they tell their story, they have to have a million people as their audience first before they can start telling it…that is not the case.  You can start telling your story just around your immediate circle of people, in your classrooms, at the office. You can advocate by literally being at the store and being like, ‘hey, that dressing room is designated for me.  This isn’t right.’”  – Lolo Spencer

“We need more stories about people with disabilities where their stories are told as human stories that we can all relate to. Representation is a huge issue. If 1 in 4 people has a disability, how are they invisible in any situation ever? So we need to be asking those questions about why… we need to be using our influence with people without disabilities to make sure that everybody has a seat at the table and they’re no longer invisible.” – Kristen Joiner

“We need to be educating the general public, but we also need to be educating ourselves.  Because we have grown up in worlds where we’re not really significantly exposed to people who have various forms of disabilities and come from different backgrounds.  We need to really understand why institutions have been developed, and what is the oppression around disabled people who are dependent on other people in many ways.”  – Judy Heumann

Easterseals greatly appreciates the point of view each speaker brought to the party. Thank you so much for using your voices to advance this critically important discussion. Please encourage your friends and family to read Being Heumann. Our aim is for more people in our communities to reflect upon, learn from and be proud of our shared disability history. And, most important, to come together and take action to work towards greater equality for all of us, regardless of our differences and abilities.

Three months ago, we were all thrust into an unprecedented situation. Some of us had to close businesses. Some of us had to step in to take care of a loved one. Others had to figure out where their next paycheck would come from – and fast. The COVID-19 outbreak has been difficult for all of us, but while some of us are coping by talking with family and friends over Zoom or diving into hobbies, it can be difficult for children to understand the problem – and in turn, equally difficult for them to find coping mechanisms.

This is an issue I have heard repeatedly when I talk to parents who participate in Easterseals programs. And while all children might be coping with this challenging time in their own ways, it can be especially difficult for children with disabilities and children with autism. Routine and consistent scheduling are especially important for them. COVID-19, through no fault of the parents or those who are trying to help, completely uprooted the sense of security that routine can bring to someone with autism.

Easterseals therapists and service providers are doing all they can to ensure as much of the critical routines of children on the autism spectrum remain intact through technology and telehealth. And that is just it – everyone is doing what they can in this situation, and all of us should be proud about of that.  It is so hard to see that you are making it through when you are in the weeds.  You find yourself asking:

WHEN. WILL. THIS. END?

That is exactly how one of our program participants, Banner, expressed his frustrations. Banner, age 10, has seen his Easterseals therapist through Zoom sessions ever since social distancing became the norm. Still, the shock of having to change routine hit him and his family hard, and he is not alone. Buzzfeed recently profiled many American families, including Banner’s, to give a more detailed picture of the ways COVID-19 has impacted children.

I think many of us share Banner’s feelings. Just when will it end?

We may not know the answer to that question. But I cannot help but be proud of how the Easterseals community – parents, caregivers, teachers and therapists – has shown strength and resilience through this time. We all are taking on new responsibilities, while already juggling full plates!  But we must not forget to give ourselves credit when credit is due. You – the parent who is wondering if you are doing this ‘right’ or is questioning if your child will be okay at the end of this – are doing the best you can. That is enough. And although you may have doubts now, you will make it through. Just like a child progressing through their goals, we are all taking things day by day – step by step. We are learning together.

And we will make it through to the other side – together. I know we will.

It’s been months since I’ve been able to share stories with you here on the Easterseals blog about the questions little kids ask about working with Luna, my Seeing Eye dog. School closures this year means our presentations to students were cancelled, too. I miss them!

Big kids to the rescue! The memoir-writing classes I lead for older adults have been meeting via Zoom, and here’s a sampling of questions writers in those classes have been asking me lately, along with some answers:

• • Did Luna notice that Mike was starting to feel sick? My husband Mike was sick at home with COVID 19 in Mid-March, and as he likes to say now, he and I had established “separate kingdoms” at home during the week he was sick here. I slept on a pull-out bed in my office, his kingdom was our bedroom, and as his illness continued to get worse, he spent days and nights in bed there with the door closed. And yes, Luna missed him.I didn’t want to be far from home during that time, so I donned a mask, wore disposable surgical gloves, and kept Luna’s walks very routine. And short. Boring for her, and she expressed her ennui by lying flat on her stomach with her chin on the floor.

• After Mike was admitted to the hospital, do you think Luna knew he was gone? Yes. Mike was in the hospital seven days in March with COVID 19, and before he was allowed to come home he had to spend three additional COVID-free days in a Chicago hotel designated for patients recovering from the virus. During those ten days, I kept the door to his kingdom closed tight for fear of being exposed to the virus. . Luna started looking out the window hoping to find him somewhere out there.
• How’s Mike doing now that he’s home?He’s still recovering, gaining strength every day and playing lots of games of catch with Luna.
• So Luna likes to play? Yes! When their harnesses are off, it’s good for Seeing Eye dogs to play and relax. Dog parks in our area are closed right now, so Luna is left to chase her ball and Nylabones around the house. Mike throws a ball better than I do, see above about her searching out the window for him while he was away.
• Was it hard to take care of Luna when Mike was in the hospital and you were all alone with her? The Seeing Eye trains all of its graduates to care for our dogs on our own, whether we live alone or with others. It’s dark when she goes for her last outing of the day, and for safety’s sake here in the city he usually takes her out for that final “empty.” Without him here, I donned a mask for Luna’s nightly walk and, assuming bad guys are staying home during the pandemic, I wasn’t scared.
• Does your dog get confused when you wear a mask? Well, she doesn’t balk if I’m wearing the mask and call her to come, and she follows my commands en route, which means she can hear my muffled voice through the mask. Her sense of smell is wayyyyyyyyy stronger than her sense of sight or sound, so if anything is confusing her right now, it’s my aroma: I didn’t used to wash my hands every 20 minutes!
• Was Luna a comfort to you while Mike was sick? Luna was a tremendous comfort to me throughout Mike’s illness. She’s a good listener.

Stay tuned for Part Two, when I’ll talk more about what sheltering in place with Luna is like now, with Mike home and things back to normal –whatever that is!