My Thoughts As A Parent As We Faced This Pandemic
By Keri, mother of JEVS Independence Network member, Zack
Tues March 3rd: So excited. Zack got a job at ACME!
Monday March 9th: First day at ACME went great!! Directors Jill and Meghan are going to provide job coaching to give Zack every opportunity to succeed.
By Friday, March 13th: The world as we knew it changed. I’m working safely from home indefinitely due to COVID-19. My younger son is home safely from college completing spring semester online. My 3 sisters and 6 nieces and nephews are all either working from home or taking classes online.
The only one still out there is Zack.
My thoughts:
- How can I leave Zack out there exposed to the public day after day while the rest of us are safe at home with no exposure to the public?
- How can I bring Zack home to stay with us when he just started this new job, a job that overnight became vital to the community?
- How can I bring Zack home now when he’s made such great progress living independently?
- How is Zack going to learn this new job without job coaching?
- How will Zack manage on his own without mentor support?
So, Zack stayed in his apartment in Collingswood, NJ, and I prayed he would stay healthy. I prayed that he would be ok.
The mentor support continued! The job coaching continued! Virtual activities were added! Zack’s hours increased! Zack and his roommate cooked together! and went for walks together!
My thoughts now:
- Grateful for the JEVS Independence Network program!
- So proud of Zack!
- Amazed at the caring and creativity of Jill, Meghan and all the mentors.
- The Independence Network will come out of this stronger than ever!
During some downtime, our staff, members and families have had time to jot down their thoughts, feelings and initial reactions to the pandemic. Click on the links below to read their perspectives and insights.
Posted in Blog JEVS Program: Independence Network