by Deepi Leihl, Accessibility Collective Coordinator at CiTR
For Deepi and her co-hosts of the All Access Pass show on CiTR radio, finding a way to produce the show remotely helped them stay connected, even while they miss being in the studio.
If you had asked me six months ago if I could have imagined us all under quarantine, I would have said, “No, impossible!” But it is possible.
Since March, I have been home for the majority of my time. I do not want coronavirus (or any virus, for that matter) as I have a weak immune system. I also do not want to pass it on to the people around me. For these reasons, and as suggested by health officials, I decided to stay safe and stay home.
My biggest challenge was what to do with all my time at home. For me, home is a relaxed place, but when you have to work to create radio content, it is difficult to get motivated. However, I did manage to produce an episode of the biweekly show called All Access Pass by using Zoom with my CiTR Accessibility Collective teammates. (CiTR is the University of British Columbia’s campus radio station). It was a great learning experience and it made me think that this is what accessibility is all about: finding ways to do what I love to do and trying to remove barriers.
I have also been listening to and participating in Inclusion BC’s #MentorAbility webinars, listening to a lot of music, cooking lunch, going for drives once a week, getting out for fresh air and baking. I love to make homemade goods and some of the things my support staff, my sister and I have made were: braided bread, Easter Bunny cake, high tea pastries and sandwiches. My sister and I used to go to afternoon tea at the Fairmont YVR and we were planning to go again but couldn’t due to the pandemic. So we had our own tea party on Victoria Day instead and it was so much fun!
I don’t know what the future will bring for us all, but I know that I am taking each day as it comes and making the most of it.
All Access Pass:
Listen to Deepi on CiTR’s biweekly show All Access Pass that covers equity, inclusion and accessibility for people with diverse abilities and features interviews, music, news, events and awesome dialogue. The show broadcasts every other Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m.
You can find more information about the show, and tune in live or listen to recordings of past episodes, by visiting www.citr.ca/radio/all-access-pass.