About Robert Evans
Interview facilitated by Hali Strickler, July 2020
Location: Family home in West Grove, Pennsylvania
My name is Bobby Evans and I live in West Grove, PA. I am so happy to be selected for this project and be involved in making a change for those with disabilities like myself.
I went to school in Downingtown and then in my freshman year my parents bought a home in Avon Grove that better suited our needs. I am so happy they did because I enjoyed every day with my classmates. I went to all my proms and dances in a large stretch limousine with my friends and our prom dates.
I gave the commencement speech at my graduation and my entire class of 2016, the teachers and audience all stood up at the end, it was the best feeling in the world to be so accepted and embraced by so many people right in front of me.
Hali Strickler is the AAC Services Coordinator for TechOWL, a program of the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University. Hali provides AAC and assistive technology supports and services to individuals with complex communication needs. Hali is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist with experience in the public school setting.
Robert's Story
00:05
Hi. My name is Robert Evans. I am 24 years old. I live in a little town in West Grove, Pennsylvania. I will tell you how COVID-19 came into my life and crashed it.
00:24
Now I will talk to you about a day in my life and what it looks like in this COVID life we are living with right now. Where should I start my COVID-19 story? I know where I will start my COVID -19 story at.
00:39
A day in my life is like, I get up at 9:30 am on a weekdays and 9:00 am on weekends because I don't have nothing to do because everything is online now because this COVID thing we are living in now. I will get back to that in a second. I will start with the weekdays. I said I get up at 9:30am on weekdays. First, I go to the bathroom. Second, I go back in my bedroom to undo my talker and my phone from overnight charging. Third, I go on my PC for a little bit to check emails I got from overnight, then I go online. Four, I come out to have lunch, then I go back to my room to wait until my meeting on Zoom with Philly. Then after my meeting I go back on my PC until its time for dinner. Then I go to watch a movie until its time go to bed. That's a day on a weekday. You can tell I don't go nowhere in this COVID life. We are living it now.
I told you what I do on weekdays. Now, I will tell you what I do on weekends. The same thing - like a loop. I am sick of doing things online, but that is not the end of my COVID-19 life story, yet.
02:03
Now I will talk about how I find connecting with someone over my computer screen.
02:16
Well, I find it a little bit harder because I have to do everything over the internet, and I know my internet is good. But when I get on Zoom with nine other people, it's hard to talk with them because they can't not hear me sometimes because of the internet they have. I find it easy to talk to a person to face to face because I can get my point across better.
02:44
Now, I will be talking about something I like virtual. Something that I like about virtual is even though I can't go to my clubs in person, at least I can participate in my clubs by Zoom and I get to see my friends via the computer in a safe way until this is over and things are back to somewhat normal.
03:12
Now, I will talk to you about my technology that I use to stay connected in this new life we are in now.
03:26
I use a 2019 iPhone 11 Pro Max to make my phone calls I need to make and to send texts that I need to send. Also, I use a 2019 HP27 Touchscreen PC to do Zoom, send emails and more things.
03:49
Now I will talk to you about how I communicate with my friends of community in this COVID-19.
04:02
I communicate with my friends in this COVID-19 life we are in now by texting. That is how I communicate with my friends in this COVID-19 life we are in now and I hate it because I don't see them in person.
This year I have things planned that I was excited for but COVID said 'Not this year, Bobby.'
04:24
This year I have things planned that I was excited for but COVID said "Not this year. Bobby, I have plans to make everybody sick as a dog all this year and make people work at home until 2021".
Well, the loss of my groups feels like this...I am lonely all of the time now without seeing my friends at Best Buddies and TDU. Every week, my mom have to make me happy now to make sure I don't go downhill anymore. The person who runs Best Buddies sent out an email about two weeks ago. I'm going to show you what she said [in] this email that will make Best Buddies different this year.
05:20
Now about TDU...they aren't doing TDU now until Spring of 2021 because first; West Chester is closed until the third term. Second; we had to move our play from doing it in person this year to Zoom. It was frustrating because five kids not being on their webcams. We made [it] through the Spring play - thank God!
05:49
Everything worries me about COVID, from events for Best Buddies if we have any TDU plays in person and more things.
05:57
I feel like I am frustrated, hurt, lonely everyday because I don't see my friends no more because [of] this COVID-19. Everybody, I know they are under a COVID-19 home thing, because their families, they don't want them to go out nowhere and catching this and come home to give COVID to them.
06:24
Everything has changed for me. From everything I have to do from everything I have to do in my life - going to doctors and more.
Institute on Disabilities
The Institute on Disabilities at Temple University is one of the sixty-seven University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service funded by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Located within the College of Education and Human Development at Temple University, the Institute is a vibrant, diverse organization with more than 40 staff members, including students and is considered a national leader in disabilities, policy analysis and inclusive education.
About the Project
This project was made possible with generous support from the Independence Public Media Foundation.
For more information
Contact us at [click-for-email].
The Disability and Change Symposium is available as a free online learning module.
Combating Implicit Bias: Employment
About this year's theme
Employment statistics for persons with disabilities continue to be disappointing, ~19% compared to ~66% of peers without disabilities. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). We ask ourselves, "is there something beyond overt discrimination and access that perhaps we need to address? Are there silent barriers such as those created by implicit bias?"
Most of us believe that we are fair and equitable, and evaluate others based on objective facts. However, all of us, even the most egalitarian, have implicit biases – triggered automatically, in about a tenth of a second, without our conscious awareness or intention, and cause us to have attitudes about and preferences for people based on characteristics such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and religion. These implicit biases often do not reflect or align with our conscious, declared beliefs.(American Bar Association, Commission on Disability Rights, "Implicit Bias Guide," 2019)
This year's theme challenges us to each ask ourselves "What implicit bias(es) do we have and encounter, and how do we recognize them and move beyond them to create opportunities, welcome, and full participation for all?"
As always, this Symposium privileges first-person voices and experiences.
About the Disability and Change Symposium
The stated goal of the annual Symposium is "to create conversation that transcends any one-dimensional depiction of people with disabilities, and foregrounds the multidimensional lives of our speakers - as writers, educators, performers, and advocates."
The Disability and Change Symposium is a one-day, interdisciplinary conference focusing on cultural equity and disability. The event is free, accessible and open to the public.
Acknowledgments
Organized by the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, the Symposium is an outcome of collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Faculty Council on Disability whose mission is "to foster collaboration across Temple University on disability-related projects including research, teaching, programming, publication, and grant-seeking. By connecting with one another, Council members help build community among the growing number of people at Temple whose work engages with disability."
Core funding for the Disability and Change Symposium is through a grant from the Center for the Humanities at Temple University (CHAT)
We extend our appreciation to Disability Resources and Services for providing Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) and American Sign Language services for the day.
The Institute on Disabilities, Temple University College of Education is pleased to recognize some of our 2020 Symposium Partners/Sponsors from Temple University:
- Center for Bioethics, Urban Health, and Policy (CBHUP), Lewis Katz School of Medicine
- Center for Humanities at Temple (CHAT), College of Liberal Arts
- Dean of Libraries
- Dean of Students
- Delta Alpha Pi International Honor Society
- Disability Resources and Services (DRS), Student Affairs
- Division of Student Affairs
- Faculty Senate Committee on Disability Concerns
- First Year Writing
- Intellectual Heritage
- Interdisciplinary Faculty Council on Disabilities
- Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership (IDEAL)
- School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management
This year we also want to recognize the contributions of students (Associate Professor Deb Blair, STHM 2114 - Leisure & Tourism in a Diverse Society), who contributed to shaping and supporting this symposium:
- Madeline Culbert, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management; Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management (est. 08/2021)
- Jair Guardia, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management, Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management. (est. 08/2021)
- Hallie Ingrim, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management
- Thomas Leonard, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management (est. 08/2021)
- Bryan McCurdy, School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management (est. 05/2022)