Kaitlyn: And then what.

Timothy: And then when I got to the Center, I checked on the notice board to see where I was supposed to go.

Kaitlyn: And what would you do at Center for Creative Works?

Timothy: I utilized myself by doing whatever it was I was entitled do. I ended up being at the Center for a couple of hours and ended up doing whatever the supervisor told me to do.

Kaitlyn: Can you tell me a little about the work you would do at the Center? What kinds of work did you do?

Timothy: When I first started off, I did not know about the Center at all. I did not know what workshops it had at all. I was first introduced to a staff member, the person who gave me a tour of the whole entire center, was a lady named Stephanie. I found out my daily schedule and I found out we were entitled to have one break in the morning and I also found out that I would get a set schedule that I could utilize to do different types of work.

Kaitlyn: What was your favorite kind of work to do there?

Timothy: I didn't know I had a hidden talent in music and I also didn't know I had the hidden talent of doing some artwork.

Kaitlyn: Yeah! What kind of artwork do you make?

Timothy: I started with pencil and I gradually moved up to different types of pencil.

Kaitlyn: Wow! That's awesome. So, who would you see at the Center?

Timothy: My first contact apart from Stephanie was my first teacher, a late gentleman called Michael.

Kaitlyn: Was Michael a staff member or another artist?

Timothy: He was a staff member.

Kaitlyn: Okay.

Timothy: I ended up doing some things with him in the kitchen.

Kaitlyn: Very cool. So, you spent some time with Michael and Stephanie, who else did you see every day?

Timothy: I occasionally got to see Lori, apart from that I occasionally got to see another artist named Jordan.

Kaitlyn: Okay. Did you have friends at the Center?

Timothy: When I first started my friends were Rachel and Faith.

Kaitlyn: Awesome. So, Timothy, how has that changed? Where do you spend most of your time now?

Timothy: Right now, since I've been confined to my apartment by my apartment supervisor and I have not been able to go back to the Center, I have had to try and utilize my skills to the best of my ability in my apartment.

Kaitlyn: Okay. Are there people that you aren't able to see because of COVID?

Timothy: Yes. There are a few people in my family that I have not been able to see. I got to see them once in a blue moon a couple of weeks ago, but I have not seen them since Easter Sunday.

Kaitlyn: Wow. How do you cope with that Timothy? Are there ways you can communicate with them?

Timothy: The ways I communicate with them is I end up emailing them.

Kaitlyn: Awesome! That is a really great way to keep in touch with people.

Timothy: Otherwise, I make a phone call.

Kaitlyn: Great! So, you talked a little about this when you talked about Twinkles, but how do you cope with being confined to your apartment? What do you do to stay healthy and happy?

Timothy: To keep myself happy and very healthy, what I have done in the past and what I got ordered to do by one of my family members, my mom, she said that since I am confined to my apartment and I was not using my membership at the gym, she suggested that on a clear day like it is today, after my meal I go ahead and get some exercise by walking around the whole entire apartment complex where I live.

Kaitlyn: That sounds like a great idea. Do you go for walks often?

Timothy: I do walks around my apartment complex. It usually takes me half an hour each day. I usually do it to get out of the apartment and I don't feel scared or frightened. I keep my distance from people as well as I need to wear a mask when I go out. As soon as I get back, I feel more refreshed.

Kaitlyn: That sounds like a great routine Timothy. What are some of the challenges of not being able to go to the center and being confined to your apartment?

Timothy: Since I have been staying here because of the COVID-19 scare I have not been able to use transportation anywhere, I have not been able to go to my bowling center to go bowling on a bowling league that I start in September of every year. I have not been able to go to my church functions or church and I have not been able to go to the grocery store when I need to go to the grocery store.

Kaitlyn: How do you get your groceries?

Timothy: I get my groceries done by my apartment supervisor. I only go out one time a week. I go up on Friday mornings or Friday afternoons.

Kaitlyn: Ah. That must be pretty difficult.

Timothy: It's difficult because I don't know who my transportation is that day. I have two apartment staff who check up on me and now they're telling me I have to check in as well.

Kaitlyn: Right. So how does it feel to have these changes happening, to not be able to do things on your own that you used to be able to do on your own?

Timothy: Very uncomfortable.

Kaitlyn: Do you want to talk about that a little more?

Timothy: I feel like I just don't know which way my life is going, and I feel like I'm on an edge and I don't know which way I'll be turning. I don't know if I'm going up towards a future in a bright way or possibly in a bleak way. I do not know.

Kaitlyn: That sounds like a lot.

Timothy: Yeah, and sometimes I have to talk to my therapist about it.

Kaitlyn: Is it helpful to talk to your therapist?

Timothy: Occasionally it is but sometimes I get what I call flashbacks and I remember exactly what I used to do, and I have to give it up, that I can't do it anymore.

Kaitlyn: Like before the virus?

Timothy: Before the virus.

Kaitlyn: It is very hard to fit in to this new normal, right?

Timothy: Right. If I need support or if I need some guidance for anything apart from the virus, my mom said she can still be my contact if I feel lonely or isolated, but apart from that if I need to talk to somebody close, my brother said I can go ahead and call him at his workplace.

Kaitlyn: I am so glad you have them. It is great that you have a support network.  
Have there been any positive changes that you have experienced?

Timothy: The positive changes I have noticed are that I was surprised to hear that I have been in my apartment for so long.

Kaitlyn: Ah. Why is that something positive?

Timothy: The reason it is something positive is because I didn't realize I was way from my family and my mom for so long and it has been about a year.

Kaitlyn: And how does that make you feel?

Timothy: It makes me feel on edge right now because I don't know if one of these days, she will organize for me to fly across to see her again.

Kaitlyn: Has anything good come out of the changes you have experienced because of the virus?

Timothy: Not particularly. I don't think so.

Kaitlyn: Okay. Well, you told me that you like to use emails and phone calls to connect with people, is there any other technology you use to stay connected with your family, friends, or communities you are a part of?

Timothy: I usually utilize my iPad. Apart from that I usually just wait until I receive a phone call.

Kaitlyn: How do you feel connecting with someone over a computer screen?

Timothy: It was scary at first but right now I feel a little more patient because I feel more comfortable seeing the person I'm talking to.

Kaitlyn: Okay, was that the most challenging part when you first started using new forms of communication?

Timothy: It took me a while to get used to it, to email, I've never done it before. I got to switch to email shortly after I found out that I couldn't be in touch with anybody in my family, I had to use email otherwise I would make a phone call and sometimes they did not answer my phone call in time. I just felt like I was lonely and just didn't know who I had to talk to, to get it resolved.

Kaitlyn: I hear you. Do you prefer this new form of communication or in person communication?

Timothy: I'd rather do in person. I feel more comfortable seeing the person in person than doing the zoom chat or anything. Just last weekend was the first time I had ever done a zoom chat meeting with my family, my brother and my mom were present and it's the first time I've seen my mom in just over a year in her new accommodations and I briefly saw my sister next to her.

Kaitlyn: Wow! That's really nice that you got to see them over zoom. What was that like?

Timothy: At first, I didn't know what to say. I felt I just didn't know what to talk about. They were asking me questions and I didn't even know how to answer some of them. They asked what I have been doing since I was confined here. They were going through a rough stage also because of the wildfires and the recent snowstorm, they were having blizzard like conditions while we were doing it.

Kaitlyn: Wow. So, you ended up having a lot to talk about?

Timothy: I ended up having a lot but mostly my mom talked to my brother about me. Apart from that my brother had seen me a week before and took me out and I ended up having lunch with him and walking around, getting some exercise with him. We walked around one of the tracks at Jenkins Arboretum. We were out for a couple of hours. My mom noticed I had lost quite a lot of weight since I have been exercising like she told me to.

Right now, I am feeling in between. I do not know what my future looks like right now. I'm stuck here, I don't know which way my life is going to lead to for the next year.

Kaitlyn: How are you feeling?

Timothy: Right now, I am feeling in between. Like I said, I do not know what my future looks like right now. I mean, since I'm stuck here, I don't know which way my life is going to lead to for the next year.

Kaitlyn: Right. Things are all up in the air. It is a strange time, I agree.  
Timothy, how and when do you feel most connected?

Timothy: When I speak to a family member.

Kaitlyn: Okay. Awesome. Do you feel like you have been able to stay connected throughout the virus?

Timothy: Somewhat. But they also have families to take care of, so they have more priority over talking to me over the phone or answering my emails. They have to do their jobs.

K: What does that feel like?

Timothy: Since I know what some of them do, not all of them, I feel like they need to know what I've been doing on the days I cannot talk to them. I feel like they need to know each day what I'm doing. The thing that's helping me do that is something my therapist suggested, to go back to do journaling.

Kaitlyn: Awesome!

Timothy: Yes, sometimes I get a phone call from her to see how my mood swings are. My psychologist suggests that I talk to somebody every day of the week.

Kaitlyn: Nice. Do you feel that you are able to do that?

Timothy: If they ask me, I will tell them if my days are not like my usual days, I will inform them and let them know what I have to do to make my day better.

Kaitlyn: Right. Are you able to keep in touch with your friends from CCW?

Timothy: No. I do not see any of my friends and I don't see anybody from my old workshop. Sometimes I need to get out of my apartment, but I haven't been able to use transportation at all.

Kaitlyn: Right. How does it feel to not be able to connect with your friends?

Timothy: Pretty lonely.

Kaitlyn: Is there anything you can do to cope with that loneliness?

Timothy: I would probably have to email them or give them a phone call.

Kaitlyn: Nice. Those both sound like great options.

Timothy: Well, sometimes I don't have enough time to do it. I've got other things that I have to take care of.

Kaitlyn: Right. You have talked a lot about doctor's appointments. What are some things you have to do now to stay safe and healthy that you didn't have to do before COVID?

Timothy: I need to continue exercising and keep going to my appointments that are scheduled.

Kaitlyn: How do you get to your doctor's appointments?

Timothy: I have private transportation. That is how I will be getting back to the Center because they feel that I cannot be using SEPTA transportation anymore, not for a while. One of these days I'm going to have to go out to the bus stop to get my music journal back, I lent it to my friend and never got it back.

Kaitlyn: Hopefully sometime in the future.

Timothy: Hopefully sometime in the future I will be able to get out of my apartment and see this person.

Kaitlyn: Do you use facemasks?

Timothy: I use facemasks every time I walk around my apartment complex.

Kaitlyn: Where do you get your facemasks?

Timothy: They are supplied to me by my nursing staff.

What has surprised me of the time we're in right now is I have been able to talk about everything I'm doing by journaling, despite some of my family not being available to me.

Kaitlyn: Before COVID-19, how were you making money?

Timothy: By selling my artwork at various art shows and galleries.

Kaitlyn: Has that changed since COVID happened?

Timothy: Since COVID happened I have not been able to go to galleries and I have not been able to go to CCW at all.

Kaitlyn: How else has COVID impacted your art practice and your work at CCW?

Timothy: I have had to ask for supplies to be delivered by CCW staff.

Kaitlyn: Are you able to still make your artwork in your apartment?

Timothy: I am able to make my artwork in my apartment. Some of my artwork reflects on things I have done throughout my life.

Kaitlyn: Yes, you have a very interesting life story Timothy.  
What is it like working over zoom?

Timothy: Tricky at first.

Kaitlyn: What was tricky about it?

Timothy: I didn't know what teacher I would have or at what time.

Kaitlyn: Ah. So, logistics.

Timothy: Exactly. Sometimes they scheduled me on days I had appointments.

Kaitlyn: That sounds very frustrating. Is there anything you enjoy about working over zoom?

Timothy: Getting to work with people that I don't know. My other peers, I can't hear what they're saying. Sometimes when I try talking, they talk over me.

Kaitlyn: That can be hard.

Timothy: It can be frustrating because I can't hear anything, they're saying at all.

Kaitlyn: I hear you.

Timothy: It can be hair raising and it gets pretty uncomfortable doing it.

Kaitlyn: Right. Is it more difficult communicating over zoom than it is in person?

Timothy: It's far worse to me.

Kaitlyn: What do you imagine your life will be like after COVID-19? What might be the same? What might be different?

Timothy: Probably being less isolated and frightened for what is going to happen. If I do have an issue, I am going to see who can help me as soon as possible. Because if it keeps boiling over on me, I might have what my mom calls a "mental collapse" and the only thing that can get me through this are my support people.

Kaitlyn: Your support people seem very important to you.

Timothy: They are very important to me and if I need to reach out to them and ask them for some help, hopefully they will be there for me.

Kaitlyn: What do you think will stay the same after COVID?

Timothy: No, I do not. I think transportation is going to be switched around. Instead of me using the bus every day to go to program I am probably going to have to find other ways to get to the program.

Kaitlyn: Okay. So even after the virus is gone you think there are still going to be changes?

Timothy: I think there will be a couple of places that are closed down for good and not many people are going to have employment and that is going to really hurt the government and the people. They will have to go research a different job that they like doing and if it comes about, it comes, if it doesn't come, they might have to put their foot down and think about the next steps they'll have to take to deal with it.

Kaitlyn: Right. That's a great outlook Timothy.  
Has the community response created any new opportunities?

Timothy: Not at first. The only thing I have in the community right now is if I need to go anywhere, I have to rely on my staff to take me.

Kaitlyn: How does it feel to have to rely on your staff?

Timothy: Pretty frightening because I don't know how they would feel about me going somewhere without them around.

Kaitlyn: Do you miss being able to go places on your own?

Timothy: Yes, I do a lot. I haven't been able to see my family in person. So, it's very tricky.

Kaitlyn: Timothy, how do you think the COVID crisis can affect disability policy?

Timothy: I think it would help certain ways, but I think it depends on how they proceed with a person who does have a disability. They would have to ask the person about how their feelings are each day when they do their study. They would need some support and guidance on what to do.

Kaitlyn: Is there anything that could have helped you that you weren't able to receive?

Timothy: I think I would have a better understanding of everything, despite the COVID-19, if I had a better understanding of what I need to do if I ever contract it. I would like to know in person ahead of time.

Kaitlyn: So, you're saying it would be easier if someone talked to you about the virus in person?

Timothy: Yes. From a doctor who totally understands the virus. It would be a lot easier if I spoke to a medical professional because I don't know exactly how I feel about being confined here and I did not even know I was restricted from going anywhere.

Kaitlyn: What has surprised you in this present moment?

Timothy: What has surprised me of the time we're in right now is I have been able to talk about everything I'm doing by journaling, despite some of my family not being available to me.

I would like to take a trip on my own somewhere. I [would] feel independent. I [would] feel less stress and anxiety and I can think about what my future is going to hold for me.

Kaitlyn: My last question is, what are your general feelings and emotions about everything that is happening around you?

Timothy: Right now, I do not know how my future looks because I do not know if it's going upwards or towards a downturn, my life right now feels like it's at a standstill and I just don't know what my future looks like. I don't know how my family is feeling about me being left alone without any support from my family or any of my friends.

Kaitlyn: Well Timothy, I think that is a very shared feeling, that feeling of being unsure, and it is a scary feeling. The good thing is you have CCW supporting you as best we can, you have your support team and your family. I am glad you have Twinkles! Is there anything else you would like to talk about?

Timothy: If it is possible, I would like to take a trip on my own somewhere.

Kaitlyn: What does it feel like to be able to take trips on your own?

Timothy: I feel independent. I feel less stress and anxiety and I can think about what my future is going to hold for me.

Kaitlyn: Thank you so much Timothy.