Many try to return to normal from COVID, but disabled people face a different reality

A selfie of Beth Kenny (foreground), their wife Adina (middle), and their child Vyla sitting in their backyard in Alameda, Calif. Since the lifting of COVID safety measures, Kenny and their family have had to pull back from indoor activities, and they struggle to explain why to Vyla. (Beth Kenny)

Beth Kenny is immunocompromised but found a routine that worked for their family during the pandemic, leaning into safe protocols to protect themselves from COVID-19.

Kenny’s wife could pick up the groceries, and social distancing measures and vaccines allowed their family to do activities together outside safely. And the precautions helped Kenny’s wife safely ride the bus and go to the library with their child Vyla without putting their family’s health at risk.

The sense of safety the routine provided them during all this time came to an end in February, when the mask mandate for indoor spaces ended in their home state of California.