GREENSBORO, N.C. — Ebony Sapp is thankful she still has a job as more than 30-million Americans have filed for unemployment. Sapp works on a distribution line not far from co-worker, Brandon Murphy.
The two co-workers are also roommates and often ride to work together.
“It works out great for both of us,” said Sapp.
Both Sapp and Murphy are blind. During this time of hyper-sensitive germ avoidance, not touch anything it makes life for them both a bit difficult.
“We use our hands as our eyes, we have to touch life,” said Murphy.
While several employees at Industries of the Blind have decided to stay home during the pandemic, Sapp and Murphy continue to work. Both typical fill orders related to office supplies like pens or clipboards. About 75-percent of the employees are legally blind which does make for some challenges.
“We do our best to keep them six feet apart,” said Industries of the Blind Richard Oliver.
The workplace is not too challenging for Sapp, Murphy and the others working there because they are accustomed to it. Their biggest challenge now? Outside of work where social distancing and “touching life” collide.
One of the biggest challenges for people who are blind is the grocery store. Finding a ride right now is almost impossible, and while SCAT will pick people up, drop them off and then return to get them, they must wait two hours between drop off and pickup.
“I don’t think the person or the folks at let’s say a grocery store want you hanging around for two hours,” said Oliver.
The other tricky part is just shopping in the store without getting within six feet of someone and knowing you must touch almost everything multiple times before finding the items you want.
“I’m already a germophobe so this is tough,” said Sapp.
It’s imperative for blind people to feel exactly what they are buying to make sure it’s the right product, which means touching a lot of items or touching bins when approaching a new display. Sapp also says she must be very careful not to touch her face until she has had a chance to wash her hands after shopping.
Even Oliver, who has partial sight out of one eye must pick items up and touch them to ensure he is buying the correct product. Most grocery stores will provide a personal shopper to go with a blind person to assist them but that becomes challenging right now.
“If you cough or have the slightest sneeze, they become pandemic terrified,” said Murphy.
On a recent shopping trip, Sapp had the personal shopper, staying a good distance apart, grab some ground turkey for her but when she went to eat it after cooking it turned out to be ground beef. It’s unclear if the shopper simply grabbed the wrong item or couldn’t hear exactly what Sapp wanted because she was keeping her distance.
“What if I was allergic or something,” said Sapp.
All the suggestions and guidelines put in place by the CDC and medical experts are tough to adhere to but it’s even more difficult for someone who can't see. Murphy said people would often come over to assist them out in public if they sensed we were lost or confused. Today, that help is harder to find.
“People just don’t want to get that close to anyone,” said Murphy.