For hundreds of people who are deaf and blind in Tennessee, the coronavirus pandemic has cut off the lifeline of touch communication.
"The coronavirus turned their world upside down. It just kind of collapsed," Monica Shimmin, the deafblind coordinator at the Knoxville Center of the Deaf said. "Their independence was removed. It’s removed their language, it’s removed their culture because their culture is touching, is tactile."
Many of the half-dozen deafblind people in Knoxville live alone. For them, the pandemic has hit hard.
"It’s almost like they’re in a prison, it’s very lonely," she said. "Coronavirus has impacted the deaf-blind community like a plague. It is a big dark wall just right in their face."
Deafblind people place their hands on others' hands to communicate. Fears the virus can spread through close contact have caused some people to stay away, further isolating the deafblind.
Often, Shimmin's team of support service providers (SSPs) are often their only connection to the outside world.
Yet, she said they face barriers to access as "non-essential" personnel. She'd like the governor to change that.
"In any kind of situation where a deafblind person asks for access, there should be no barriers," she said.
In another blow to the Knoxville program, the pandemic has forced the cancellation of the Knoxville Center of the Deaf's annual golf fundraiser. It provided funds to support the SSP program.
Shimmin said people should go to the center's website to learn more and help.