CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATES
We are closely monitoring the latest information regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) from the CDC and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The health and well-being of our clients, staff, and the communities we serve are of the utmost importance. We have taken several measures on how we deliver our programs and services and interact with each other, adhering to the latest guidance from state and federal officials as well as the CDC to ensure everyone’s well-being.
MAB has decided to do whatever we can to end the spread of the virus and mitigate risk for our staff and those we serve. Starting immediately we will require all new hires to be vaccinated. We will require proof of vaccination before orientation. Starting October 1st, we will require all MAB employees, students, and participants to be vaccinated.
State of Massachusetts COVID-19 Mask Requirements
Mask Advisory for Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Residents
Mask Requirements in Certain Locations
Resources
We have compiled a comprehensive list of blindness and low vision resources and services available state-wide including a list of organizations, access to news and reading materials, access technology, and health and wellness, as well as a list of community-based resources and services.
- Statement on Vaccine Access for Individuals Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired (March 1, 2021)Downloadable PDF
- Information for our Volunteers
- Blind and Visually Impaired COVID-19 Resources
- COVID-19 Community Resources
- COVID-19 Vaccine Information
The state of Massachusetts is preparing for the safe, equitable, and effective delivery of an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine. You can learn more about the approach and when you can expect to get vaccinated, HERE.
- Up-to-date and accurate information on COVID-19 from the Center for Disease Prevention (CDC) website.
- The Massachusetts Department of Public Health website
- Massachusetts residents can now call 2-1-1 for real-time #COVID19 information, resources, and referrals in multiple languages.
- To receive COVID-19 text message alerts straight to your phone and stay up to date with the latest news + updates from the Commonwealth, Text “COVIDMA” to 888-777
Statement from CEO, Barbara Salisbury commemorating the somber anniversary of a year with Covid-19
Email updates:
- MAB Update from CEO, Barbara Salisbury 5/11/2020
- MAB Update from CEO, Barbara Salisbury 5/4/2020
- MAB Update from CEO, Barbara Salisbury 4/27/2020
- MAB update from CEO, Barbara Salisbury 4/21/2020
- MAB update from CEO, Barbara Salisbury 4/13/2020
- MABVI email update from CEO, Barbara Salisbury 4/6/2020
- MABVI email update from Barbara Salisbury 3/30/2020
- Update (via audio clip) From Executive Director, Sassy Outwater-Wright on MABVI’s response to COVID: MABVI’s Response to COVID-19
- Check out MABVI’s Facebook page for regular updates and links to resources and articles.
- Statement from Executive Director, Sassy Outwater-Wright concerning Coronavirus / COVID-19
- Statement from MCB and MABVI: All Peer Empowerment (PEP) support group meetings shifting from in-person to phone meetings
Recent Media
Vital Coronavirus Information Is Failing the Blind and Visually Impaired
When it comes to communicating crucial updates around the pandemic, blind readers are an afterthought.
By Melanie Ehrenkranz
Apr 9 2020, 8:24am Several times a day, I search for coronavirus updates online, an increasingly grim and unconscious habit I’ve adopted over the last few weeks from the confines of my New York City apartment. I’m met with a barrage of charts, infographics, and transcripts of news conferences. I’m able to grasp the harrowing reality we’re in with just a few clicks. But for the blind and visually impaired communities, information from the government and news sources remains largely inaccessible, and in the midst of a global pandemic, this isn’t merely an inconvenience, it’s a fatal negligence…
Coping with disease and disability in the time of coronavirus
Ryan Prior
By Ryan Prior, CNN
Updated 11:33 AM ET, Wed April 8, 2020
(CNN) Sassy Outwater-Wright has fought off cancer three times in the last 33 years, losing most of her eyesight to a rare form of the disease at the age of three.
And now, at age 37, she’s fighting a fourth cancer — this time in her brain.
As a result, Outwater-Wright is no stranger to navigating the byzantine corridors of the healthcare system, and she guides others who’ve lost their sight in her role as executive director of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
As someone who relies on touch to navigate the world, the potential threats to her existence have multiplied now that the novel coronavirus might be waiting on the next door knob or window sill…