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Serena Johnson

Serena Johnson is an English major who studied at The King's University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for five years. She was one of the university's first blind students. She was forced to take Academic Leave due to the vaccine mandate, which negatively impacted her ability to learn.

shed the mask

Everyone Should Shed the Mask 

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Love, kindness, honesty, respect, creativity and freedom are necessary for human flourishing. Sadly, many still embrace the mask as if it is the only truth that exists. If society is to change, all will need to see and peel away the polish. Then, we will have to work together to replace the emptiness it covers with a society rooted in genuine morality and positive human values.

importance of remembering

The Importance of Remembering

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Mainstream media outlets will not even touch them because they go against the narrative that all of the governments’ measures were right and necessary to protect people from the dangers of Covid. That leads me to wonder, how can we enable opposing voices to be heard by a wider audience?

Up From Pandemic Exclusion

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Covid restrictions amplified the issues by isolating me from the rest of the world, which caused me to forget some of the self-advocacy and socialization skills that I worked to develop throughout my life. Forgetting harms a differently abled individual’s ability to participate fully in community life. Many people do not know about or consider these problems. 

My Life After Leaving College

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Being forced to leave university was very painful. My university adopted Alberta’s Restriction Exemption Program. None of the options given to allow me to continue my education were suitable. That left Academic Leave as my only choice. 

I’m Fighting for My Right to Learn

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While wearing a mask, I feel anonymous and inhuman. Few people are willing to approach me for conversation, compounding the difficulties I already face due to my disabilities. My disabilities made people nervous about including me in activities because they were afraid to approach. 

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