Monday, July 13, 2020

Elsie Tellier

Photo courtesy of Elsie Tellier

In an article published on Disability Pride Day, July 12, for Human Rights Watch (HRW), Elsie Tellier (JD 2022), an International Human Rights Program (IHRP) summer fellow, shares how her disability prepared her for COVID-19: 

"As a young woman with cystic fibrosis, celebrating disability pride while in my 149th day of isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic has taken on even greater meaning. My body is in many ways limited by my disability; the pain and shortened life expectancy I experience. But the pandemic has made me realize even more the abilities I have to survive and cope that many without disabilities do not possess. I have worn a surgical mask nearly daily for seven years to protect myself from germs that could trigger recurring lung infections, and I have spent months indoors, isolated in bed because of my waning health."

Read the full article at Human Rights Watch Dispatches