Over the past days I made 2 Dutch posts on Facebook. This is a loose translation of both of them, also accounting for the different date on which this blog post is published.
Eight days ago, as of the date I'm publishing this post, it was Valentine's Day. Here at home I'm not the only one who believes this to be a commercial stunt, but for my dearest Cori it does mean a lot. The only problem is...she's not even in love with the one she's (more or less) forced to buy a Valentine's card for. Just in case you don't know Cori yet... In this post I will first tell you what happened before Cori and I met, and then I'll tell you more about Cori and our current situation.
By the way, I'll try my best to stick to demonstrable facts, because the last time I blogged about Cori and failed to do so... Let's just say I've learned to verify any claims I hear.
About that post. How much of the damage I speak of in there did I really cause? I remember hearing Cori say that she started to sense trouble in the family in 2009; four years before Cori and I even knew of each other.
With that out of the way, let's go back in time about 10 years:
Some 10 years ago already, I heard about Second Life; a virtual world where people can build, chat, roleplay, and more. I went in with the idea for a new approach to accessibility of public buildings and areas which I named Accessibility In Mind.
To make a long story somewhat shorter, this didn't go as well as I'd hoped. What did go well was that I came into contact with a Second Life group named Virtual Ability; a group both for and by people with disabilities. When I described among my new-found friends what led me to become a Second Life resident, the President of Virtual Ability motivated me to do a presentation about Accessibility In Mind for the then upcoming conference.
In the year 2013 I had the chance to give my presentation at the annual International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference (IDRAC). Based on the questions and reactions I got, I'd say it was very well received.
It was in that same year when Cori came to grace Second Life, the idea being that she could spend time there while no one could be there for her in real life. When Cori joined Virtual Ability, I ended up helping her get around in Second Life, and we became more than friends.
Cori has Cerebral Palsy impairing her ability to walk, see, hear, and speak. The motorcontrol in her hands is also diminished.
When Cori still had complete access to her computer and the Internet, we did a lot together in Second Life. Games...mystery tours...chats about our disabilities...Show and Tell... I actually still remember a Show and Tell in which Cori described a thunder jacket her family had for one of their dogs.
Cori and I also did many things in Second Life separate from Virtual Ability. Later we added Facebook, and then Skype and FaceTime. In Second Life we already got to know each other better and better and we fell in love.
Meanwhile, Cori's parents took steps in an attempt to save her relationship with someone named Tony, which had already been getting worse since 2009; some four years before I even knew about Cori or her family. They did this first by limiting what we were allowed to do. Later, they began to restrict Cori's Internet access.
Nowadays, there's little left of Cori's Internet access. As for me, I myself feel like a bird in a golden cage.
As for what keeps Cori and Tony from reuniting, I will only say that Tony has had a troubled past.
Let me close with the following words:
I believe it goes without saying that Cori's parents and mine all want to keep Cori and me safe. I believe it also goes without saying that Cori and I share that wish. I am grateful for the protection I enjoy, even if every kilometer between Cori and me gives me pain.
As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post. If you have any questions or comments, then please let me know in the form down below.
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