Kecia Weller

Kecia Weller is the Tarjan Center’s Self-Advocacy and Community Liaison. Kecia serves as a liaison with self-advocates and their networks and the programs and activities of the Tarjan Center. Kecia is helping to the get the word out about the COVID-19 vaccine by sharing her story. Kecia is also an artist who uses a program called ProCreate to design images, like the ones you see in her story.

1. What made you want to get the COVID-19 shot?

I desired to get Covid-19 vaccine because I wanted to save myself from getting critically ill by the Covid-19 virus. I have some co-morbid conditions that if I catch the Covid-19 virus, I could die from it. That’s exactly the reason why I got fully vaccinated from Covid-19.

What this artwork means for the Covid-19 Pandemic:

a. Blue defines deep sadness from the world population from all of the COVID-19 Pandemic deaths.

b. White scrabbled line throughout the artwork defines all of the COVID-19 misinformation in the world today.

c. Yellow paint spatter throughout the artwork defines the actual crown organisms that make up the COVID-19 Virus (inside the human body).

d. Red paint spatter throughout the artwork defines all of the COVID-19 deaths throughout the world.

2. What are things you are happy you can do now that you have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine?

I can go out to restaurants. I went to the Hamilton play in a local theater, which required proof of COVID-19 vaccination to get in. I can do some indoor activities (as long as I provide proof of my COVID-19 vaccination). I can go to the California Science Center and Natural History Museum in Expo Park because I am fully COVID-19 vaccinated. I can fly on airplanes (I haven’t flown on an airplane since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic) while being fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

What this artwork means about me getting the COVID-19 vaccine:

a. Yellow shows my happiness about being vaccinated.

b. Little black dots around the titled square are the booster vaccinations.

c. Red gridlines (netting) around the painting is the safety net created by the vaccine that protects you from getting very sick from the COVID-19 virus.

d. The colored squares (blue, green, purple, and orange) are the different variations of the COVID-19 virus that the vaccine helps protect you from.

e. The square is on its side to show the variants are irregular. The virus keeps mutating. It creates a new version of the virus.

3. What would you tell other people with disabilities who are still not sure about getting the COVID-19 vaccine?

a. Get the COVID-19 vaccine to help prevent yourself from getting ill and from dying from the COVID-19 virus.

b. Get the COVID-19 vaccine to help protect other people in the world.

c. Get the COVID-19 vaccine to help build herd immunity in the USA and the world.