Remote Learning & Accessibility
During this pandemic, “remote learning” has become a popular topic of discussion. We have seen the pitfalls of schools suddenly going remote when professors and teachers were not fully prepared and not used to online teaching. Unfortunately, some people think that negative experiences with remote learning during the pandemic mean that remote learning is inherently inferior to in-person education. They also use the negative experiences of students with disabilities as proof that online education is bad for all disabled people. However, some of us with disabilities and chronic illnesses have depended on remote education for years. While we should discuss the negative experiences, we should never use them to dismiss this important accessibility need for many disabled people altogether.
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in elementary school. In middle school, high school, and my first few years of college, I had many absences due to my illness. When I did go to school, getting through the day as someone with chronic pain was often difficult. I had some good days, but also some where my pain would start to flare up. I grew up during a time where different things we have today, such as social media, were starting to become more popular. Online schooling was not common at the time, but I often found myself wishing it was an option for me.
A few years before the pandemic, I was in college and tired of having to worry about absences and getting to class on days I didn’t feel well. I decided to switch to a school that offered classes entirely online. It turned out to be the ideal situation for me. Instead of sitting through class in uncomfortable chairs that cause back pain, I can sit at home with pillows if I need them. Instead of having to learn in an environment with many distractions, I have more control over the noise level and other factors in my learning environment. I don’t have to miss a whole day of classes if I’m not feeling well enough to get to campus. Absences do not affect my grade with online learning. And the best thing about it during the pandemic? I don’t have to risk getting coronavirus just to finish my degree. As someone who already lives with chronic illnesses, this is very important to me.
Seeing comments about how online classes — something that makes college more accessible for many different people, from many disabled people to students with busy work schedules — were inherently inferior and less valuable and meaningful compared to classes online was very frustrating. If instead of generalizing, you are just talking about the way some of your professors managed online classes poorly, then I get it. But that begs another question: In the 21st century, when we have this technology available that helps disabled people as well as students whose busy schedules make in-person classes more challenging, why aren’t we training more professors how to properly manage teaching online classes so they could have been a little more prepared for something like the spring of 2020?
There are disabled students who for whatever reason do better with classes in person, or even find online classes completely inaccessible. It is impossible to accurately generalize the needs of everyone in any group of people. But many, many disabled students have struggled and have found colleges with few online classes to mostly be unaccommodating. The most sensible thing right now would be to acknowledge the benefits of both options for different people, and to work on fixing some of the problems people have encountered during times that remote learning has been essential for public health. We can have discussions about these issues without implying that remote learning, which makes education more accessible for many students, is inferior.