Jasmine Beecham, M.S.
PhD Candidate, Applied Social & Organizational Psychology
IUPUI School of Science
With access to vaccines coming out in full force for this summer, many of us are excited to get out in the fresh air, leave our cocoons, and see our friends in 3D again. If you have the chance to get a vaccine appointment, take it for sure. The sooner everyone gets their appointment, the sooner we can all be protected and feel safer about going back to normal. While it is a very exciting prospect to be able to talk to multiple people at once while sitting inside, or go to a movie, or even just have the option to leave the house even if you don’t want to, we should also make sure to keep some things how they were during the pandemic.
The pandemic was a rough and riveting change, often requiring changes be imposed very suddenly. However, a few of the changes we have implemented really were a long time coming. While much was trial and error, we have quickly created many more accessible or available resources and opportunities that would be better to stay than to return back to their old ways. The requirement of class & work on home and online was a tough adjustment for many. Online classes and virtual work have already existed for some though, so perhaps much of the difficulty was due to the fact that it was an imposed requirement and not an option. While some may prefer to work in-person and have water-cooler chats, or others may like to be able to work from home and nap during their lunch break, the point is that both of these people should be able to have that option at the same company or school. Many of the conversations I have recently heard talk about going back to in-person, the way working and learning was before, and the missed talks and collaboration and connections. However, fewer of these people are having conversations about how these in-person collaborations were already leaving out voices to those who could not access these spaces.
Great change 1: Online classes have greatly increased the accessibility for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, with online video chat services offering automatic closed captions and videos allowing viewers to see their professors lips the whole time they are speaking with cameras always facing the front of their face. This can help protect against professors who talk facing the board, who walk too far away to be heard, or just for those who cannot read lips and need closed captions.
Great change 2: Online working and school allows for those to attend just from their couch and works to serve those who do not have reliable transportation.
Great change 3: For those who do have transportation but have mobility concerns, it helps alleviate concerns on whether they will be able to navigate the building, make it to the office in a clean route, or have to request assistance from others.
While some people might prefer to learn in-person, we must also consider those who just want the chance to learn the content in any form. The Americans with Disabilities Act has existed for a long time, but with only a vague requirement of ‘reasonable accommodations’, we cannot be sure that everyone will be providing the most effective (or enough) efforts and supports to include everyone in their environment. A professor talking while writing on the board is not ill-intentioned, and with perhaps much of the class appreciating the walk-through of their in-person example, how easy will it be for one person to speak up? How easy will it be for a well-intentioned or kind professor to remember to turn around each time after already having formed the habit? It may be easy for some people to speak up, and some professors may easily adapt their materials, but we must make sure we take the focus of protecting and supporting others in the pandemic to continue in our conscious daily efforts. We have already laid the groundwork of some practices we can continue. So lets not speed back to all in-person and no virtual so quickly. Let us continue some of these positive habits and resources that have evolved from this time.
I do not want this to sound as if I am saying all those who have struggled with accommodations would prefer to stay home and stay inside while doing everything virtually. The overall point is that we need to make sure we are giving everyone the option to choose what they want to do and what works best for them. We should not go back to normal, but learn from this experience and do better going forward. I want us to consider more consciously on how to include more people. Many limitations on jobs are becoming clear that they are option – living within a certain city, being able to lift a minimum number of weight when being an office worker (someone else can grab those supplies anyways), or needing to work strictly 9am-5pm are becoming outdated job listings. Perhaps a mixed approach is what we should look at refining for the future – how can we offer in person and virtual classes together? How can we integrate more workplaces to blend both in-person and virtual workers so that they may choose what works best for their productivity, schedule, and working style? How can we continue to keep at the forefront that we want to provide for our students and employees? Effective resources on the job and working environments can mean different productivity for each individual. While it is exciting to get back to some normal habits, I am excited to get back to more things changing. Change is how we grow. We can have both a productive society, while also having happy citizens. I look forward to the adaptations and growth we will see in education and the workplace when we all step out into the same air but a new world.
What other areas in your school or work have changed to include more voices? What changes are you excited to see?