As the COVID-19 pandemic has become less and less threatening these past few months, we have already begun to forget what life was like amidst the lockdowns. As I get the notification that my phone will no longer be notifying me of possible COVID exposures, the thought of a pandemic drifts into a distant memory. PCR testing, vaccine doses, and Zoom classes are becoming a thing of the past. But was our time spent learning online really as bad as we recall?
In the second semester of my senior year of high school, I was sitting in one of my favorite cafes, sipping on an oat milk cappuccino, when my friends and I got an email from the school. “Oh, two weeks off? That sounds fun!”, we said. We did not anticipate that the next time we would see each other was via Zoom, almost a month later, for our interim English class. Over time, both students and instructors learned how to navigate online courses, and things were looking up. It was the spring of 2022 when we finally had in-person classes available. I signed up for ALL of mine in person, of course. A good month into the semester, I realized, “WOW. I forgot how much I hate being in a classroom. Despise, even”. The irritating fluorescent lighting. The incessant ticking of the clock. The hyperawareness feeling of dozens of pairs of eyes staring at my back in an attempt to get a glimpse at the 15-year-old projector screen. It was such a stark contrast to being at home in my personalized desk setup, making myself several matcha lattes a day, able to relax and learn without any social pressure or discomfort. Looking back, I had the realization that introverts and online classes were truly a match made in heaven.
One of the most unexpected silver linings of the pandemic is the increased accessibility out of necessity. Our collective view of the workplace and school changed drastically. The rise in remote work and learning had many of us recognize that in-person work is not necessary, but digital accessibility is. Therefore, a wider array of online classes are offered, becoming more accessible to all and meeting students where they are at instead of attending on campus. The biggest problem is the gaps that higher education has created in terms of accessible learning. But because everyone was roughly in the same place - stuck on a computer, at home - conversations about disabilities were brought to the table in order to make an accommodating learning environment for all, despite different home lives and technological situations.
As someone living with disabilities, one of them being severe social anxiety, I benefitted greatly from the issue of accessibility being brought into the mainstream. I was able to find an accommodating learning environment through nearly two years of innovation by students, professors, and staff at West Valley.
Now, as we are entering an era of normalcy, I am fortunate to be able to choose between remote and on-campus courses, which is a choice we were not afforded before. With the combined knowledge of digital accessibility and scholastic innovation, I hope that we are entering a time where higher education is truly equitable and made accessible to all.