‘Exacerbates our pain’: Zoom classes challenge students with disabilities

The Spoonies student organization hosted an Oct. 25 discussion regarding the effects of COVID-19 on people with disabilities. Photo illustration by NICO VALENTINE, Staff Photographer

While students, faculty and staff at Chapman University continue to grapple with the evolving hardships of an online academic year, students with disabilities may face an added layer of difficulty with not finding the physical community, resources or assistance that are readily accessible on campus.

Jason McAlexander, director of Disability Services at Chapman, sensed that a shift in the physical environment has been the greatest obstacle for students with psychological hindrances. Navigating their whole academic world on a tiny computer screen is quite the challenge, he explained.

“(Their) environment at home with other family members around – or just being sequestered into a bedroom – doesn’t allow for a lot of the diversity and varied ability they typically experience on campus,” McAlexander said. “That leads to disorganization, as well as trouble managing and staying focused during Zoom meetings. They’re not collaborating with others in a physical space.”

The Spoonies, a student-led organization, aims to raise awareness for chronic illnesses and empower the disability community within Chapman. President Taylor Hein, a senior English major, began the club after she was diagnosed with lupus and fibromyalgia, feeling there was no disability community to turn to at Chapman for support and empowerment. 

Hein said she recognizes that students with visible or non-apparent disabilities have been greatly affected by the shift to remote learning. The Spoonies held an event Oct. 25 to discuss the impact of COVID-19 and Zoom classes on those with disabilities. For instance, she said students with chronic migraines struggle from the eye strain caused by increased amounts of screen time and consistent exposure to blue light.

“Club members also feel that when they’re in a flare-up or when symptoms of their condition worsen, they can’t take the time off from classes that they need to,” Hein said. “Many people are under the impression that if you’re sick, you should still attend class because you’re already home … It only exacerbates our pain, and we usually can’t retain information well.” 

Hein said that in these challenging times, the club serves as a refuge – a space to vent, decompress and relate to others’ shared experiences. The club holds activities like gentle yoga and coloring sessions to defuse any pent-up tension or stress and to lessen feelings of isolation from the pandemic. 

“What we need from the school, both faculty and students, is their full attention and empathy to our challenges,” Hein said. “We need the support of allies to support our efforts in activism now more than ever.”

According to McAlexander, the Disability Services office is offering the same resources as they normally do in-person, functioning primarily to hold professors accountable in providing accommodations for students with needs: additional testing time, class notes, flexibility with absences and extensions for deadlines.

“The professors are definitely more respectful toward accommodations (in light of the coronavirus pandemic) and understanding of this really unusual situation we’re all in,” McAlexander said. ”They’ve been quite flexible and empathetic.”

Senior self-designed anthropology major Fitz Fitzgerald told The Panther that while online classes are inherently less engaging and dissatisfactory, the cons of returning to campus outweigh the pros. Fitzgerald expressed gratitude toward their cooperative professors for accommodating her ADHD, but mentioned concerns with the virtual proctoring service Proctorio. Professors can choose whether to use the software to monitor students’ physical movement and on-screen activity during test-taking.

“This specific software raises concerns because students like me have had their exams rejected or marked as cheating when they’re just fidgeting,” Fitzgerald said. “As a student with ADHD, I’m always looking at the floor or walls.”

McAlexander added that Disability Services is not always able to provide assistance in certain cases, such as when a student requests  living situation adjustments or psychological counseling. In these instances, students are advised to communicate with Residence Life and First Year Experience or to seek out Chapman’s Student Psychological Counseling Services. The university’s Tutor and Learning Center also offers virtual weekly academic mentoring sessions that teaches abstract concepts like time management, organization and prioritization of responsibilities.

Students who may be struggling or seeking assistance can email the Disability Services office at DS@chapman.edu for additional resources or accommodations requests.