Rising senior offers insight on virtual classes, dealing with disability

ALBANY — As summer break comes to an end, students and teachers are preparing for the 2021-22 school year. After missing in-school instruction for a year due the pandemic, students will fully be coming back to school with hope that life may be getting back to normal.

With a new school year comes the elevation of new seniors. These students have worked hard throughout their school careers to get where they are.

A Class of 2022 senior shares her thoughts of how the pandemic has forced schools to adapt education in a way that’s beneficial in more ways than previously thought.

With a disability, learning and showing up to school can be more of a chore than many assume. With virtual classes, it’s easier to take a breather and not worry about how much pain you will be in simply walking from class to class. Students are now able to have all of their work and help from their teacher at the click of a button. This can eliminate extra challenges that can occur for those students with physical disabilities and those with mental health problems as well, which can cause a teenager to be less likely to speak out in front of a full classroom.

The rising senior offered her thoughts on some questions about school in the age of COVID:

How has the pandemic changed the way you see education? Did you learn better during the pandemic or before?

The pandemic helped my education greatly as I was able to learn at my own pace, and I found that I worked much better online than I did in person.

How have virtual classes helped you while dealing with a disability?

Online classes have made things so much easier for when I’ve been hurting too much one day or stuck in the hospital. It’s helpful that I can still listen in directly to the teacher and still interact with my peers. Pre-COVID, I had to spend half the day lying down due to crazy back and neck pain. Now, online school means I don’t have to miss as much, and I’m no longer constantly in pain.

With a disability, what are some difficulties in classrooms that you don’t need to worry about online?

It’s quite frustrating to see how many people don’t seem to understand how many accommodations a school has to make for students like me. I feel pretty much like an outsider at times. Many times I’ve had to ask for classroom layouts to be changed just so I can get in the room and move around in a wheelchair. It also sucks having to constantly sit in the front of the classroom.

What do you think schools should do about online learning?

While I believe that socialization is an important factor of a student’s mental health, I also believe that students that have medical needs should have the option to work online and have the same opportunities as their peers.

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