WEBVTT

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BRIANNA BLASER:
Thank you, everybody,

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for joining us today.

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My name is Brianna Blazer.

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I'm with the DO-IT Center at
the University of Washington.

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And I am so excited to
have a good turnout today,

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and I'm excited for
this presentation.

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Rua Williams is joining
us from Purdue University,

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and Martina Svyantek from
University of Virginia.

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And I was really excited
about this book chapter

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that they wrote
about telecommuting,

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and the future of
that, and the pandemic.

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And I think it's ripe to
have these conversations.

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So I'm so excited that they
are here to join us today.

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Just a little housekeeping.

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If you want to turn on
the automatic captions,

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go down to the
bottom of your screen

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and you'll see where it
says Live Transcript,

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and you can turn those on.

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And then somebody asked if
it's going to be recorded.

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It is being recorded.

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We will send it to
everybody who is registered

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after it is live on our
website, which normally takes us

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a little time because
we make sure that we

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get it professionally captioned
before we get it up there.

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I'm also going to drop a link
in the chat to a Google form.

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If you go there, you should
be able to ask some questions

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if you want to put some
questions in for Rua

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and Martina.

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And so with that, I'm going
to turn it over to them.

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And we'll get started.

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MARTINA SVYANTEK:
Thanks so much.

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I'm moving Zoom
meeting screens around,

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pulling up our
PowerPoint slides.

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OK, and I think that
worked successfully,

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if my share screen
is the PowerPoint.

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Rua, thumbs up if
it's functional.

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Awesome.

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OK.

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So thank you all for
being here this afternoon.

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As Brianna mentioned,
we recently

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published a chapter in a
book called Crisis Chaos

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and Organizations
that was specifically

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thinking about how organizations
have responded to COVID-19.

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And our chapter, "From
Telecommute to Telecommunity,"

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is really all about pushing for
institutional change as opposed

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to individual responses.

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So quick background.

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Again, I'm at the
University of Virginia.

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Rua's at Purdue.

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And I think both
of our universities

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have had some
different responses

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to what's been going on.

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So yeah.

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And what we're going
to discuss is briefly

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go over what we covered
within our chapter.

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What we anticipate
doing in the future

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with a next chapter, entitled--

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as a working title of--

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"We F'ing Called It."

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And then moving into a Q&A,
just about the responses

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you're sharing in the
Google Doc, as well as

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some questions we have for you
all to generate a discussion.

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And Rua is going to jump in any
time they feel that they really

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need to talk over
me, which is cool.

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RUA MAE WILLIAMS: Oh, OK.

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I thought you were telling
me to do this slide,

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and I was like, oh--

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MARTINA SVYANTEK:
No, just any time.

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So some context
about teleworking

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is that while it might have
seemed new to all of us

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in higher education, or it might
have seemed new for the work

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that we're doing in higher
education, it's nothing new.

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One of the immediate
responses in Spring

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of 2020 from Imani
Barbarin is that, "a lot

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of the things disabled people
have long demanded-- regarding

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telework, regarding any
sorts of accommodations--

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have instantly manifested,
in light of COVID,

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now that non-disabled
people need them too."

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So staying home has
had many impacts.

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There's environmental impacts.

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There's impacts on time.

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It removes some barriers, and
it highlights or adds on others.

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So for my personal
example, the commute time

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that I don't have to spend means
that I get other things done.

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Or I can shift work.

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I've learned, however,
how horrible the internet

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connectivity is in my
part of the county that

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holds Charlottesville.

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And it's really mind
boggling that we're in this,

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our year of pandemic 2022.

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And I have to start
a lot of meetings,

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if I'm doing them
at home, saying,

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hi, I'm sorry if my
internet connection drops,

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it looks like rain outside.

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And that's something I
have to say constantly,

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while paying for internet,
while living in a place

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where there are
high property taxes

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and there is infrastructure.

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And this infrastructural
impact of staying at home

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is something that's
really important

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to consider in the larger
context of remote work.

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Some highlights from our
chapter, which you did not

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have to read in order
to attend this webinar,

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was that we might all hate
Zoom because the infrastructure

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sucks and people are trying to
replicate in-person meetings,

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in-person lectures,
in-person events, as opposed

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to re-imagining
them for the spaces

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that we're now
finding ourselves in.

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So trying to replicate a
roundtable discussion on Zoom,

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you have to rethink
and readjust how you're

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doing things as opposed
to just saying, OK,

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I'm going to talk at my
300-person lecture for a class,

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and it's going to be
the same via webcam

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as it would be in person.

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And another key
highlight is that we

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need to stop acting
as individuals

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and start being a community.

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And this goes back to a lot
of the disability justice

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movement, with
#AccessIsLove, which is

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a hashtag Mia Mingus started.

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And the idea--

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Rua, you're going to have to
tap in for the pronunciation

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of their name--

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of crip-made-- yeah, I think so.

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RUA MAE WILLIAMS: So I was
going to jump in anyway.

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OK.

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So I wanted to
highlight these ideas

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about how we are trying to
replicate instead of reimagine.

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And it's not
actually just that we

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have to communicate with each
other differently over Zoom.

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It's actually that
Zoom highlights for us

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the ways that our norms of
communication exclude people.

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And that is why we bring in a
disability justice concepts,

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like #AccessIsLove
and care webs.

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And so this is Leah Lakshmi
Piepzna-Samarasinha,

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who is a disability justice
activist and has written a book

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called Care Work that archives
a lot of the disability

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justice writings and
movement in the book.

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And so these are resources
that we point you

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to because they
present fundamentally

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different approaches
to relationships

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with each other
that are informed

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by the radical relationships
that disabled people have

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with each other.

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And that's all my words.

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MARTINA SVYANTEK: OK.

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We also ended our book chapter
with the idea that remote--

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remote work, remote learning--
can be a best practice

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if we make it so.

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So prior to the pandemic, I
was very aware of the fact

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that for online courses, there
was an entire certification

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and accreditation
program, which, granted,

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might have its own
pluses and minuses.

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But there was a very clear
path to an instructor

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who wanted to take a course that
they had been doing in person--

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taking it online.

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And there were supports.

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There was a system in place.

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They had resources, and
time, and even grant

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funding to go from
in-person classes

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to an online version
of that course.

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And there was a system
of checks and balances

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in place to make sure that
people were considering what

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that change really meant
for that particular course,

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as opposed to tossing
everybody online and saying,

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just deal with it yourself.

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Another recommendation
was to reduce or eliminate

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bureaucracy.

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And this could look a
lot of different ways,

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depending on your context.

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Even the need to keep up
with your student emails of I

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was sick, I had COVID--

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getting all those
emails, if you've

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got classes of
hundreds of students,

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raised the administrative work
on individual faculty members.

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So figuring out ways to reduce
that administrative load

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on individuals versus
systemic issues

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was one of our recommendations.

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Another design--
another practice

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we had was universal
design for everything.

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So build systems, and things,
and processes accessibly

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from the get go as opposed to
having to retrofit everything.

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And addressing economic
burdens such as paying people

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for hazard wages,
considering the fact

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that the infrastructure
that the university has

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is not the same as
the infrastructure

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that employees have.

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And figuring out how to address
the new economic burdens

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of having a home office when
you can't take a home office tax

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break, for example, and
what that looks like.

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RUA MAE WILLIAMS:
Yeah, I want to--

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I'm going to jump in before
we talk about "We Fucking

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Called It."

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And one of the things that we're
trying to broach, or propose,

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with this chapter
is that actually

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to produce more equitable
social relations.

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And work in education
contexts, it

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requires you to reconceive
what is important.

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And so that's why the title is
"Telecommute to Telecommunity."

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Is that actually, in
order to do these things--

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to make these changes and to
produce these kinds of just

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outcomes--

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you have to stop having
capitalist, individualist

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notions about what
makes a good student

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or what makes a good employee.

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Which, I know, it sounds
absurd to talk about, well,

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how can I expect
my employees to not

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meet the norms of capitalism?

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Well, actually, you can
because you can do this

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at the interpersonal level
between you and the people

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that you care for.

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And so you can all
collectively organize

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to fight against the norms that
actually are hurting everyone.

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And I'm not necessarily talking
about an actual, instant global

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revolution against capitalism.

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But I am talking
about the small steps

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that we take to undermine
these norms that are actually

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causing harm to everyone.

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MARTINA SVYANTEK:
I'd like everyone

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to just sit with the
moving GIF on screen, which

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is the knockoff
Elmo, hands raised,

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flickering flames
in the background,

00:11:57.300 --> 00:12:04.480 align:middle line:84%
just embracing and recognizing
the chaos of the world.

00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:08.460 align:middle line:84%
So towards the end
of our chapter,

00:12:08.460 --> 00:12:10.740 align:middle line:84%
we mentioned that,
yes, people are

00:12:10.740 --> 00:12:15.550 align:middle line:84%
going to say they're
experiencing Zoom fatigue.

00:12:15.550 --> 00:12:17.920 align:middle line:84%
And they're going to push
for a return to normal.

00:12:17.920 --> 00:12:21.970 align:middle line:84%
As Rua has previously
mentioned, normal

00:12:21.970 --> 00:12:28.420 align:middle line:84%
was already an exclusive and bad
place that we don't necessarily

00:12:28.420 --> 00:12:30.670 align:middle line:90%
have to return to.

00:12:30.670 --> 00:12:36.220 align:middle line:84%
We can readjust and
reimagine what normal looks

00:12:36.220 --> 00:12:38.870 align:middle line:90%
like from here on out.

00:12:38.870 --> 00:12:42.670 align:middle line:84%
And we need to have these
conversations, so we don't just

00:12:42.670 --> 00:12:45.490 align:middle line:84%
flip back to what we're
used to and accustomed

00:12:45.490 --> 00:12:51.010 align:middle line:84%
to based on our own experiences
because students now

00:12:51.010 --> 00:12:53.890 align:middle line:84%
have a dramatically different
experience of what it means

00:12:53.890 --> 00:12:57.520 align:middle line:84%
to graduate high school,
to start university,

00:12:57.520 --> 00:13:02.440 align:middle line:84%
to start new jobs, in a
pandemic, in a remote working

00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:03.460 align:middle line:90%
environment.

00:13:03.460 --> 00:13:09.010 align:middle line:84%
So the fact that we're
functioning on managerial norms

00:13:09.010 --> 00:13:13.840 align:middle line:84%
from a while ago doesn't mean
we need to continue those.

00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:16.690 align:middle line:84%
It means we need to
assess what those are

00:13:16.690 --> 00:13:19.380 align:middle line:90%
and see how they can change.

00:13:19.380 --> 00:13:24.050 align:middle line:84%
However, the reason
that our working title

00:13:24.050 --> 00:13:29.130 align:middle line:84%
is "We F'ing Called It" is
because throughout our chapter,

00:13:29.130 --> 00:13:31.700 align:middle line:84%
we recognize the
fact that people just

00:13:31.700 --> 00:13:36.590 align:middle line:84%
want to pretend that the
pandemic didn't happen.

00:13:36.590 --> 00:13:44.030 align:middle line:84%
And saying that it's a return
to normal ignores two-plus years

00:13:44.030 --> 00:13:51.850 align:middle line:84%
of global response
to a pandemic--

00:13:51.850 --> 00:13:53.660 align:middle line:90%
or non-response.

00:13:53.660 --> 00:13:58.825 align:middle line:84%
It ignores our collective grief
and trauma around this topic.

00:14:01.760 --> 00:14:04.670 align:middle line:84%
Rua, anything to add
about flaming Elmo?

00:14:09.790 --> 00:14:14.800 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS:
It's just people

00:14:14.800 --> 00:14:17.740 align:middle line:84%
that are in charge of
making decisions are often

00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:21.410 align:middle line:84%
the ones that benefited from
the system as it was before.

00:14:21.410 --> 00:14:24.490 align:middle line:84%
And so what they
tended to recognize

00:14:24.490 --> 00:14:28.780 align:middle line:84%
were the stresses that the
pandemic response introduced

00:14:28.780 --> 00:14:32.600 align:middle line:84%
into their lives, and not
the liberatory potentials

00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:38.310 align:middle line:84%
of a different way of working
and collaborating together.

00:14:38.310 --> 00:14:43.950 align:middle line:84%
And so what we were
worried about when

00:14:43.950 --> 00:14:47.040 align:middle line:84%
we wrote the chapter, and what
we have seen now come to pass,

00:14:47.040 --> 00:14:55.090 align:middle line:84%
is that we were able to make
concessions to each other

00:14:55.090 --> 00:14:56.170 align:middle line:90%
and to extend grace.

00:14:56.170 --> 00:15:01.030 align:middle line:84%
And then as soon as the initial
shock of this global event

00:15:01.030 --> 00:15:04.970 align:middle line:84%
subsided, people stopped
extending grace to each other.

00:15:04.970 --> 00:15:07.360 align:middle line:84%
And so I have found
many people discussing

00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:09.850 align:middle line:84%
that this semester, in
the academic context,

00:15:09.850 --> 00:15:13.290 align:middle line:84%
has been the worst
for caregivers.

00:15:13.290 --> 00:15:17.820 align:middle line:84%
It's much worse than the initial
semester when we shut down.

00:15:17.820 --> 00:15:20.480 align:middle line:84%
I personally did not have a
consistent week of child care

00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:25.220 align:middle line:90%
for over half of the semester.

00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:28.340 align:middle line:84%
And there was no longer that
same kind of recognition

00:15:28.340 --> 00:15:31.550 align:middle line:84%
for how much caregivers
were struggling.

00:15:31.550 --> 00:15:36.560 align:middle line:84%
And there was this obsession
with returning to normal

00:15:36.560 --> 00:15:40.220 align:middle line:90%
and eliminating remote access.

00:15:40.220 --> 00:15:45.180 align:middle line:84%
And it's just not actually
accurately in line

00:15:45.180 --> 00:15:48.643 align:middle line:90%
with people's experiences.

00:15:48.643 --> 00:15:51.060 align:middle line:84%
And the people that are most
impacted by those experiences

00:15:51.060 --> 00:15:55.050 align:middle line:84%
are the most quickly silenced
and the most quickly ignored.

00:15:55.050 --> 00:15:59.830 align:middle line:84%
And it's really
important to note--

00:15:59.830 --> 00:16:02.170 align:middle line:84%
I'm sorry, I'm getting a lot
of click noises from my--

00:16:02.170 --> 00:16:05.150 align:middle line:90%
I'm closing this, OK.

00:16:05.150 --> 00:16:11.480 align:middle line:84%
When you look at the death
toll, that's disabled people.

00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:13.560 align:middle line:90%
That's disabled people of color.

00:16:13.560 --> 00:16:16.710 align:middle line:84%
That's disabled,
working class people,

00:16:16.710 --> 00:16:19.290 align:middle line:84%
the people that we
did not make room

00:16:19.290 --> 00:16:23.670 align:middle line:90%
for in our pandemic response.

00:16:23.670 --> 00:16:27.285 align:middle line:84%
And so when you talk about
returning to normal--

00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:33.330 align:middle line:90%
it has to end eventually.

00:16:33.330 --> 00:16:35.970 align:middle line:84%
Ending the pandemic, which
is not going to happen,

00:16:35.970 --> 00:16:39.700 align:middle line:84%
does not actually mean returning
to the way that it was.

00:16:39.700 --> 00:16:41.460 align:middle line:84%
And we can actually
build different kinds

00:16:41.460 --> 00:16:45.320 align:middle line:90%
of societal arrangements.

00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:49.910 align:middle line:90%
And so-- fire and rage.

00:16:49.910 --> 00:16:52.690 align:middle line:84%
You know that other meme
of the thing from Clue?

00:16:52.690 --> 00:16:54.910 align:middle line:84%
"Flames, flames on
the side of my face?"

00:16:54.910 --> 00:17:01.090 align:middle line:90%
Anyway, next slide.

00:17:01.090 --> 00:17:03.210 align:middle line:84%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: I
do want to touch again

00:17:03.210 --> 00:17:13.589 align:middle line:84%
on the rage and the impact
on the disability community.

00:17:13.589 --> 00:17:15.569 align:middle line:84%
Even just this
week, with this idea

00:17:15.569 --> 00:17:19.200 align:middle line:84%
that we've returned
to normal mid-flight.

00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:21.930 align:middle line:84%
And flights announcing,
take off your masks.

00:17:21.930 --> 00:17:26.910 align:middle line:84%
And people on the
planes going, this

00:17:26.910 --> 00:17:28.260 align:middle line:90%
isn't what I signed up for.

00:17:28.260 --> 00:17:33.690 align:middle line:84%
This isn't what I
agreed to in terms

00:17:33.690 --> 00:17:36.500 align:middle line:84%
of the terms of
my transportation.

00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:39.620 align:middle line:84%
I'm going to keep my
mask on because I've

00:17:39.620 --> 00:17:43.640 align:middle line:84%
got immunocompromised friends
and family that I haven't

00:17:43.640 --> 00:17:45.530 align:middle line:90%
seen for a couple of years.

00:17:45.530 --> 00:17:47.720 align:middle line:84%
And we're all
vaccinated, so I thought

00:17:47.720 --> 00:17:49.130 align:middle line:90%
it was safe to travel now.

00:17:49.130 --> 00:17:53.630 align:middle line:84%
And you're changing the rules of
the game literally mid-flight.

00:17:57.070 --> 00:18:02.740 align:middle line:84%
So the frustration and the fact
that the rejoinder of, well,

00:18:02.740 --> 00:18:05.290 align:middle line:90%
you can just stay home--

00:18:05.290 --> 00:18:09.100 align:middle line:84%
again, siloing and
silencing the experiences

00:18:09.100 --> 00:18:13.120 align:middle line:84%
of the people who have
been most impacted--

00:18:13.120 --> 00:18:16.750 align:middle line:84%
is telling in terms of
how we as society take

00:18:16.750 --> 00:18:18.310 align:middle line:84%
these considerations
into account.

00:18:22.670 --> 00:18:26.080 align:middle line:84%
So our questions
for the audience

00:18:26.080 --> 00:18:35.380 align:middle line:84%
would be related to the
changes in terms of the grace,

00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:38.530 align:middle line:84%
and understanding, and
the collective response

00:18:38.530 --> 00:18:41.860 align:middle line:84%
in terms of, how have you
handled accommodations requests

00:18:41.860 --> 00:18:44.200 align:middle line:84%
from your students
during the pandemic?

00:18:44.200 --> 00:18:46.030 align:middle line:90%
How have the requests changed?

00:18:46.030 --> 00:18:49.960 align:middle line:84%
Because, as we know,
there are different

00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:53.770 align:middle line:84%
affordances to having a
digital meeting as opposed

00:18:53.770 --> 00:18:55.840 align:middle line:90%
to an in-person meeting.

00:18:55.840 --> 00:18:58.510 align:middle line:84%
And the requests
change over time

00:18:58.510 --> 00:19:01.490 align:middle line:84%
because some students
might have realized, hey,

00:19:01.490 --> 00:19:03.400 align:middle line:84%
if class is being
recorded, then I

00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:05.740 align:middle line:84%
don't need to worry about
getting accommodations

00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:08.810 align:middle line:84%
for note takers because
if I'm missing something,

00:19:08.810 --> 00:19:11.170 align:middle line:84%
I can go back and
review that on my own

00:19:11.170 --> 00:19:14.500 align:middle line:84%
without having to
go through a process

00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:17.770 align:middle line:84%
in order to access class
recordings because everyone

00:19:17.770 --> 00:19:20.650 align:middle line:90%
has access now.

00:19:20.650 --> 00:19:24.190 align:middle line:84%
Similarly, faculty,
staff, people working

00:19:24.190 --> 00:19:26.410 align:middle line:90%
within a university context--

00:19:26.410 --> 00:19:31.240 align:middle line:84%
requesting accommodations has
changed within the university

00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:32.125 align:middle line:90%
context as well.

00:19:44.285 --> 00:19:45.660 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS:
And we do we do

00:19:45.660 --> 00:19:47.577 align:middle line:84%
have some questions that
have already been put

00:19:47.577 --> 00:19:50.070 align:middle line:90%
in the little response sheet.

00:19:50.070 --> 00:19:53.182 align:middle line:84%
So you can ask these
things here now.

00:19:53.182 --> 00:19:54.390 align:middle line:90%
You can ask them in the chat.

00:19:54.390 --> 00:19:56.850 align:middle line:84%
Or if you have something that
you really don't necessarily

00:19:56.850 --> 00:19:58.350 align:middle line:84%
want to be tied to
your name, that's

00:19:58.350 --> 00:20:01.560 align:middle line:90%
what the Google form is for.

00:20:01.560 --> 00:20:05.620 align:middle line:84%
And so while we wait for
some questions to come in,

00:20:05.620 --> 00:20:10.960 align:middle line:84%
I think we can maybe handle some
that are already in the form.

00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:21.060 align:middle line:84%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: Would you like
me to read from top to bottom?

00:20:21.060 --> 00:20:24.480 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS: No, I
was just going to pick one.

00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:28.107 align:middle line:90%
I was trying to skim them.

00:20:28.107 --> 00:20:29.940 align:middle line:84%
I want to kind of address
multiples of these

00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:31.690 align:middle line:84%
because some of them
are really important.

00:20:38.900 --> 00:20:40.850 align:middle line:84%
This one about the form
is really getting me,

00:20:40.850 --> 00:20:42.410 align:middle line:90%
and I want to talk about it.

00:20:42.410 --> 00:20:42.770 align:middle line:90%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: OK.

00:20:42.770 --> 00:20:44.340 align:middle line:84%
I'll copy and paste
it to the chat.

00:20:44.340 --> 00:20:45.800 align:middle line:90%
You can address it later.

00:20:45.800 --> 00:20:47.510 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS:
So the question

00:20:47.510 --> 00:20:50.240 align:middle line:84%
is, "I'm a faculty member
who requested accommodations

00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:52.730 align:middle line:84%
from my university
to teach remotely.

00:20:52.730 --> 00:20:55.610 align:middle line:84%
They sent me a form to fill out
that asked, among other things,

00:20:55.610 --> 00:20:57.530 align:middle line:84%
about my abilities
related to toileting

00:20:57.530 --> 00:20:59.570 align:middle line:90%
and my intellectual abilities.

00:20:59.570 --> 00:21:02.540 align:middle line:84%
I felt obligated to
respond to these questions,

00:21:02.540 --> 00:21:04.725 align:middle line:84%
but it was unrelated
to the request.

00:21:04.725 --> 00:21:06.350 align:middle line:84%
And what advice do
you have for dealing

00:21:06.350 --> 00:21:08.930 align:middle line:84%
with these sorts of questions
and how do we get institutions

00:21:08.930 --> 00:21:11.390 align:middle line:90%
to stop asking them?"

00:21:11.390 --> 00:21:14.960 align:middle line:84%
This question stood out to
me because it harkens back

00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:18.560 align:middle line:84%
to one of our recommendations
about eliminating bureaucracy.

00:21:18.560 --> 00:21:21.260 align:middle line:84%
And I obviously don't
know the particulars

00:21:21.260 --> 00:21:25.190 align:middle line:84%
of which institution, or
what kind of institution,

00:21:25.190 --> 00:21:26.720 align:middle line:90%
or what the form was.

00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:31.780 align:middle line:84%
But a form asking a faculty
member these kinds of questions

00:21:31.780 --> 00:21:33.730 align:middle line:84%
immediately strikes me
as probably something

00:21:33.730 --> 00:21:37.900 align:middle line:84%
that the HR office found
in a database of forms

00:21:37.900 --> 00:21:40.550 align:middle line:90%
for, like, unrelated shit.

00:21:40.550 --> 00:21:46.630 align:middle line:84%
And many of the universities,
public universities

00:21:46.630 --> 00:21:52.550 align:middle line:84%
in particular, were publicly
invested in the public optics

00:21:52.550 --> 00:21:53.600 align:middle line:90%
of returning to normal.

00:21:53.600 --> 00:21:56.330 align:middle line:84%
And therefore, there was
enormous pressure on faculty,

00:21:56.330 --> 00:21:58.550 align:middle line:84%
no matter how vulnerable
they may have personally

00:21:58.550 --> 00:22:01.250 align:middle line:84%
been, to return to
in-class instruction

00:22:01.250 --> 00:22:05.000 align:middle line:84%
because there was this mythology
that administration built up

00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:06.620 align:middle line:84%
that students
wanted to come back

00:22:06.620 --> 00:22:08.750 align:middle line:90%
and students are our customers.

00:22:08.750 --> 00:22:11.150 align:middle line:84%
And it is true that
students have been greatly

00:22:11.150 --> 00:22:14.540 align:middle line:84%
impacted by the way that
their high school was

00:22:14.540 --> 00:22:17.150 align:middle line:90%
upended by this pandemic.

00:22:17.150 --> 00:22:18.260 align:middle line:90%
And it's absolutely true.

00:22:18.260 --> 00:22:21.350 align:middle line:84%
But it's actually not
true that most students

00:22:21.350 --> 00:22:24.200 align:middle line:84%
wanted to come back in person in
the middle of a raging pandemic

00:22:24.200 --> 00:22:27.240 align:middle line:84%
that was killing
their family members.

00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:33.613 align:middle line:84%
What students wanted was
a college experience.

00:22:33.613 --> 00:22:35.780 align:middle line:84%
So when you ask them, do
you want to come to campus?

00:22:35.780 --> 00:22:36.400 align:middle line:90%
They say yes.

00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:39.310 align:middle line:84%
But they didn't want
to come to campus

00:22:39.310 --> 00:22:40.960 align:middle line:84%
to sit six feet
apart from everybody

00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:43.600 align:middle line:84%
with a mask over your face
in a room with bad acoustics

00:22:43.600 --> 00:22:45.430 align:middle line:84%
and listen to a
lecture presented

00:22:45.430 --> 00:22:46.720 align:middle line:90%
over poor audio quality.

00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:49.550 align:middle line:90%
That's not what they wanted.

00:22:49.550 --> 00:22:53.510 align:middle line:84%
And no child actually wanted
to put their faculty member

00:22:53.510 --> 00:22:56.970 align:middle line:84%
in a position where
they could die.

00:22:56.970 --> 00:23:00.700 align:middle line:84%
But that's not how the
surveys were conducted.

00:23:00.700 --> 00:23:03.970 align:middle line:84%
And so these kinds of questions
that were being sent out

00:23:03.970 --> 00:23:06.100 align:middle line:84%
for faculty to legitimize
why they needed

00:23:06.100 --> 00:23:08.800 align:middle line:84%
to continue being
remote, they're

00:23:08.800 --> 00:23:11.170 align:middle line:84%
meant to be dehumanizing
and devaluing.

00:23:11.170 --> 00:23:15.120 align:middle line:84%
And they're meant to
be very discouraging.

00:23:15.120 --> 00:23:19.910 align:middle line:84%
And so, how to deal with
these sorts of questions.

00:23:19.910 --> 00:23:24.128 align:middle line:84%
It depends on who you are and
how contingent you are, right?

00:23:24.128 --> 00:23:26.420 align:middle line:84%
And how contingent you are,
depending on whether or not

00:23:26.420 --> 00:23:28.190 align:middle line:84%
you even had the
capacity and bravery

00:23:28.190 --> 00:23:30.290 align:middle line:84%
to ask for the accommodation
in the first place.

00:23:33.520 --> 00:23:39.850 align:middle line:90%
And so the advice that I have.

00:23:39.850 --> 00:23:42.460 align:middle line:84%
I'm really tired of me being
in a position of giving advice

00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:45.440 align:middle line:84%
to the people who
are being harmed.

00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:48.320 align:middle line:84%
And I'm really starting
to get frustrated

00:23:48.320 --> 00:23:50.698 align:middle line:84%
with the lack of
participation and interest

00:23:50.698 --> 00:23:52.490 align:middle line:84%
from people who are
making the choices that

00:23:52.490 --> 00:23:55.940 align:middle line:84%
harm because the only advice
I have is not for you.

00:23:55.940 --> 00:23:57.680 align:middle line:90%
You do you, and you survive.

00:23:57.680 --> 00:24:02.930 align:middle line:84%
My advice for the administrators
is to stop being a dick.

00:24:02.930 --> 00:24:08.330 align:middle line:84%
You're killing people for
arbitrary, outdated senses

00:24:08.330 --> 00:24:12.260 align:middle line:84%
of what is professional
and proprietary.

00:24:12.260 --> 00:24:12.770 align:middle line:90%
Stop it.

00:24:17.322 --> 00:24:18.280 align:middle line:90%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: Yeah.

00:24:18.280 --> 00:24:20.817 align:middle line:84%
I think we have a
follow up in the chat,

00:24:20.817 --> 00:24:22.900 align:middle line:84%
saying, "I wonder if the
institution was following

00:24:22.900 --> 00:24:25.720 align:middle line:84%
the process already used
for ADA accommodations

00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:28.900 align:middle line:84%
and did not have a process for
any type of accommodation."

00:24:28.900 --> 00:24:36.460 align:middle line:84%
And that, frankly, is
the institution's issue.

00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:40.210 align:middle line:84%
The need to have
remote accommodations

00:24:40.210 --> 00:24:45.760 align:middle line:84%
should not be predicated
on if you fill out the form

00:24:45.760 --> 00:24:47.140 align:middle line:90%
completely.

00:24:47.140 --> 00:24:53.860 align:middle line:84%
Leaving a form question blank
is always a possibility.

00:24:53.860 --> 00:24:57.070 align:middle line:84%
Even if the Google form
requires a response,

00:24:57.070 --> 00:25:01.640 align:middle line:84%
you can just put a bunch
of nonsense in there.

00:25:01.640 --> 00:25:03.640 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS: So this
question about the ADA

00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:08.200 align:middle line:84%
actually brings up another
key issue, which is actually

00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:13.960 align:middle line:84%
how little disability
accommodations exist

00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:18.000 align:middle line:84%
for faculty and staff in the
higher education context.

00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:23.680 align:middle line:84%
The ADA is there, but only
certain kinds of requests

00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:27.190 align:middle line:84%
are seen as respectable
and justifiable.

00:25:27.190 --> 00:25:30.130 align:middle line:84%
And also, the ADA
is legislation,

00:25:30.130 --> 00:25:32.740 align:middle line:84%
and rights-based
frameworks don't equally

00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:35.410 align:middle line:90%
work for all people.

00:25:35.410 --> 00:25:38.478 align:middle line:84%
And it was very
clear in the pandemic

00:25:38.478 --> 00:25:41.020 align:middle line:84%
how this was coming into play
because the ADA is actually not

00:25:41.020 --> 00:25:43.420 align:middle line:84%
very good at
extending disability

00:25:43.420 --> 00:25:47.000 align:middle line:84%
accommodations to people who
are in parasocial relationships.

00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:51.010 align:middle line:84%
So parents of
immunocompromised children

00:25:51.010 --> 00:25:54.520 align:middle line:84%
are not technically
protected under the ADA

00:25:54.520 --> 00:25:57.100 align:middle line:84%
to have remote access to work
for the benefit of keeping

00:25:57.100 --> 00:25:59.470 align:middle line:84%
their children alive
because the ADA works

00:25:59.470 --> 00:26:01.150 align:middle line:90%
on an individual-specific basis.

00:26:01.150 --> 00:26:03.970 align:middle line:84%
And that's actually not how
humans live their lives.

00:26:06.560 --> 00:26:14.910 align:middle line:84%
And so it can be effective
in certain strategies

00:26:14.910 --> 00:26:19.680 align:middle line:84%
to remind administration that
we have laws like the ADA.

00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:22.940 align:middle line:84%
But for the most part,
they don't actually work.

00:26:22.940 --> 00:26:28.740 align:middle line:84%
And so there needs
to be more strategic,

00:26:28.740 --> 00:26:31.650 align:middle line:84%
interpersonal contesting
of the system.

00:26:37.740 --> 00:26:41.370 align:middle line:84%
And I do want to say we're
also not just speaking

00:26:41.370 --> 00:26:42.930 align:middle line:90%
about Purdue and Virginia.

00:26:42.930 --> 00:26:44.040 align:middle line:90%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: Oh, no.

00:26:44.040 --> 00:26:45.870 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS:
Here, we are speaking

00:26:45.870 --> 00:26:48.540 align:middle line:84%
on behalf of many colleagues,
and peers, and friends,

00:26:48.540 --> 00:26:51.840 align:middle line:84%
and loved ones from many
different institutions

00:26:51.840 --> 00:26:54.630 align:middle line:84%
across the globe, but in
particular in the United

00:26:54.630 --> 00:26:57.810 align:middle line:90%
States, and Canada, and the UK.

00:26:57.810 --> 00:27:04.980 align:middle line:84%
And so it's definitely been
a harrowing experience,

00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:10.280 align:middle line:84%
I think, predominantly among
people at R1 institutions,

00:27:10.280 --> 00:27:15.980 align:middle line:84%
just because of the political
entanglements of their higher

00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:21.450 align:middle line:84%
administration and the way that
the pandemic was politicized.

00:27:21.450 --> 00:27:22.560 align:middle line:90%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: Yeah.

00:27:22.560 --> 00:27:26.760 align:middle line:84%
And to the comment
about institutions

00:27:26.760 --> 00:27:28.770 align:middle line:90%
not being as flexible as others.

00:27:28.770 --> 00:27:34.980 align:middle line:84%
Again, it's not just about
where we're currently working.

00:27:34.980 --> 00:27:38.740 align:middle line:84%
It is about a
collective response.

00:27:38.740 --> 00:27:42.420 align:middle line:84%
So if we address this at
our individual institutions,

00:27:42.420 --> 00:27:48.150 align:middle line:84%
there are still others that have
the same sorts of policies--

00:27:48.150 --> 00:27:49.960 align:middle line:90%
have the same sorts of forms.

00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:56.400 align:middle line:84%
So it's reinventing this access
wheel over and over again,

00:27:56.400 --> 00:27:59.055 align:middle line:90%
about all over the place.

00:28:02.440 --> 00:28:03.850 align:middle line:90%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS: Yeah.

00:28:03.850 --> 00:28:05.410 align:middle line:84%
I related to this
comment in the chat

00:28:05.410 --> 00:28:11.380 align:middle line:84%
from Emily Ackerland
talking about getting

00:28:11.380 --> 00:28:13.740 align:middle line:84%
a foothold on remote
accommodations and resistance

00:28:13.740 --> 00:28:15.490 align:middle line:84%
from administration
and the faculty union.

00:28:15.490 --> 00:28:16.540 align:middle line:90%
This is really big.

00:28:16.540 --> 00:28:21.040 align:middle line:84%
So I'm faculty, and I teach
a large number of students

00:28:21.040 --> 00:28:22.330 align:middle line:90%
every semester.

00:28:22.330 --> 00:28:25.000 align:middle line:84%
But I do see, obviously,
my peers making

00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:28.420 align:middle line:84%
claims that these accommodations
are beyond reasonable.

00:28:28.420 --> 00:28:32.620 align:middle line:84%
But the thing is,
it's not actually

00:28:32.620 --> 00:28:34.570 align:middle line:84%
within your academic
freedom to discriminate

00:28:34.570 --> 00:28:36.170 align:middle line:90%
against disabled students.

00:28:36.170 --> 00:28:39.310 align:middle line:84%
And so one of the
problems is that faculty

00:28:39.310 --> 00:28:42.880 align:middle line:84%
don't have infrastructural
support for providing

00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:45.100 align:middle line:90%
accommodations like this.

00:28:45.100 --> 00:28:47.660 align:middle line:84%
And then that comes
back to the DRC--

00:28:47.660 --> 00:28:50.290 align:middle line:84%
the disability resource center,
or disabled student services,

00:28:50.290 --> 00:28:53.230 align:middle line:84%
or whatever your
institution calls it.

00:28:53.230 --> 00:28:55.870 align:middle line:84%
But they also don't have
the power and the resources,

00:28:55.870 --> 00:28:58.960 align:middle line:84%
often, granted to them
in order to extend

00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:00.670 align:middle line:84%
infrastructural
support to faculty

00:29:00.670 --> 00:29:04.840 align:middle line:84%
for providing remote access
in a way that doesn't inflate

00:29:04.840 --> 00:29:08.170 align:middle line:84%
the burden on faculty
who are already teaching

00:29:08.170 --> 00:29:11.710 align:middle line:90%
under sort of difficult loads.

00:29:11.710 --> 00:29:15.970 align:middle line:84%
So one of the
things that happens

00:29:15.970 --> 00:29:18.020 align:middle line:84%
is that we get split
against each other.

00:29:18.020 --> 00:29:20.950 align:middle line:84%
And it's, like, faculty
versus students.

00:29:20.950 --> 00:29:25.060 align:middle line:84%
And that's actually not the
argument, and it doesn't help.

00:29:25.060 --> 00:29:26.770 align:middle line:84%
And that's actually
what people in power

00:29:26.770 --> 00:29:28.810 align:middle line:84%
want because that means
nothing gets done.

00:29:31.890 --> 00:29:36.140 align:middle line:84%
And so faculty unions
might be concerned

00:29:36.140 --> 00:29:40.700 align:middle line:84%
about increasing administrative
load on their teaching

00:29:40.700 --> 00:29:43.190 align:middle line:84%
assignments, but
that doesn't mean

00:29:43.190 --> 00:29:44.720 align:middle line:84%
that the response
is to not grant

00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:46.130 align:middle line:90%
these kinds of accommodations.

00:29:46.130 --> 00:29:49.370 align:middle line:84%
We need to build the
infrastructure that's missing.

00:29:49.370 --> 00:29:52.940 align:middle line:84%
And there's obviously still,
despite our quick shift

00:29:52.940 --> 00:29:57.350 align:middle line:84%
to remote versions
of education, there

00:29:57.350 --> 00:30:02.750 align:middle line:84%
is still a distinct lack
of effective information

00:30:02.750 --> 00:30:05.210 align:middle line:84%
technology infrastructure
in higher education.

00:30:16.560 --> 00:30:18.750 align:middle line:90%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: Agreed.

00:30:18.750 --> 00:30:27.340 align:middle line:84%
The infrastructure to teach
remotely needs to be addressed.

00:30:27.340 --> 00:30:29.980 align:middle line:84%
And to Emily's latest
point in the chat,

00:30:29.980 --> 00:30:32.320 align:middle line:84%
that faculty need
assistance in the classroom

00:30:32.320 --> 00:30:34.720 align:middle line:84%
to make remote
participation work.

00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:37.210 align:middle line:84%
I would say a lot
of times faculty,

00:30:37.210 --> 00:30:40.120 align:middle line:84%
especially in large classes,
need assistance just

00:30:40.120 --> 00:30:42.380 align:middle line:90%
to make the class function.

00:30:42.380 --> 00:30:46.720 align:middle line:84%
So rethinking how we
frame how we're setting

00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:51.910 align:middle line:84%
faculty up to fail in a
wide variety of formats.

00:30:51.910 --> 00:30:57.310 align:middle line:84%
And considering how maybe one
person, nominally teaching

00:30:57.310 --> 00:31:03.520 align:middle line:84%
an 800-person lecture, has
some drawbacks in terms

00:31:03.520 --> 00:31:07.390 align:middle line:84%
of how that course is
run just from the get go.

00:31:07.390 --> 00:31:11.680 align:middle line:84%
So figuring out and looking
at course structures,

00:31:11.680 --> 00:31:17.620 align:middle line:84%
looking at how TAs are
assigned, if undergraduate TAs

00:31:17.620 --> 00:31:20.090 align:middle line:84%
or teaching peers
are being used,

00:31:20.090 --> 00:31:24.970 align:middle line:84%
if graduate teaching
assistants are available.

00:31:24.970 --> 00:31:30.040 align:middle line:84%
Universities already have
ways that faculty support

00:31:30.040 --> 00:31:34.780 align:middle line:84%
and assistance can
be garnered, but it

00:31:34.780 --> 00:31:38.440 align:middle line:84%
doesn't seem like they're making
the connection with using that

00:31:38.440 --> 00:31:40.240 align:middle line:90%
for remote participation work.

00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:45.580 align:middle line:84%
So yes, of course, faculty
might need some tech assistance.

00:31:45.580 --> 00:31:49.900 align:middle line:84%
Faculty might need
a dedicated chat

00:31:49.900 --> 00:31:55.630 align:middle line:84%
monitor, if they have a hybrid
class or a Zoom class, to say,

00:31:55.630 --> 00:31:58.240 align:middle line:84%
OK, we have a couple of
questions in the chat,

00:31:58.240 --> 00:31:59.600 align:middle line:90%
let's address those.

00:31:59.600 --> 00:32:01.720 align:middle line:84%
And then we'll switch
back to classroom--

00:32:01.720 --> 00:32:03.250 align:middle line:90%
in-the-class questions.

00:32:03.250 --> 00:32:08.920 align:middle line:84%
So again, it's rethinking
where are we putting our time,

00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:09.970 align:middle line:90%
and energy, and effort.

00:32:13.230 --> 00:32:14.730 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS:
I would like to--

00:32:14.730 --> 00:32:16.230 align:middle line:84%
there are some more
questions coming

00:32:16.230 --> 00:32:18.810 align:middle line:84%
into the form that are
sort of congregating

00:32:18.810 --> 00:32:22.655 align:middle line:84%
on actual practical advice on
remote accommodations to class.

00:32:22.655 --> 00:32:24.030 align:middle line:84%
And I would like
to speak to this

00:32:24.030 --> 00:32:29.340 align:middle line:84%
because I think I'm doing
OK with implementing it

00:32:29.340 --> 00:32:31.770 align:middle line:90%
in my own classes.

00:32:31.770 --> 00:32:35.460 align:middle line:84%
There are a number of things
that I personally do and will

00:32:35.460 --> 00:32:36.300 align:middle line:90%
continue to do.

00:32:39.220 --> 00:32:41.880 align:middle line:84%
But many of them,
often, people resist

00:32:41.880 --> 00:32:45.240 align:middle line:84%
because they require a reframing
of what makes good education,

00:32:45.240 --> 00:32:47.200 align:middle line:90%
and what makes rigor.

00:32:47.200 --> 00:32:53.240 align:middle line:84%
And so firstly, do
not take attendance.

00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:56.180 align:middle line:84%
It's trash, and it's
administrative labor.

00:32:56.180 --> 00:32:58.130 align:middle line:84%
If the student doesn't
show up and doesn't

00:32:58.130 --> 00:33:01.250 align:middle line:84%
find a way to engage with
the material, it shows up.

00:33:01.250 --> 00:33:05.450 align:middle line:90%
So don't grade it twice, right?

00:33:05.450 --> 00:33:12.790 align:middle line:84%
And so I grant remote access to
all of my courses without any--

00:33:12.790 --> 00:33:14.040 align:middle line:90%
you don't have to tell me why.

00:33:14.040 --> 00:33:15.250 align:middle line:90%
You don't have to tell me.

00:33:15.250 --> 00:33:16.920 align:middle line:84%
You don't have to
get a doctor's note.

00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:19.150 align:middle line:84%
You don't have to
have a positive test.

00:33:19.150 --> 00:33:20.830 align:middle line:90%
I don't care.

00:33:20.830 --> 00:33:24.810 align:middle line:84%
I care-- like, I'd like
for you to not be sick.

00:33:24.810 --> 00:33:27.900 align:middle line:84%
But I don't need you
to tell me the reason.

00:33:27.900 --> 00:33:32.610 align:middle line:84%
And you can if you want, but
you don't have to prove it.

00:33:32.610 --> 00:33:33.420 align:middle line:90%
OK.

00:33:33.420 --> 00:33:36.900 align:middle line:84%
And so I provide remote
access unconditionally,

00:33:36.900 --> 00:33:41.250 align:middle line:84%
and it did not result
in majority of the class

00:33:41.250 --> 00:33:43.508 align:middle line:90%
not being present in the room.

00:33:43.508 --> 00:33:45.300 align:middle line:84%
And some of that is,
by nature, of the kind

00:33:45.300 --> 00:33:47.175 align:middle line:84%
of class that I teach,
which is very hands on

00:33:47.175 --> 00:33:49.480 align:middle line:84%
and interactive in a
studio environment.

00:33:49.480 --> 00:33:52.030 align:middle line:84%
And so it's kind of
like online access

00:33:52.030 --> 00:33:54.823 align:middle line:84%
is very difficult to maintain
the same amount of engagement.

00:33:54.823 --> 00:33:56.490 align:middle line:84%
So the students wanted
to come in person

00:33:56.490 --> 00:33:57.780 align:middle line:90%
when they were feeling well.

00:33:57.780 --> 00:34:00.330 align:middle line:84%
But they did also stay away
when they weren't feeling well,

00:34:00.330 --> 00:34:02.580 align:middle line:84%
which was fantastic because
I didn't want to get sick.

00:34:08.850 --> 00:34:12.389 align:middle line:84%
Now, I am able to provide
that remote access because we

00:34:12.389 --> 00:34:16.797 align:middle line:84%
have two cameras in the room,
one on the lectern and one

00:34:16.797 --> 00:34:18.130 align:middle line:90%
that I can move around the room.

00:34:18.130 --> 00:34:20.580 align:middle line:84%
And also, we have
a good microphone.

00:34:20.580 --> 00:34:25.980 align:middle line:84%
But I also bring my own
microphone speaker thing.

00:34:25.980 --> 00:34:29.010 align:middle line:84%
This one in particular
is made by Anker.

00:34:29.010 --> 00:34:31.050 align:middle line:84%
And I was calling it
the beignet because it

00:34:31.050 --> 00:34:34.050 align:middle line:84%
looks like a little
doughnut from New Orleans.

00:34:34.050 --> 00:34:36.210 align:middle line:84%
And I would pass
it around the room

00:34:36.210 --> 00:34:39.810 align:middle line:84%
when we were discussing
things so that everybody

00:34:39.810 --> 00:34:42.659 align:middle line:84%
have equal auditory access
and that the captions would

00:34:42.659 --> 00:34:44.280 align:middle line:90%
work better.

00:34:44.280 --> 00:34:47.340 align:middle line:84%
Obviously, I used auto
captions in my classes.

00:34:47.340 --> 00:34:49.447 align:middle line:84%
And if a student actually
needed human captions,

00:34:49.447 --> 00:34:50.739 align:middle line:90%
then I would work to get those.

00:34:50.739 --> 00:34:52.590 align:middle line:84%
But that is also a
thing that institutions

00:34:52.590 --> 00:34:53.423 align:middle line:90%
like to not provide.

00:34:59.079 --> 00:35:01.690 align:middle line:84%
Those are some of
the things that I do.

00:35:01.690 --> 00:35:04.390 align:middle line:84%
And in my class we also
had group work, which

00:35:04.390 --> 00:35:08.260 align:middle line:84%
meant if kids were zooming
into the lecture part

00:35:08.260 --> 00:35:10.240 align:middle line:84%
I would tell them, OK
now zoom into your group.

00:35:10.240 --> 00:35:12.130 align:middle line:84%
And so the groups were
responsible for making

00:35:12.130 --> 00:35:15.250 align:middle line:84%
sure they included
their remote teammates.

00:35:15.250 --> 00:35:19.680 align:middle line:84%
And in order to
enforce that, I also

00:35:19.680 --> 00:35:22.350 align:middle line:84%
gave a lecture at the
beginning of the class

00:35:22.350 --> 00:35:25.800 align:middle line:84%
about how laziness
does not exist.

00:35:25.800 --> 00:35:28.070 align:middle line:84%
And so we have this
trope in group work

00:35:28.070 --> 00:35:30.350 align:middle line:84%
where there's somebody
who's a slacker, who's

00:35:30.350 --> 00:35:31.970 align:middle line:90%
not pulling their own weight.

00:35:31.970 --> 00:35:35.210 align:middle line:84%
And I am very quick to
disabuse students of the notion

00:35:35.210 --> 00:35:36.690 align:middle line:90%
that that's really happening.

00:35:36.690 --> 00:35:38.450 align:middle line:84%
And so when they
have a teammate that

00:35:38.450 --> 00:35:40.575 align:middle line:84%
doesn't seem to be showing
up that they should just

00:35:40.575 --> 00:35:43.310 align:middle line:84%
assume that they're
going through something.

00:35:43.310 --> 00:35:44.717 align:middle line:90%
You don't know what it is.

00:35:44.717 --> 00:35:46.550 align:middle line:84%
You don't have the right
to know what it is.

00:35:46.550 --> 00:35:48.740 align:middle line:84%
They'll tell you if
they feel safe with you.

00:35:48.740 --> 00:35:51.080 align:middle line:84%
And to just continue to
extend them the grace

00:35:51.080 --> 00:35:54.550 align:middle line:84%
and give them the ways
that they can participate.

00:35:54.550 --> 00:35:55.630 align:middle line:90%
And if they do, great.

00:35:55.630 --> 00:35:57.880 align:middle line:84%
And if they don't, it's not
going to sink your project

00:35:57.880 --> 00:35:59.890 align:middle line:84%
and their grade will
suffer in other ways

00:35:59.890 --> 00:36:04.860 align:middle line:84%
if they're really, really
slacking, which is not nothing.

00:36:04.860 --> 00:36:09.540 align:middle line:84%
So this reframing of
you don't actually--

00:36:09.540 --> 00:36:12.703 align:middle line:84%
like, you can
support each other.

00:36:12.703 --> 00:36:14.370 align:middle line:84%
It really-- the
attitudes of my students

00:36:14.370 --> 00:36:16.410 align:middle line:84%
shift over the course of the
semester, where they start out

00:36:16.410 --> 00:36:19.080 align:middle line:84%
with some of these tensions
between each other about who's

00:36:19.080 --> 00:36:21.870 align:middle line:84%
doing the most work or who's
not pulling their weight to,

00:36:21.870 --> 00:36:24.443 align:middle line:84%
at the end, being free
to ask each other for,

00:36:24.443 --> 00:36:25.860 align:middle line:84%
can I get a little
support on this

00:36:25.860 --> 00:36:27.660 align:middle line:84%
because I'm struggling
with this class?

00:36:27.660 --> 00:36:30.820 align:middle line:84%
And actually, recognizing
themselves as a community--

00:36:30.820 --> 00:36:34.380 align:middle line:84%
as a unit producing a
final project and not

00:36:34.380 --> 00:36:35.565 align:middle line:90%
some kind of machine.

00:36:38.930 --> 00:36:40.400 align:middle line:84%
And then lastly,
there's a comment

00:36:40.400 --> 00:36:42.620 align:middle line:84%
in here about some
of the tools that

00:36:42.620 --> 00:36:45.500 align:middle line:84%
have been used to make
remote education more

00:36:45.500 --> 00:36:48.770 align:middle line:84%
engaging that are actually
inaccessible, like Slack,

00:36:48.770 --> 00:36:51.245 align:middle line:90%
and Jamboard, and Miro.

00:36:51.245 --> 00:36:54.410 align:middle line:84%
These tools are very
effective at creating

00:36:54.410 --> 00:36:56.870 align:middle line:84%
in class discussions
and activities,

00:36:56.870 --> 00:36:58.140 align:middle line:90%
but they're not accessible.

00:36:58.140 --> 00:37:00.740 align:middle line:84%
And when you write
to the developers

00:37:00.740 --> 00:37:03.960 align:middle line:84%
of these things about these
problems, they do not care.

00:37:03.960 --> 00:37:07.920 align:middle line:84%
And so I make it a policy not
to use those technologies.

00:37:07.920 --> 00:37:13.200 align:middle line:84%
I do use Slack because of a
departmental requirement thing.

00:37:13.200 --> 00:37:17.350 align:middle line:84%
But there are ways that
Slack can be accessible,

00:37:17.350 --> 00:37:19.620 align:middle line:84%
and there are new ways
of framing etiquette

00:37:19.620 --> 00:37:21.180 align:middle line:84%
about how you keep
people apprised

00:37:21.180 --> 00:37:23.760 align:middle line:90%
of important information.

00:37:23.760 --> 00:37:28.150 align:middle line:84%
So those are some of the
things that I do personally

00:37:28.150 --> 00:37:32.340 align:middle line:84%
in my classes if you wanted
practical, actionable advice,

00:37:32.340 --> 00:37:35.550 align:middle line:90%
which I know is important.

00:37:35.550 --> 00:37:37.725 align:middle line:84%
Above and beyond
raging Elmo GIFs.

00:37:41.592 --> 00:37:43.050 align:middle line:84%
MARTINA SVYANTEK:
And in that vein,

00:37:43.050 --> 00:37:46.940 align:middle line:84%
we've had a couple
of questions/comments

00:37:46.940 --> 00:37:53.210 align:middle line:84%
about working with other staff
in HR around working remotely.

00:37:53.210 --> 00:37:55.340 align:middle line:90%
Have you worked with unions?

00:37:55.340 --> 00:37:56.870 align:middle line:90%
And a follow up is--

00:37:56.870 --> 00:37:58.640 align:middle line:90%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS: What union?

00:37:58.640 --> 00:38:00.140 align:middle line:84%
I'm sorry, that was
my first thought

00:38:00.140 --> 00:38:04.340 align:middle line:84%
when I read that question
is-- where are you?

00:38:04.340 --> 00:38:06.723 align:middle line:84%
I mean, they do exist,
obviously, and some of them

00:38:06.723 --> 00:38:07.640 align:middle line:90%
can be very effective.

00:38:07.640 --> 00:38:12.240 align:middle line:84%
But we don't all
have access to those.

00:38:12.240 --> 00:38:16.410 align:middle line:84%
So that's why I try to focus
on interpersonal relationships

00:38:16.410 --> 00:38:20.430 align:middle line:84%
because you can unionize without
ever saying the word unionize.

00:38:23.750 --> 00:38:25.220 align:middle line:90%
Oh, cool.

00:38:25.220 --> 00:38:26.700 align:middle line:90%
That's great.

00:38:26.700 --> 00:38:27.870 align:middle line:90%
That's wonderful.

00:38:27.870 --> 00:38:29.810 align:middle line:84%
And that's not me
being sarcastic.

00:38:29.810 --> 00:38:31.670 align:middle line:84%
I'm really excited that
Alaska is unionized.

00:38:31.670 --> 00:38:32.600 align:middle line:90%
That's cool.

00:38:32.600 --> 00:38:33.410 align:middle line:90%
Super cool.

00:38:37.360 --> 00:38:38.360 align:middle line:90%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: Right.

00:38:38.360 --> 00:38:43.230 align:middle line:84%
So if you have unions
available, that's great.

00:38:43.230 --> 00:38:47.960 align:middle line:84%
But if not, a large group
of staff going to HR

00:38:47.960 --> 00:38:53.300 align:middle line:84%
and working on updating
their 20-plus year old

00:38:53.300 --> 00:38:58.640 align:middle line:84%
working remote,
telework, hybrid work,

00:38:58.640 --> 00:39:04.670 align:middle line:84%
work leave agreements policy
is probably a good place

00:39:04.670 --> 00:39:11.000 align:middle line:84%
to start because you can
go and say, this is older.

00:39:11.000 --> 00:39:13.100 align:middle line:90%
This has not been touched.

00:39:13.100 --> 00:39:16.040 align:middle line:84%
I think this needs
to be addressed,

00:39:16.040 --> 00:39:20.040 align:middle line:84%
and revamped, and revised in
light of the current situation.

00:39:20.040 --> 00:39:24.380 align:middle line:84%
And a lot of times,
policy wonks and campuses

00:39:24.380 --> 00:39:26.640 align:middle line:90%
will go, great, you do it.

00:39:26.640 --> 00:39:32.900 align:middle line:84%
So if you've got people who
have time and energy to devote

00:39:32.900 --> 00:39:36.110 align:middle line:84%
to dealing with
institutional policy,

00:39:36.110 --> 00:39:39.680 align:middle line:84%
that could be a place
to organize around.

00:39:39.680 --> 00:39:43.220 align:middle line:84%
Is addressing that
within the system

00:39:43.220 --> 00:39:47.330 align:middle line:84%
that you are forced
to work within,

00:39:47.330 --> 00:39:48.980 align:middle line:84%
or finding a
different system that

00:39:48.980 --> 00:39:51.860 align:middle line:84%
has that union that's already
fought that battle for you.

00:39:51.860 --> 00:39:56.150 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS: And I will
say on a more actionable union

00:39:56.150 --> 00:39:58.640 align:middle line:84%
front is that one thing
that is really important.

00:39:58.640 --> 00:40:00.470 align:middle line:84%
When you are working
within a union,

00:40:00.470 --> 00:40:03.050 align:middle line:84%
is to be sensitive
to when you might

00:40:03.050 --> 00:40:07.090 align:middle line:84%
be throwing another group under
the bus for your own benefit.

00:40:07.090 --> 00:40:09.610 align:middle line:84%
And this is something that I
see in some of the existing

00:40:09.610 --> 00:40:14.020 align:middle line:84%
bargaining units that exist
at the state institutions

00:40:14.020 --> 00:40:18.610 align:middle line:84%
where faculty will cause harm
to students through the way

00:40:18.610 --> 00:40:21.190 align:middle line:84%
that they advocate
for themselves.

00:40:21.190 --> 00:40:26.700 align:middle line:84%
And that there's
imperatives to be

00:40:26.700 --> 00:40:28.710 align:middle line:84%
cross-movement in
your organizing

00:40:28.710 --> 00:40:35.220 align:middle line:84%
and to recognize when you are
supporting your own interests

00:40:35.220 --> 00:40:36.825 align:middle line:90%
at the expense of other people.

00:40:36.825 --> 00:40:38.700 align:middle line:84%
And where you might
actually find common ways

00:40:38.700 --> 00:40:40.900 align:middle line:84%
to organize against
your common enemy,

00:40:40.900 --> 00:40:46.094 align:middle line:84%
which is the administrations
which devalue everyone.

00:40:57.970 --> 00:41:00.460 align:middle line:84%
There's another
question about balancing

00:41:00.460 --> 00:41:04.375 align:middle line:84%
remote hybrid participation and
infrastructure with the higher

00:41:04.375 --> 00:41:06.250 align:middle line:84%
cognitive burden that
it places on a teacher.

00:41:06.250 --> 00:41:09.640 align:middle line:84%
And that's definitely
valid and real.

00:41:09.640 --> 00:41:11.800 align:middle line:84%
And not everybody
has access to a TA.

00:41:11.800 --> 00:41:16.360 align:middle line:84%
When you do have a TA that
is contracted to also attend

00:41:16.360 --> 00:41:18.520 align:middle line:84%
class and not just
be a grader, they

00:41:18.520 --> 00:41:21.370 align:middle line:84%
can be that kind
of support for you.

00:41:21.370 --> 00:41:28.240 align:middle line:84%
But another thing that you
can take from K through 12

00:41:28.240 --> 00:41:30.880 align:middle line:84%
education and flipped
classroom things is you

00:41:30.880 --> 00:41:32.770 align:middle line:84%
can make your students
your helpers--

00:41:32.770 --> 00:41:34.180 align:middle line:90%
volunteers, in this way.

00:41:34.180 --> 00:41:37.060 align:middle line:84%
And I don't mean that in
an exploitative sense,

00:41:37.060 --> 00:41:41.140 align:middle line:84%
but this idea that
the classroom is

00:41:41.140 --> 00:41:46.840 align:middle line:84%
taking collective responsibility
for everybody's equal access

00:41:46.840 --> 00:41:48.520 align:middle line:84%
is an approach
that you can take.

00:41:48.520 --> 00:41:52.250 align:middle line:84%
And if you have to assign bonus
points for it, you can do that.

00:41:52.250 --> 00:41:54.160 align:middle line:84%
Or if you find people
are just, like, super--

00:41:54.160 --> 00:41:56.740 align:middle line:84%
some people want to do it
because it actually keeps

00:41:56.740 --> 00:41:58.190 align:middle line:90%
them engaged and helps them.

00:41:58.190 --> 00:42:03.250 align:middle line:84%
So those are approaches that you
can use to take the burden off

00:42:03.250 --> 00:42:03.775 align:middle line:90%
of yourself.

00:42:16.390 --> 00:42:20.820 align:middle line:84%
I'm suddenly staring at
a screen of, like, blank.

00:42:20.820 --> 00:42:22.930 align:middle line:84%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: I
stopped sharing my screen

00:42:22.930 --> 00:42:28.258 align:middle line:84%
because I realized it was just
nothing to share there anymore.

00:42:30.890 --> 00:42:33.670 align:middle line:84%
Let's see, one of the
responses we've had in chat--

00:42:33.670 --> 00:42:35.590 align:middle line:90%
or the Google form--

00:42:35.590 --> 00:42:37.330 align:middle line:84%
"Our institution,
we very much have

00:42:37.330 --> 00:42:38.840 align:middle line:84%
been trying to be
inclusive, giving

00:42:38.840 --> 00:42:40.540 align:middle line:90%
a remote access as an option.

00:42:40.540 --> 00:42:42.790 align:middle line:84%
That should be an
accommodation option.

00:42:42.790 --> 00:42:45.910 align:middle line:84%
However, the
response has been, we

00:42:45.910 --> 00:42:49.450 align:middle line:84%
are in an in-person,
residential institution.

00:42:49.450 --> 00:42:51.550 align:middle line:84%
If you signed up for
an in-person class,

00:42:51.550 --> 00:42:53.200 align:middle line:84%
your accommodation
should be determined

00:42:53.200 --> 00:42:56.410 align:middle line:84%
to help attend in
person, not remotely.

00:42:56.410 --> 00:42:59.320 align:middle line:84%
They feel that from an
ADA compliance standpoint,

00:42:59.320 --> 00:43:00.860 align:middle line:90%
that is allowed."

00:43:00.860 --> 00:43:04.150 align:middle line:84%
And this commenter
says, "I don't

00:43:04.150 --> 00:43:06.730 align:middle line:84%
know that I disagree
compliance-wise, but

00:43:06.730 --> 00:43:09.730 align:middle line:84%
inclusion-wise, it
doesn't feel good.

00:43:09.730 --> 00:43:12.130 align:middle line:84%
Any way we can
combat this narrative

00:43:12.130 --> 00:43:15.190 align:middle line:90%
and influence academic affairs?"

00:43:15.190 --> 00:43:17.540 align:middle line:90%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS: Yes.

00:43:17.540 --> 00:43:18.040 align:middle line:90%
So--

00:43:18.040 --> 00:43:19.180 align:middle line:90%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: How?

00:43:19.180 --> 00:43:21.430 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS:
In the specific case

00:43:21.430 --> 00:43:22.930 align:middle line:84%
of an administration
that doesn't

00:43:22.930 --> 00:43:24.940 align:middle line:84%
want to grant remote
access to, quote

00:43:24.940 --> 00:43:28.300 align:middle line:84%
unquote, "residential
students," you

00:43:28.300 --> 00:43:33.192 align:middle line:84%
can use a few examples that
can be quite compelling.

00:43:33.192 --> 00:43:34.900 align:middle line:84%
Some of them are more
effective depending

00:43:34.900 --> 00:43:36.067 align:middle line:90%
on what climate you live in.

00:43:36.067 --> 00:43:41.380 align:middle line:84%
But there are
existing precedents

00:43:41.380 --> 00:43:44.740 align:middle line:84%
for flexible attendance
accommodations.

00:43:44.740 --> 00:43:46.870 align:middle line:84%
And if there's flexible
attendance accommodations,

00:43:46.870 --> 00:43:49.287 align:middle line:84%
why wouldn't you want to provide
them with the opportunity

00:43:49.287 --> 00:43:53.913 align:middle line:84%
to appear synchronously in some
manner, if it were possible,

00:43:53.913 --> 00:43:55.330 align:middle line:84%
and the only barrier
were actually

00:43:55.330 --> 00:43:56.920 align:middle line:84%
something keeping them from
being physically present

00:43:56.920 --> 00:43:57.640 align:middle line:90%
in that room?

00:44:00.430 --> 00:44:05.025 align:middle line:84%
So that is an argument
tactic that you can use.

00:44:05.025 --> 00:44:06.900 align:middle line:84%
But you have to be
careful, because then they

00:44:06.900 --> 00:44:09.540 align:middle line:84%
might want to take away
flexible attendance in the sense

00:44:09.540 --> 00:44:11.923 align:middle line:84%
that, OK, some of our kids
are actually in hospital rooms

00:44:11.923 --> 00:44:13.590 align:middle line:84%
right now, and I don't
want them to have

00:44:13.590 --> 00:44:15.757 align:middle line:84%
to be on Zoom while they're
in a hospital bed, which

00:44:15.757 --> 00:44:17.855 align:middle line:84%
is the thing that I have
had happen every semester

00:44:17.855 --> 00:44:19.230 align:middle line:84%
since the pandemic
started, where

00:44:19.230 --> 00:44:21.655 align:middle line:84%
I've had a kid Zoom into my
class from their hospital bed.

00:44:21.655 --> 00:44:23.280 align:middle line:84%
And they shouldn't
have had to do that.

00:44:28.850 --> 00:44:31.040 align:middle line:84%
But also, there are
other things that

00:44:31.040 --> 00:44:34.400 align:middle line:84%
prevent residential students
from attending class

00:44:34.400 --> 00:44:37.190 align:middle line:84%
in person that are
disability-related

00:44:37.190 --> 00:44:40.760 align:middle line:84%
and also directly implicate
the institution in its failure

00:44:40.760 --> 00:44:44.810 align:middle line:90%
to provide accessible space.

00:44:44.810 --> 00:44:50.290 align:middle line:84%
And what I mean is when it
snows, some of my students

00:44:50.290 --> 00:44:51.415 align:middle line:90%
are trapped in their dorms.

00:44:55.670 --> 00:44:59.270 align:middle line:84%
So, why the fuck don't they
get to attend remotely?

00:44:59.270 --> 00:45:02.670 align:middle line:84%
Because you didn't
shovel the walkway?

00:45:02.670 --> 00:45:04.343 align:middle line:84%
And so these are
real things that

00:45:04.343 --> 00:45:05.760 align:middle line:84%
happen, where I
have students that

00:45:05.760 --> 00:45:09.090 align:middle line:84%
have to choose between
potentially slipping on the ice

00:45:09.090 --> 00:45:12.498 align:middle line:84%
and getting food because
the dining hall that's open

00:45:12.498 --> 00:45:14.790 align:middle line:84%
is the one that's furthest
away and a longer route that

00:45:14.790 --> 00:45:15.665 align:middle line:90%
hasn't been shoveled.

00:45:19.170 --> 00:45:23.063 align:middle line:84%
And I am coming from Indiana,
where it snows like this.

00:45:23.063 --> 00:45:24.480 align:middle line:84%
But I also just
came from Florida,

00:45:24.480 --> 00:45:25.855 align:middle line:84%
where it does not
snow like that,

00:45:25.855 --> 00:45:28.740 align:middle line:90%
but we do have torrential rains.

00:45:28.740 --> 00:45:32.130 align:middle line:84%
And motorized wheelchairs
don't work in the rain.

00:45:32.130 --> 00:45:35.430 align:middle line:84%
So why can't that student attend
remotely when it's raining?

00:45:35.430 --> 00:45:39.480 align:middle line:84%
And so these are
arguments that may work

00:45:39.480 --> 00:45:42.900 align:middle line:90%
because they're very logical.

00:45:42.900 --> 00:45:45.058 align:middle line:84%
And I hope that
they work for you.

00:45:45.058 --> 00:45:45.600 align:middle line:90%
I don't know.

00:45:52.640 --> 00:45:55.310 align:middle line:84%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: I think
what Rua is pointing out

00:45:55.310 --> 00:45:59.880 align:middle line:84%
is that these are students who
want to be attending classes.

00:45:59.880 --> 00:46:03.470 align:middle line:84%
However, the issue is
that for whatever reason,

00:46:03.470 --> 00:46:07.790 align:middle line:84%
they're not able to physically
make it into that room.

00:46:07.790 --> 00:46:10.280 align:middle line:84%
And that reason that they
can't make it into the room

00:46:10.280 --> 00:46:13.470 align:middle line:84%
could occur at
any point in time.

00:46:13.470 --> 00:46:17.720 align:middle line:84%
So they might make
that trek over the ice,

00:46:17.720 --> 00:46:20.630 align:middle line:84%
slip, fall, break
their leg, and now they

00:46:20.630 --> 00:46:23.000 align:middle line:84%
can't get to their
classroom because they're

00:46:23.000 --> 00:46:27.590 align:middle line:84%
in the second story of a
non-elevator accessible

00:46:27.590 --> 00:46:28.640 align:middle line:90%
building.

00:46:28.640 --> 00:46:34.420 align:middle line:84%
So they've compounded
the problem

00:46:34.420 --> 00:46:38.320 align:middle line:84%
placed by a lack of remote
access into classes.

00:46:38.320 --> 00:46:43.000 align:middle line:84%
And the fact that we're
focusing on, again,

00:46:43.000 --> 00:46:46.930 align:middle line:84%
the in-person experience
of a residential college

00:46:46.930 --> 00:46:51.680 align:middle line:84%
because, again, this is pointing
back to the-- this is normal.

00:46:51.680 --> 00:46:53.710 align:middle line:84%
This is the way
we've always done it.

00:46:56.760 --> 00:47:01.380 align:middle line:84%
That normal has not
existed forever,

00:47:01.380 --> 00:47:03.990 align:middle line:90%
since the beginning of time.

00:47:03.990 --> 00:47:07.090 align:middle line:84%
And that normal was
created by other people,

00:47:07.090 --> 00:47:08.670 align:middle line:84%
and we're people
too, so we should

00:47:08.670 --> 00:47:11.910 align:middle line:84%
be able to change that normal
to make something that works

00:47:11.910 --> 00:47:16.320 align:middle line:84%
for us now, as opposed to
being beholden to something

00:47:16.320 --> 00:47:20.790 align:middle line:84%
that has been in place just
because it's previously

00:47:20.790 --> 00:47:21.570 align:middle line:90%
existed.

00:47:21.570 --> 00:47:24.000 align:middle line:84%
If it's not working,
why do we keep

00:47:24.000 --> 00:47:27.960 align:middle line:84%
running into the same
walls without saying

00:47:27.960 --> 00:47:29.983 align:middle line:90%
we need to remove this wall?

00:47:29.983 --> 00:47:32.400 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS: And that
kind of comes back to this idea

00:47:32.400 --> 00:47:34.980 align:middle line:90%
that it was ever working.

00:47:34.980 --> 00:47:38.520 align:middle line:84%
So the people that
want to clamp down

00:47:38.520 --> 00:47:41.993 align:middle line:84%
on these accommodations
and these sorts of graces

00:47:41.993 --> 00:47:44.160 align:middle line:84%
that we've extended to each
other over the pandemic,

00:47:44.160 --> 00:47:48.310 align:middle line:84%
are people who thought
that the way it was good.

00:47:48.310 --> 00:47:49.280 align:middle line:90%
It wasn't good.

00:47:52.220 --> 00:47:56.110 align:middle line:84%
There are people that you
never saw in class that you

00:47:56.110 --> 00:47:58.140 align:middle line:90%
could have in your classes.

00:47:58.140 --> 00:48:02.260 align:middle line:84%
But in a different world that
we can all make together.

00:48:02.260 --> 00:48:09.285 align:middle line:84%
So just part of the
argument is making it clear

00:48:09.285 --> 00:48:10.785 align:middle line:84%
that it actually
wasn't good before.

00:48:25.087 --> 00:48:27.170 align:middle line:84%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: Going
to refresh the Google form

00:48:27.170 --> 00:48:31.130 align:middle line:84%
and see if there have been more
responses while we've been--

00:48:31.130 --> 00:48:32.630 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS:
Also, I don't know

00:48:32.630 --> 00:48:35.860 align:middle line:84%
if I'm, like, scaring
the audience because I

00:48:35.860 --> 00:48:40.670 align:middle line:90%
get aggressive or whatever.

00:48:40.670 --> 00:48:45.360 align:middle line:84%
But nobody is
saying things, which

00:48:45.360 --> 00:48:47.840 align:middle line:84%
may be because they
want to stay anonymous.

00:48:47.840 --> 00:48:50.490 align:middle line:84%
And I'm just sort of like,
I'm yelling at the screen

00:48:50.490 --> 00:48:52.820 align:middle line:90%
and I hope you all feel OK.

00:48:52.820 --> 00:48:54.570 align:middle line:84%
Although, if any of
you are administrators

00:48:54.570 --> 00:48:56.903 align:middle line:84%
that are responsible for some
of these decisions, I hope

00:48:56.903 --> 00:48:58.480 align:middle line:90%
you feel bad.

00:48:58.480 --> 00:49:01.625 align:middle line:84%
And it's OK to feel bad because
that will make you change.

00:49:01.625 --> 00:49:03.500 align:middle line:84%
BRIANNA BLASER: And I
was just going to say--

00:49:03.500 --> 00:49:06.650 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS: I make you
feel bad because I love you.

00:49:06.650 --> 00:49:07.430 align:middle line:84%
BRIANNA BLASER: I was
just going to say, too,

00:49:07.430 --> 00:49:09.830 align:middle line:84%
folks can raise their hands
and unmute too, if they

00:49:09.830 --> 00:49:12.620 align:middle line:90%
want to ask questions verbally.

00:49:12.620 --> 00:49:14.420 align:middle line:84%
We can use universal
design here.

00:49:19.000 --> 00:49:21.190 align:middle line:84%
I will say something I have
been thinking about too,

00:49:21.190 --> 00:49:23.733 align:middle line:84%
is think-- oh, I
see Seta's hand now.

00:49:23.733 --> 00:49:25.150 align:middle line:84%
Do you want to ask
your questions?

00:49:25.150 --> 00:49:25.900 align:middle line:90%
SETA WHITBY: Yeah.

00:49:25.900 --> 00:49:28.200 align:middle line:84%
I just want to say you
are very passionate,

00:49:28.200 --> 00:49:31.470 align:middle line:84%
and I wish I have
you as my faculty

00:49:31.470 --> 00:49:35.970 align:middle line:84%
because it shows that we
care about our students.

00:49:35.970 --> 00:49:40.230 align:middle line:84%
And that's the thing is, there
are some faculty who say,

00:49:40.230 --> 00:49:42.280 align:middle line:90%
either my way or the highway.

00:49:42.280 --> 00:49:45.240 align:middle line:90%
And they should not be teachers.

00:49:45.240 --> 00:49:47.430 align:middle line:90%
And so I really appreciate that.

00:49:53.230 --> 00:49:56.563 align:middle line:84%
BRIANNA BLASER: I always
appreciate your passion too.

00:49:56.563 --> 00:49:58.480 align:middle line:84%
It's something I've been
thinking a lot about,

00:49:58.480 --> 00:50:01.630 align:middle line:90%
too, is life beyond campus.

00:50:01.630 --> 00:50:06.310 align:middle line:84%
So thinking about
conferences, and what

00:50:06.310 --> 00:50:08.290 align:middle line:84%
does that mean as they
go forward hybrid?

00:50:08.290 --> 00:50:11.140 align:middle line:84%
I went to one hybrid
that I attended remotely,

00:50:11.140 --> 00:50:13.940 align:middle line:84%
and I may as well
have not attended.

00:50:13.940 --> 00:50:15.470 align:middle line:90%
It was not a great experience.

00:50:15.470 --> 00:50:17.800 align:middle line:84%
And so trying to think about
how do we do that well,

00:50:17.800 --> 00:50:20.860 align:middle line:84%
and what does that mean,
and the importance of

00:50:20.860 --> 00:50:21.830 align:middle line:90%
having that option.

00:50:21.830 --> 00:50:22.540 align:middle line:90%
So I don't know.

00:50:22.540 --> 00:50:24.177 align:middle line:84%
I'll just let you
guys talk to that.

00:50:24.177 --> 00:50:26.260 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS: We don't
have enough time for me

00:50:26.260 --> 00:50:31.960 align:middle line:84%
to talk about conferences
I am so mad about it.

00:50:31.960 --> 00:50:35.350 align:middle line:84%
But I will say that, like
the other things we've

00:50:35.350 --> 00:50:37.570 align:middle line:84%
been discussing, the
problems with conferences

00:50:37.570 --> 00:50:42.310 align:middle line:84%
predated COVID and have been
illustrated by the cracks

00:50:42.310 --> 00:50:45.820 align:middle line:90%
that these issues have revealed.

00:50:45.820 --> 00:50:49.150 align:middle line:84%
And so one of the problems
one of the primary problems

00:50:49.150 --> 00:50:50.860 align:middle line:84%
with conferences is
the way that they

00:50:50.860 --> 00:50:56.050 align:middle line:84%
are organized leaves access
to a point in the process

00:50:56.050 --> 00:51:00.440 align:middle line:84%
where it's often too late to
actually deal with effectively.

00:51:00.440 --> 00:51:03.020 align:middle line:84%
So, like, site selection
often happens two years

00:51:03.020 --> 00:51:05.120 align:middle line:84%
before any of the
volunteer faculty

00:51:05.120 --> 00:51:07.190 align:middle line:90%
are appointed as organizers.

00:51:07.190 --> 00:51:10.100 align:middle line:84%
And so you already start
off an organizing team

00:51:10.100 --> 00:51:12.770 align:middle line:84%
under a failure condition,
where the venue has

00:51:12.770 --> 00:51:18.870 align:middle line:84%
been chosen without any regard
to accessibility concerns.

00:51:18.870 --> 00:51:21.410 align:middle line:84%
And with the
possible minimum of,

00:51:21.410 --> 00:51:24.680 align:middle line:84%
the building claims
it's ADA accessible.

00:51:24.680 --> 00:51:31.900 align:middle line:84%
That has to change as a global,
academic, and conference-based

00:51:31.900 --> 00:51:34.850 align:middle line:90%
culture change.

00:51:34.850 --> 00:51:38.810 align:middle line:84%
And we have been working on
that in the CHI community--

00:51:38.810 --> 00:51:45.290 align:middle line:84%
the ACM, computer
human interaction cloud

00:51:45.290 --> 00:51:47.210 align:middle line:84%
community-- for a
number of years,

00:51:47.210 --> 00:51:48.830 align:middle line:84%
and the progress
that we're making

00:51:48.830 --> 00:51:53.460 align:middle line:84%
is very minimal, and very
slow, and very frustrating.

00:51:53.460 --> 00:51:57.920 align:middle line:84%
And then hybrid
access really only

00:51:57.920 --> 00:52:03.350 align:middle line:84%
came to be popular in this, sort
of, we're leaving COVID phase.

00:52:03.350 --> 00:52:06.800 align:middle line:84%
But it hasn't been approached
with any sense of actually

00:52:06.800 --> 00:52:09.260 align:middle line:84%
making meaningful social
connections between people

00:52:09.260 --> 00:52:12.500 align:middle line:84%
attending hybrid and
in person, or even

00:52:12.500 --> 00:52:15.590 align:middle line:90%
between hybrid attendees.

00:52:15.590 --> 00:52:19.310 align:middle line:84%
And I don't want it to turn
into a situation where you have

00:52:19.310 --> 00:52:23.940 align:middle line:84%
segregation based on people
from the global South

00:52:23.940 --> 00:52:27.990 align:middle line:84%
or from ecologically
disadvantaged communities,

00:52:27.990 --> 00:52:30.240 align:middle line:84%
and disabled people
are all in the hybrid--

00:52:30.240 --> 00:52:33.480 align:middle line:84%
are all online-- and
everybody else is in person.

00:52:33.480 --> 00:52:36.090 align:middle line:84%
But also, there are ways
that we can do this well.

00:52:36.090 --> 00:52:41.490 align:middle line:84%
But you have to plan for it
instead of pivoting to it when

00:52:41.490 --> 00:52:44.390 align:middle line:90%
things go wrong.

00:52:44.390 --> 00:52:47.520 align:middle line:84%
We tried to make this
happen at CHI this year.

00:52:47.520 --> 00:52:49.100 align:middle line:84%
But again, the
committees that were

00:52:49.100 --> 00:52:50.600 align:middle line:84%
in charge of that
we're not actually

00:52:50.600 --> 00:52:53.330 align:middle line:84%
given the infrastructural power
or monetary support to make

00:52:53.330 --> 00:52:55.730 align:middle line:84%
meaningful hybrid
interactions occur.

00:52:58.330 --> 00:53:00.450 align:middle line:90%
And so it's been a problem.

00:53:00.450 --> 00:53:02.700 align:middle line:84%
And Brianna and
Martina know that even

00:53:02.700 --> 00:53:07.410 align:middle line:84%
before that, just in-person
access has been impossible.

00:53:07.410 --> 00:53:09.587 align:middle line:84%
Like, how many-- every
year, multiple times

00:53:09.587 --> 00:53:11.670 align:middle line:84%
a year, I had to fight
with people about-- can you

00:53:11.670 --> 00:53:16.247 align:middle line:84%
not flash cameras at me because
I get terrible headaches

00:53:16.247 --> 00:53:16.830 align:middle line:90%
because of it?

00:53:16.830 --> 00:53:18.600 align:middle line:84%
And I have friends
that would just die,

00:53:18.600 --> 00:53:20.365 align:middle line:90%
so can you just not do that?

00:53:20.365 --> 00:53:22.740 align:middle line:84%
Maybe my friends could actually
come to these conferences

00:53:22.740 --> 00:53:24.720 align:middle line:84%
if you weren't
flashing all the time.

00:53:24.720 --> 00:53:26.220 align:middle line:84%
And so these are
the kinds of things

00:53:26.220 --> 00:53:28.870 align:middle line:84%
that we have been fighting
about for a long time.

00:53:33.210 --> 00:53:35.442 align:middle line:84%
The solution is to
actually care and to have

00:53:35.442 --> 00:53:36.900 align:middle line:84%
meaningful, authentic
relationships

00:53:36.900 --> 00:53:39.600 align:middle line:84%
with disabled
people, and to have

00:53:39.600 --> 00:53:40.920 align:middle line:90%
them lead to these initiatives.

00:53:40.920 --> 00:53:45.027 align:middle line:84%
But so far we like to
just put them as, like,

00:53:45.027 --> 00:53:46.860 align:middle line:84%
a chair of a committee
that doesn't actually

00:53:46.860 --> 00:53:47.860 align:middle line:90%
have any power or money.

00:53:47.860 --> 00:53:50.080 align:middle line:84%
And then, when it turns
out to be inaccessible,

00:53:50.080 --> 00:53:51.622 align:middle line:84%
then you have disabled
people yelling

00:53:51.622 --> 00:53:52.664 align:middle line:90%
at other disabled people.

00:53:52.664 --> 00:53:54.997 align:middle line:84%
Which is another thing that
happens, where they're like,

00:53:54.997 --> 00:53:55.500 align:middle line:90%
you failed.

00:53:55.500 --> 00:53:57.792 align:middle line:84%
And it's like, yes, I know
because I was never actually

00:53:57.792 --> 00:54:01.180 align:middle line:84%
going to succeed, because they
didn't actually want me to.

00:54:09.780 --> 00:54:12.602 align:middle line:84%
BRIANNA BLASER: Well, we are
near the end of our hour here.

00:54:12.602 --> 00:54:14.060 align:middle line:84%
This has been a
great conversation,

00:54:14.060 --> 00:54:18.050 align:middle line:84%
but I want to invite you to
finish up, offer any closing

00:54:18.050 --> 00:54:22.085 align:middle line:84%
thoughts, or anything you'd
like to share with our audience.

00:54:26.782 --> 00:54:27.740 align:middle line:90%
MARTINA SVYANTEK: Sure.

00:54:27.740 --> 00:54:28.710 align:middle line:90%
So I'll go first.

00:54:28.710 --> 00:54:30.965 align:middle line:84%
So Rua, you can take
another couple of minutes.

00:54:34.590 --> 00:54:37.790 align:middle line:84%
First of all, thank
you all for coming

00:54:37.790 --> 00:54:41.520 align:middle line:84%
to together this afternoon, or
morning, or wherever you are,

00:54:41.520 --> 00:54:44.910 align:middle line:90%
whenever you are today.

00:54:44.910 --> 00:54:47.930 align:middle line:84%
This is one of the great
things about having

00:54:47.930 --> 00:54:54.380 align:middle line:84%
Zoom as a platform is
that we can all attend,

00:54:54.380 --> 00:54:55.490 align:middle line:90%
all at the same time.

00:54:55.490 --> 00:54:58.190 align:middle line:84%
And I didn't have to show
up anywhere differently.

00:54:58.190 --> 00:55:00.860 align:middle line:84%
I didn't have to find some
place other than my computer

00:55:00.860 --> 00:55:02.150 align:middle line:90%
to go to.

00:55:02.150 --> 00:55:04.910 align:middle line:84%
Did have to figure out
where on my computer

00:55:04.910 --> 00:55:08.165 align:middle line:84%
I needed to go to find the
right link, but that was doable.

00:55:11.660 --> 00:55:15.620 align:middle line:84%
The thing that really
kept reminding us all,

00:55:15.620 --> 00:55:17.810 align:middle line:84%
and me especially, when
I was talking about,

00:55:17.810 --> 00:55:21.080 align:middle line:84%
hey, we're trying
to return to normal,

00:55:21.080 --> 00:55:22.730 align:middle line:84%
and there are
walls in the place.

00:55:22.730 --> 00:55:29.260 align:middle line:84%
Is that normal is defined,
but it doesn't work.

00:55:29.260 --> 00:55:32.920 align:middle line:90%
And returning to normal--

00:55:32.920 --> 00:55:34.480 align:middle line:90%
heading to a new normal--

00:55:34.480 --> 00:55:37.570 align:middle line:84%
means that we're going to
have to sit down and have

00:55:37.570 --> 00:55:40.780 align:middle line:84%
a real discussion of what that
means, what it looks like,

00:55:40.780 --> 00:55:44.720 align:middle line:84%
and who it has been
built around excluding.

00:55:44.720 --> 00:55:47.750 align:middle line:84%
And it's been built
around excluding a lot

00:55:47.750 --> 00:55:50.630 align:middle line:90%
of people for a long time.

00:55:50.630 --> 00:55:54.080 align:middle line:84%
And grappling with that fact
in order to move forward

00:55:54.080 --> 00:55:57.350 align:middle line:90%
is one of the first steps.

00:55:57.350 --> 00:55:58.160 align:middle line:90%
Your turn, Rua.

00:56:00.225 --> 00:56:02.225 align:middle line:84%
RUA MAE WILLIAMS: Oh, but
haven't I said enough?

00:56:05.780 --> 00:56:08.150 align:middle line:90%
Yep.

00:56:08.150 --> 00:56:11.270 align:middle line:84%
So I think Martina
mentioned on one

00:56:11.270 --> 00:56:14.300 align:middle line:84%
of the slides earlier the
#AccessIsLove love campaign

00:56:14.300 --> 00:56:16.490 align:middle line:90%
started by a Mia Mingus.

00:56:16.490 --> 00:56:18.350 align:middle line:84%
And so I want to
bring it back there

00:56:18.350 --> 00:56:19.850 align:middle line:84%
because what I've
been talking about

00:56:19.850 --> 00:56:21.980 align:middle line:84%
is the interpersonal
relations and the way

00:56:21.980 --> 00:56:24.980 align:middle line:84%
that you treat each other, and
the way that you can actually

00:56:24.980 --> 00:56:28.070 align:middle line:84%
form collective
forms of organizing

00:56:28.070 --> 00:56:31.370 align:middle line:84%
without ever whispering the
word union or revolution.

00:56:31.370 --> 00:56:36.570 align:middle line:84%
Is to just love each
other, and to treat

00:56:36.570 --> 00:56:39.630 align:middle line:84%
each other with this grace,
and kindness, and respect,

00:56:39.630 --> 00:56:40.470 align:middle line:90%
and love.

00:56:40.470 --> 00:56:46.420 align:middle line:84%
And to do this for each other
and for yourselves as a way

00:56:46.420 --> 00:56:48.100 align:middle line:84%
to resist the way
the institutions

00:56:48.100 --> 00:56:49.720 align:middle line:90%
want us to hurt each other.

00:56:53.420 --> 00:56:55.440 align:middle line:90%
That's all I got.

00:56:55.440 --> 00:56:56.440 align:middle line:90%
BRIANNA BLASER: Awesome.

00:56:56.440 --> 00:56:59.350 align:middle line:84%
Thank you so much, Rua and
Martina, for joining us.

00:56:59.350 --> 00:57:04.690 align:middle line:84%
And I always appreciate your
point of view and thoughts.

00:57:04.690 --> 00:57:06.730 align:middle line:84%
And thanks, everybody,
for joining us as well.

00:57:06.730 --> 00:57:09.730 align:middle line:84%
I will be sending out an
evaluation over email.

00:57:09.730 --> 00:57:12.050 align:middle line:90%
I encourage you to fill it out.

00:57:12.050 --> 00:57:14.710 align:middle line:84%
And I will drop the link
in the chat as well.

00:57:16.982 --> 00:57:18.940 align:middle line:84%
I'm going to send it over
email because I don't

00:57:18.940 --> 00:57:20.980 align:middle line:90%
have it easily accessible.

00:57:20.980 --> 00:57:22.970 align:middle line:84%
But it was great
seeing everybody today.

00:57:22.970 --> 00:57:24.930 align:middle line:90%
Thank you so much.