Disability Advocates Committee calls for further delay of in-person instruction

The University is scheduled to return to in-person classes on Feb. 8. But for many students, especially those in the disabled community, the prospect of in-person instruction increases the already heightened threat of COVID-19.

The Disability Advocates Committee of the Campus Y at UNC sent a letter to Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz on Wednesday, petitioning the administration to continue to delay the start of in-person instruction until it is safe for all students.

“We ask the administration to ensure that classes remain solely online until herd immunity is reached in order to meet their obligation of providing a safe and accessible learning environment that protects the whole community,” DAC said in the letter.

Austin Tyner, a junior and a chairperson of the committee, proposed the idea at a committee meeting last week, and members collectively wrote the letter to include the needs and suggestions of students with different types of abilities. 

Tyner said she never expected to actually have to publish the letter because she assumed the University would announce classes would remain online. But with no move to stay the remote course, Tyner said she knew she had to take further action. 

“UNC opening in person will cause damage to the disabled community,” Tyner said. “They’re already causing harm by drawing this many people to campus and exposing disabled people in the community to people on campus.”

The letter highlighted ways the DAC believes the University has neglected to adequately handle COVID-19 and prepare for in-person instruction, including not requiring regular testing for faculty and staff. 

According to UNC Media Relations, 31 percent of students are scheduled to have an in-person class. These students are required to get tested twice per week at a UNC testing site, but Tyner said there appear to be no consequences for those who get tested after the next test date listed in HallPass, the UNC website used for testing. 

The letter stated that the University's unclear and often last-minute communication about these procedures and others has led to added pressure on disabled students. 

“Disabled students often need extra time to request accommodations and plan for future sick days and fluctuating energy levels, but are unable to do so due to uncertainty and unclear communication from the University,” the DAC said in the letter. “The administration acknowledges its legal obligations to accommodate disabled students through the existence of ARS and its services; however, they have continued to follow a ‘roadmap’ that lacks the structure and commitment needed to accurately support them.”

In a statement, Guskiewicz said he was grateful to the Disability Advocates Committee for their letter and he values their input about the concerns of people with disabilities on campus. According to information from UNC Media Relations, the University has not had any in-class transmission of COVID-19. 

“We have provided flexibility this semester and will continue to do so for all our students,” Guskiewicz said in the statement. “Remote learning remains an option, and we encourage students to work with their faculty members on any concerns over safety.”

UNC Media Relations said 80 percent of classes will continue to meet remote only. 

Despite this, many feel that disabled people have not been a part of the planning process for the COVID-19 response, said senior Marco L. Chumbimuni, who has been a member of the DAC since his first year at UNC.

“They have a legal and human responsibility to the student body, no matter ability,” Chumbimuni said. “Persons who are immunocompromised seem to be left out in any decision to make campus safer.”

In addition to emphasizing that the University should include disabled people in decision-making, the last paragraph of the letter listed the recommendations of the group on how to best support disabled and abled students alike during the pandemic — starting with not holding in-person classes. 

If the University does choose to move forward with in-person instruction, the letter reads, in-person attendance should be entirely optional, and faculty testing should be mandated. It also suggests the addition of a notification system to HallPass to ensure appropriate testing compliance, and the expansion of the campus food delivery service to all dorms to better accommodate immunocompromised students who cannot safely visit the dining hall.

“We really hope (Chancellor Guskiewicz) takes it as an urgent call to act,” Chumbimuni said. “If we as students — with time filled up with not only classes but employment searching, family time, unpredictable livelihoods — if we can think of these solutions, how in the world did a task force not think about these solutions?”

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