They say that hindsight is 20/20, perhaps they meant, 2020.
2020 will always be remembered as the year of the pandemic, changing our entire world in what felt like a single moment. As state governors declared schools closed, we all naively believed that within two weeks we would return to normal. Instead, the closures continued, offices moved from skyscrapers to kitchen tables, and the longstanding inequities in each community were exposed.
School districts and community leaders could no longer deny the impact of inequity on the most vulnerable citizens: children. Teachers work tirelessly to create equity in their classroom, but those strategies did not translate in a virtual, distance learning environment. Some students went home to their own computer, complete with microphone, camera. They attended class uninterrupted from their private bedroom or an extra room in the home now referred to as the “classroom.” Other students went home to shared spaces that inhibited concentration and focus sharing a single smart phone and rationing data minutes to attend the most essential classer. Some students went home to parents who now worked from home while others had parents who were still working and now needed the children to care for and support each other throughout the day because daycare centers were closed.
Inequity occurred across the country and affected students of all ages. Students dropped out of college, no longer able to adequately access class, or because they needed to work multiple jobs to help their family pay basic expenses of rent, food, and utilities. Cries were heard across the country to open childcare so essential workers could remain working. Children were not able to visit parents in assistive or senior living to ensure their health or safety.
Individuals with disabilities have lived with the struggles of inequitable access, bias, prejudice, and unnecessary obstacles every day of their lives.
The pandemic made it increasingly more difficult for individuals with disabilities. Home care workers were fearful. Resources and food were harder to access. Essential medical treatment, medications, and personal protective equipment were allocated to essential workers and the “able” or “healthy.” Family members or support personnel were no longer allowed to accompany them as they entered hospitals or doctors’ offices.
Living through the pandemic was so hard, but we can look at it as a learning experience. We can no longer hide from inequity. We can no longer excuse inequity. We can no longer close our eyes to the suffering of the members of our community. We saw it all in 20/20 clarity.
Moving forward we need to keep the clarity of hindsight and use it as a spotlight of focus. We need to find the solutions that not only create an opportunity for equity but ensure it. Can we ensure each family has the same space, materials, wealth, or technology? No. Can we ensure that a person can access the resources they need and have the opportunity to earn the life they want? Absolutely!
I thank 2020 for the clear vision of a future for everyone. We do not need to return to the past. Together, we can believe in the ideals of equity and make it our reality today.
