Dispute in Academia over remote work
As academic spaces open up, there is a battle going on between university administrators and professors with disabilities. For a very long time now disabled teaching faculty have argued that remote teaching can work and have failed to convince the administration. However, due to the pandemic, everything was shifted online much to the relief of these faculties. They found it much more convenient to work remotely as it gave them better access to medicines and other aid and they did not have to find special means of transport. Now that the universities are re-opening, these professors have been asked to work again, this is done because academia is predominantly an in-person teaching experience.
There is also talks about what is considered a disability. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers cannot discriminate because of disability. ADA also states that this does not exempt the employee from performing tasks that are integral do the job. Alice Freifeld a history professor at the University of Florida applied to teach remotely owing to her chronic cough and allergies, her request was denied by the school as it was not considered a disability. Freifeld said that this made her feel powerless and forced her to quit after 27 years of service. Experts believe that this is a precursor to what companies can expect if they mandate their workforce to work in person. This tension is already awaiting JPMorgan Chase & Co and Goldman Sachs who have asked their employees to come to work in person.
Source: Reuters
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