BUSTH Library Archivist Kara Jackman Quoted in Daily Free Press Article
The original story was published by the Daily Free Press on March 22, 2021. The following is an excerpt only. Please click here to read the full article.
Online learning poses new challenges, advantages for faculty with disabilities, those in the Deaf community
By Emily Stevenson
Boston University faculty and staff members who have disabilities and those in the Deaf and Hard of hearing community have had varied experiences throughout the pandemic — some have enjoyed increased flexibility, while others have found new restraints with online learning.
Kara Jackman, archivist and preservation librarian at the School of Theology library, said the pandemic has had a variety of positive effects for her.
The ability to work from home more often has decreased stress around her disabilities and helped her feel calmer about contracting COVID-19.
Jackman said the changes BU has instituted in regard to working from home has proved the possibility of these accommodations that people, such as herself, wanted prior to the pandemic.
“I like the flexibility,” Jackman said, “I like that I’m being treated like a human for once because of the pandemic.”
Jackman is also chair of the Staff and Faculty Extend Boston University Disability Support, or SAFEBUDS, which seeks to create a confidential space and community where faculty and staff with disabilities can share their experiences.
“Discuss how their work affects their disability,” she said, “and their disability affects their work.”
Jackson said SAFEBUDS is hosting events focused on building resilience for leaders across campus and providing tools to calm the stress of new workloads and fears that come with the pandemic.
“It’s stressful for everyone,” Jackman said, “but I feel like [for] folks with disabilities, it’s been that much more stressful.”