Many institutions are forcing faculty and staff to apply for disability accommodations if they want to continue working from home under the pandemic. Anyone who's gone through this process knows how complex/frustrating it is, and how it often fails marginalized staff. Even if you can secure a doctor's letter which states that working on-site is a health risk, you can still be told no by an administrator. And many people are too scared of losing the precarious work they currently have--they will be forced to put themselves at risk.

Academic hiring committees — I am begging you – please stop asking for a reference letters. Only ask for contact information from referees when a candidate has been shortlisted. Please. You are already asking for too much. Just do this one thing. There is simply no reason to demand reference letters upfront when an applicant is already submitting close to 100 pages of material. You only really need to view references when someone has been shortlisted. And that can be accomplished through a conversation.

The "everyone's struggling" feeling is really serving to mask the particularity of many people's struggles with the pandemic--especially those who are disabled/chronically ill and those with complex mental health. It's actually serving as both an internal/external barrier. It's keeping people from accessing aid in many cases, while governments make decisions that are, frankly, eugenicist. But it's also internally keeping people from asking for help in many cases, since "everyone's struggling." It acts as shame policing.

Academic interviews are now year-round, but a lot of them are happening now. Here's a template for common questions asked & some potential responses: 1. "What draws you to [X period/area]?"
Answer doesn't have be chronological (i.e. from undergrad to now). Give specific examples--research and teaching you've done that made you think about the area. A few specific things you love about it & how you show students that.