Unable to view Documents or Downloads folder remotely

I used to be able to access folders on my remote systems without problem. Now in Catalina when I find my computers on my LAN and try to connect to them, I can only see the contents of ~/ and that of any folder I made. The default folders (such as Documents, Downloads appear empty, something I've confirmed my navigating to it in the terminal. I *assume* this is another idiotic protect-the-user-from-themself-at-all-cost-even-if-it-messes-with-normal-users move in Catalina, but how can I actually access the folder? I'm logged in as myself, so there should be no permissions issue (all other folders/files have the same permissions anyways). On the remote end, by screensharing at the exact same time I can confirm that there are files present in the folders. No dialog is presented asking for access like many apps do now to access such files. I even added my home folder as a separate shared folder, and granted full access to everyone. But to no avail. Any ideas on how to enable access?