Suitability of Online Higher Education for Learners with Disabilities: The Students’ Voices

Online higher education has the potential to offer extra benefits for students with disabilities in comparison with campus-based universities, but it can also cause them some challenges. This case study addresses why students with disabilities choose online studies and how a fully online educational...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Reyes, Jose Israel, Meneses, Julio, Xavier, Marlon
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
Repositorio:O2, repositorio institucional de la UOC
OAI Identifier:oai:openaccess.uoc.edu:10609/149364
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10609/149364
http://doi.org/10.1177/01626434221131772
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:college students
inclusive education
online learning
universal design for learning
universal instructional design
learners with disabilities
Descripción
Sumario:Online higher education has the potential to offer extra benefits for students with disabilities in comparison with campus-based universities, but it can also cause them some challenges. This case study addresses why students with disabilities choose online studies and how a fully online educational model fits their expectations and needs. Twenty-four students living with physical, sensory, mental, and learning disabilities participated in semi-structured interviews from which we identified six main themes: flexibility, accessibility, curricular design, online interaction, online collaboration, and psycho-emotional wellbeing. These students find online studies flexible, accessible, and helpful for their psycho-emotional wellbeing, but still challenging for interacting and collaborating. Our findings emphasize the importance of applying the Universal Instructional Design for Online Learning in combination with the Universal Design for Learning principles to enhance the inclusion of students with diverse profiles in online learning, as well as offering personalized support for those with severe or multiple disabilities.