1 / 24

Accommodating students with disabilities in online learning:

Accommodating students with disabilities in online learning:. All you ever wanted to know and more!. Jane Jarrow, Ph.D & Kelly Hermann. Our plan for the morning:. Legal requirements: ADA and Section 504 Issues regarding serving students with disabilities in online courses

serena
Download Presentation

Accommodating students with disabilities in online learning:

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Accommodating students with disabilities in online learning: All you ever wanted to know and more! Jane Jarrow, Ph.D & Kelly Hermann

  2. Our plan for the morning: • Legal requirements: ADA and Section 504 • Issues regarding serving students with disabilities in online courses • Intersection of disability and online learning – issues for students • Course development and working with your institution • Some questions to ask of yourselves • Questions and answers

  3. Legal basis for requiring access: • Section 508 • What 508 does NOT say to colleges & universities? • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) • The visible statute that others look to • Section 504 • Program access • What DOES 504 say to colleges & universities? • Applicable case law/precedent

  4. Technology access: Good news - Bad news - Access goes WAY beyond an accessible website • You don’t have to provide the technology

  5. Issues re: serving SWDs: • Hybrid/blended classes • Hybrid/blended students • Online only classes

  6. Why can’t my existing disability services office take care of all of this?

  7. Why help is needed to take this on: • Time • Resources • Orientation • Recognition of need • EXISTENCE • Do you HAVE an existing disability services’ office at your institution?

  8. Online learning contexts: • Students (and faculty!) may think that online learning is the “quick fix” to disability accommodation needs. • Definitely solves some issues, ie., physical access issues • Creates new issues, ie., compatibility with assistive technology • Students often feel that their disability doesn’t matter when studying online and don’t disclose or request accommodations.

  9. Physical disability & online learning: • Some issues students face: • Physical access to the computer • Physical manipulation of texts and other course materials • Timing of synchronous components of the course, especially chat rooms • Research activities to fulfill assignments – especially if those activities require the student to work outside of the course environment.

  10. Learning disability & online learning: • Some issues for students: • Accessing textbooks and printed course materials • Clarification of misunderstood points • Timing and organization of synchronous components, especially chat rooms • Extra time to take online exams and other assessments • Assignments – is extra time needed?

  11. Visual impairment & online learning: • Some issues for students: • Interaction of course management system and assistive technology used by the student • Textbooks and other course materials in alternative formats • Video components and captions • Graphics, photos & charts • Research activities to fulfill assignments – especially if those activities require the student to work outside of the course environment.

  12. Hearing impairment & online learning: • Some issues for students: • Audio components and transcripts • Sound of video components • Language issues if ASL is the first language • Timing and organization of any synchronous components, especially chat rooms used. • Research activities to fulfill assignments – especially if those activities require the student to work outside of the course environment.

  13. Mental illness & online learning: • Some issues for students: • Timing issues due to the side effects of medications taken or due to flare up of condition • Processing of text heavy courses • Need to increase phone/email contact with instructor to clarify misunderstood points • Social skills needed in online courses, especially in chats and discussion posts

  14. Considerations for course development: • Think about accessibility • What components are you building into your course? • Audio recordings • Videos • Podcasts • Graphics & pictures • It is easier to build accessibility into the course during development than it is to retrofit a developed course.

  15. Working with your institution: • Academic affairs: • Faculty development that focuses on disability issues • Including accessibility in course and program development • Outreach to SWD at registration • Bookstore: • Access to textbook information to secure alternative formats • Early deadlines for course adoptions

  16. Working with your institution: • Student affairs: • Who is responsible for providing disability services for students in online courses? • Provide information for online students regarding accommodations at orientation • Advising: • Awareness of the difference between studying online and taking traditional, face-to-face courses • Advising SWD about the challenges of studying online & determining appropriateness of course

  17. Working with your institution: • Disability services: • Policies and procedures reflect the needs of online students • Specific information regarding the differences between studying online and face-to-face. • http://www.esc.edu/disabilityservices

  18. Working with your institution: • Faculty: • Make early decisions about course materials • Check for alternative formats • Providing transcripts and captions for any audio-visual component • Administration/fiscal: • Financial backing to ensure accessibility • Making accommodations a priority

  19. Working with your institution: • The IT department: • Keep them informed of your needs and developments. • Ask about accessibility options. • Keep tabs on any new developments from your IT department: • New software decisions • Upgrades to current software • Training and/or expertise of IT department members

  20. Action steps to be taken: • Figure out who has responsibility for accommodating students with disabilities online. • Get formal recognition from the powers-that-be as to who is responsible. • Review/create a documentation policy regarding what information you need to confirm eligibility/accommodations.

  21. Action steps to be taken: • Review/create policies and procedures to guide your response to students with disabilities. • Look into the (technical) accessibility of the process and the classes for students with disabilities using assistive technology. • Check the application/registration process for distance learning classes – is there clear outreach to students with disabilities?

  22. Action steps to be taken: • Consider what information everyone else needs about students with disabilities in online classes (or those with a heavy online component.) • Develop close links between the unit charged with serving students with disabilities online and the folks who control the technology.

  23. Questions?

  24. Contacting us: Jane Jarrow, Ph.D President Disability Compliance in Career and Online Learning (DCCOL) 2938 Northwest Blvd. Columbus, OH 4322 (614) 488-4972 dccol@dccol.net www.dccol.net Kelly Hermann Statewide Coordinator of Disability Services Empire State College 111 West Avenue Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (518) 587-2100 x2544 Kelly.Hermann@esc.edu www.esc.edu/disabilityservices

More Related