Accessibility Article Summary

The article discusses the findings of a study about college students with disabilities who attend college online in Australia. Students with disabilities might choose online schooling because it allows them to avoid issues that they would face in a physical class. They are also able to have more flexibility to complete assignments because their mental illness might affect their ability to complete things at certain times. Also, they can withhold from disclosing their disability to anyone by taking an online class. Researchers conducted a study to determine the accessibility of specific online platforms, and the students’ level of disclosure of their disability. Students had to classify their disability as one of the following: hearing, learning, mobility, vision, medical, intellectual disability, acquired brain impairment, or mental illness. Then, they were asked demographic questions and questions about their disability. For example, the accommodations the students received and how accessible the technology was for students. Researchers found that many people with a mental illness also had one or more other impairments. With the data, they found students with disabilities had the most difficulty accessing Echo 360, Blackboard, Lectopia, University Websites, and Blogger. However, the students spoke highly of Blackboard because of its discussion feature, ease of navigation, communication options. They also found online learning is good at allowing students to use different accessibility features without disclosing their disability. Based on the results, they found eLearning needs to be made more accessible for all students. Schools could do a better job assessing students and making group work more accessible. Students with disabilities want their voices to be heard, so universities should listen to comments and suggestions from their students to help accommodate them.