The article “Disability, Mental Illness, and eLearning: Invisible Behind the Screen?” covers a study done through an online college program at an Australian university. It notes the relationship between online college students and disabilities; those who stated they had a mental disability went through an interview stage. Online education programs offer a lot of advantages such as flexibility and independence. In some eyes, they have limited access to resources for those with disabilities. Students noted that they felt “unimportant” within their higher education community. Technology is also not adaptive or inclusive enough. The article mentioned examples of videos materials that do not supply captions or subtitles and instances when screen-readers do not function correctly. The article’s overarching message is that the online classroom experience is fairly new and hasn’t been fully developed enough to be accommodating for students with disabilities. The article also stated that more research is needed to create more accurate results.
Based on my experiences, these downsides in online education are nothing compared the challenges faced in in-person classes. I have a severe hearing impairment and mental illnesses, and I have been faced with obstacles that wouldn’t have happened if the class was online. During lectures, if I miss what a professor says, I’ll have to ask to repeat it. The professor with either repeat it or blame me saying that “I should have been paying attention” or another variation of that. Online classes often have videos that can be replayed over with volume that can be adjusted. During a time when my mental health drastically impacted my day-to-day life, I found it a struggle to leave my bed, leave my room, and attend class. Several professors have refused to accept “mental health” as an excused absence. If the class was online, I can get my work done without leaving my room; I can even work on my phone for certain assignments, so I don’t even have to leave my bed. FOr my personal experiences, online classes have been more beneficial, however I recognize that certain disabilities are less flexible than others.