I chose the article “Disability, Mental Illness, and eLearning: Invisible Behind the Screen?”. In this article they talk about students with mental illnesses and how eLearning can help and hinder their learning experience. They conducted a study with eLearning students from OUA, Open Universities Australia, where 352 participated in a survey. These questions focused on what type of disability they had, how the university handled these disabilities, and how effective they were.
After the initial survey they found that the highest noted disability was mental illness. They then did personal interviews with 11 of these students to dig a little deeper in their disability and how their experience with eLearning has been. Overall, students liked that eLearning gave them the chance to avoid face to face conversation, having to travel to a physical campus, and be a little more flexible with their work and disabilities. Not only that, but they felt they had more control over the disclosure of their disability. However, this became something that hinders their accessibility to learning. Many felt invisible to the university, or felt as if the stigma associated with mental illness was too strong that majority did not feel comfortable disclosing their disability. By not disclosing their disability they were not able to get the necessary additional help they needed. Even those who did disclose it felt like the universities made them jump through too many hoops, making it too difficult of a process for them to get the help they needed.
Overall, the study showed that eLearning needs to improve in the ways that they are inclusive to all students, however there is always the problem that making it inclusive to one disability can actually make it more inaccessible to a different disability. The article explains that a big issue here is that when people with mental illnesses study online they often become invisible. Their issues are out of sight, therefore out of mind to the university. Society does not view mental illness as a disability like they do with other impairments, therefore they handle it differently, they believe that it is more about making the person better rather than making the environment more accessible. In fact, the article believes that the real disability with any impairment comes from the construction of society rather than the individual.
Kent, Mike. “Disability, Mental Illness, and ELearning: Invisible Behind the Screen?” The Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, 17 Dec. 2015, jitp.commons.gc.cuny.edu/disability-mental-illness-and-elearning-invisible-behind-the-screen/.