Depending on the disability some students actually perform better in the online classroom. Students who have learning disabilities often have difficulty taking notes in the classroom setting. Online environments already provide a copy of lecture notes. The online classroom setting also allows students who have difficulty with mobility or chronic health problems to access information from the comfort of their homes. Additionally, students who are deaf or hard of hearing are able to get a copy of the instructor’s notes rather than having to utilize an interpreter and/or a note taker. Students who are blind or visually impaired can access notes through screen readers although classroom chats are a little more challenging.

How does ADA relate to the online student?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) caused Colleges and Universities to take a closer look at how they provide services to their students. Many of the policies and procedures that were put in placed addressed the issues of the traditional student. Whenever possible all programs have to be made accessible to students. This includes use of laboratory equipment, access to spoken or printed word, additional testing time, books on CD, tape recorders, note takers, tutoring, etc. Qualified students are offered accommodations to level the playing field so that they are not penalized for their disability.

However, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 did differentiate between accommodations at Public Schools and Higher Education.

There is some misunderstanding of accommodations at a public school and higher education level. This misunderstanding can cause stress for the student, parent and special needs representative at the institution. It is important that these differences be communicated to all those affected. The basic premise for the differences is best understood when one understands that while public school is a right, higher education is an opportunity. Accommodations at the public school level are much more liberal. Furthermore, much of the diagnosis at the public school level is funded by the schools while college students are responsible for their own diagnosis.

Staffing
The most successful programs take a holistic approach to servicing the special needs student in on-line courses. The team must consist of the student, special needs/ADA counselor, instructor and a representative from the technology field or even someone from the technology help desk. The student should understand his/her own needs. It is important to listen to the specific needs of that individual. Too often, the danger for institutions is a “one size fits all approach” to serving all special need students. The needs vary from student to student. A trained special needs counselor is also important on this team. This person will often act as an advocate for the student, but must also be cognizant of the restraints of the institutions. The instructor brings the expertise/ knowledge of the course. He/she must also be comfortable that the transfer of knowledge will occur while accommodating the need of the students. The instructor must be responsible for protecting the integrity of the course. The technology person will assist with the training on any special need equipment/software used by the institution. It is this person’s responsibility to make sure that equipment is updated and the student knows how to properly utilize this resource.

Best Practices
The library at Rutger’s University utilizes WindowEyes, software that reads what is on the computer screen to the student. They also use CCTV which is a video magnifier and screen enlarger to serve their special needs student.

San Jose State University’s Disability Resource Center is launching a new, secure website through which students with disabilities will be able to request services, make an appointment with a special needs/ADA counselor and update personal/demographic information on a 24/7 basis. The program is aimed at giving students more autonomy in managing their needs.

Many higher education institutions are creating Adaptive Technology Centers that have equipment and trained staff members to assist students with learning disabilities. Examples of this equipment include:

Equipment:

Reference: San Jose State University Website

Traditionally, the accommodation for students with a documented learning disability may include, but not be limited to:

• Alternative formats of printed material (i.e. Braille, enlarged print, or audio tape)
• Assistive listening device
• Audio taping of lectures
• Adaptive computer hardware or software
• Extended time
• Readers
• Relocation of a class for accessibility
• Scribes
• Sign language interpreters
• Student note taker
  

ADA Friendly Websites
Websites for commercial, education and personal use have increased incredibly the last few years. There is no doubt this form of communication and advertisement will continue to grow and evolve in the coming years. Higher education will be no exception to the growing use of websites. It has become the most popular method for the prospective student to gather information on the school they want to attend. Unfortunately, some of these websites are not friendly to some special needs students. The following are some tips from the ACPA on what to keep in mind when creating your website:

When creating original documents for websites, try to provide a “text-only” version. This will ensure the most basic level of accessibility. When creating a print document, be sure that document can easily be translated to the web. Select the format that most easily converts to the original text document formatting.

When using a word processor, keep in mind that tabs and indents using pull down menus may not translate, multiple spaces will translate as one space and indentions or hanging indentions may not translate. To help make these website features more desirable to the special needs student, you are encouraged to use block style paragraphs with one line in between paragraphs and use the icon in your word processing program rather than the drop down menu.

The W3C, World Wide Web accessibility initiative, is widely regarded as the international standard for web accessibility. The following website, http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.php, gives an introductory course on how to build an accessible website. It is highly suggested that anyone beginning to create a website follow these suggestions.

According to the Texas Virtual School, Tips & Strategies for Distance Educators, “Too many times, online teachers wait until they have a visually or hearing impaired student to adjust the format of their content. If materials were initially designed, with these students in mind, a lot of time and effort would be saved up front.” http://www.texasvirtualschool.org/Tips%20Sheet/spring2006.pdf

In conclusion, there has been a great deal of progress in making information more accessible to students with disabilities. The recent developments in technology allow students who can not use their hands to be able to dictate documents and test responses. Screen readers allow students to have their materials on the computer screens read to them. Books in daisy format, e-text, and scanned formats enable students who are blind or who have reading disabilities to access texts in a meaningful manner. All of us need to be cognizant of the needs of those with disabilities when developing information to put on the web or use in the classroom.

Resources

Texas Workforce Commission
Department of Rehabilitation Services