Daniel Parker 12/4/13 Senior Project In 1990, President HW Bush si ned into la! the Indi"iduals !

ith Disa#ilities $ducation %ct, creatin standards across the countr& 'or the education o' (ersons, a e 0)21, !ith disa#ilities* %ccordin to the ID$%, s(ecial education should su((l& students !ith the skills to e+cel and succeed* Ho!e"er, this act ,erel& a((lies to (u#lic education or u( to a hi h school raduation -.Buildin /he 0e ac&1 ID$% 2004.2* /his is hel('ul in that it i"es these indi"iduals a solid #ase on !hich to enter the real !orld* But !hat re,ains 'or those !ho 3uali'& 'or s(ecial education !ho as(ire to (ost) secondar& education4 5an& colle es and uni"ersities !ill acce(t (ersons o' "ar&in de rees o' disa#ilit& to attend* 0ike ,an& students ho!e"er, the& ha"e the o(tion o' takin classes online* 6nline classes (ro"ide ,ore #ene'its than on)ca,(us courses 'or ,an& (eo(le !ith disa#ilities7 the& are o'ten less stress'ul and can (ro"ide ,an& o' the sa,e li'e skills as on)ca,(us learnin * /hose !ith learnin disa#ilities 'ace (articular challen es in an on)ca,(us en"iron,ent that o'ten aren8t as i,(edin as in an online en"iron,ent* 0et8s consider the testi,onies (ara(hrased in this article 'ro, the 9ni"ersit& o' 5anito#a a#out the e+(eriences o' t!o disa#led (ersons, Heidi and Phili(, and !hat the& considered to #e so,e o' the ,ajor challen es the& 'aced in uni"ersit& li'e* :; -i2 learnin their !a& around ca,(us, -ii2 learnin to access ca,(us resources,; -i"2 dealin !ith acade,ic stress, -"2 de"elo(in relationshi(s !ith acade,ic tutors and class,ates, ; -"ii2 co(in !ith issues related to (ersonal identit&, li"in inde(endentl& and their auditin student status*<-Wilson 922 /he se"erit& o' so,e o' these issues are reduced si ni'icantl& in an online en"iron,ent, !here all classes can #e 'ound in a sin le (lace, !here schedulin is 'le+i#le, !here the classroo, consists o' the student and the instructor, and !here resources are 'ound easil& throu h a si,(le !e# search* In 'act, these issues are reduced across nearl& the entire s(ectru, o' disa#ilities*

%lthou h Heidi and Philli(s8 issue !ith tra"el in"ol"ed na"i ation, the stress o' tra"el is also si ni'icantl& reduced in the case o' those !ith (h&sical disa#ilities* %s stated #& /ho,as Bu e& in his

article :%cco,,odatin Students !ith S(ecial =eeds in the 6nline >lassroo,< he notes that, :Persons !ho are ,edicall& 'ra ile and could not (h&sicall& attend classes ,a& 'inall& ha"e a chance to et their de rees< -4?2* @or those that are (h&sicall& i,(aired, the act o' tra"elin is co,(licated or detri,ental to their !ell)#ein * /he (h&sical re3uire,ents that are related to online courses are not nearl& as (h&sicall& ta+in as those o' an on)ca,(us course* %lso, consider those !ith a (h&sical disa#ilit& that in"ol"es the de'or,ation o' their hands or u((er a((enda es* @or (ersons !ith this 'or, o' ,otor disa#ilit&, the ,ain o(tion a"aila#le to the,, under e+tre,e cases, is assisti"e technolo &* /his technolo & allo!s 'or alternate user in(ut into a co,(uter, usuall& not re3uirin the use o' hands* =ot onl& is this technolo & e+(ensi"e, #ut it can ha"e "ar&in e''ecti"eness #ased on !e#(a e desi n -0aAar B42* It !ould see, then that on)ca,(us courses are chea(er and ,ore relia#le, and there'ore ,ore #ene'icial* Ho!e"er, (ersons !ith ,otor disa#ilities re3uire (atience !hen it co,es to tasks such as note takin , re3uirin e+tra attention 'ro, the (ro'essor* /his sort o' attention just isn8t a"aila#le in a traditional on)ca,(us settin * What on online course can (ro"ide is the 'le+i#ilit& to take notes and #e a#le to (rocess all the in'or,ation needed to (ass the course* Stress is reduced 'or the dea' student in an online course as co,(ared to that in an on)ca,(us course* %s o#ser"ed #& a stud& 'ro, the Cochester Institute o' /echnolo &, :It can #e e+tre,el& di''icult 'or students !ith a hearin loss to kee( u( !ith classroo, (resentations and to #e 'ull (artici(ants in discussions in a traditional lecture)'ocused classroo,; allocatin ti,e to the ,ulti(le in(uts in a classroo, -instructor, Po!er Point slides, inter(reter, other students2 can #e an o"er!hel,in in'or,ation)(rocessin task< -0on 1?2* In an online en"iron,ent, the dea' student can take their ti,e to collect and (rocess in'or,ation that !ould other!ise esca(e the, in an on)ca,(us class* %n issue that arises !ith the dea' is that ,an& online resources are understood "ia audio out(ut*

/his ,inor issue is easil& o"erco,e !ith the addition o' transcri(ts to e"er& audio resource -Bu

e&

442* /hus, the auditor& o#stacle o' #ein a#le to hear a resource is re(laced #& a "isual re3uire,ent to read a transcri(t* /he #lind ho!e"er are a di''erent stor&* /he internet is a "isual resource1 a resource that is ,ostl& inco,(ati#le !ith the situation o' the le all& #lind* Ho!e"er, e"en under the ,ost e+tre,e case o' #lindness, o(tions do e+ist* /hose !ho are le all& #lind can (urchase e+ternal hard!are or use so't!are that can scale te+t to a lar er siAe* /here also e+ists so't!are that can chan e the contrast o' the ,onitor to increase reada#ilit&* /hese o(tions aren8t e+ceedin l& e+(ensi"e, e"en included in certain o(eratin s&ste,s, -0aAar B42 and it doesn8t ,ake on)ca,(us education necessaril& ,ore #ene'icial than an online education* In the case o' the se"erel& #lind, I !ill ad,it ,& ar u,ent #reaks do!n* %t that (oint, the onl& o(tion that re,ains is a (ro ra, such as a scri(t reader that, !ith so,e e''icienc&, can read aloud a !e# docu,ent* But not all !e#sites are desi ned to #e co,(ati#le !ith such technolo & and it could #e considered unrelia#le -B?2* In the (ursuit o' a hi her education, under those constraints, an on)ca,(us education is (ro#a#l& #etter* Issues such as trans(ortation and readin lecture ,aterial still e+ist in an on)ca,(us course that do not or are ,ana ea#le in an online en"iron,ent, !here 'le+i#ilit& is allo!ed* /here'ore, e"en in the case o' the #lind, online courses can #e ar ued to #e ,ore #ene'icial* 6nline courses (ro"ide ,an& o' the sa,e li'e skills as on)ca,(us courses* 0earnin on)ca,(us does indeed teach li'e skills that a (erson !ith disa#ilities, like e"er&one else, needs to #e success'ul in their 'uture* In the article on Heidi and Philli(, it is stated that the& ained, : reater (ersonal sel') deter,ination ; ti,e ,ana e,ent, sel')disci(line, sel')e+(ression, listenin , initiati"e and inde(endence,; settin oals, ,akin choices, sol"in (ro#le,s, takin risks and acce(tin their

li,itations**< !hile takin classes on)ca,(us-Wilson 922* /hese are all nota#le skills that e"er&one should ain, #ut it doesn8t ha"e to co,e 'ro, an on)ca,(us education* Skills such as ti,e ,ana e,ent, sel')disci(line, initiati"e, (ro#le, sol"in , and takin risks are all (art o' an online education* In the stud& #& >hih)Hsuan Wan , he states1 :students ha"e to a((roach online courses as i'

the& !ere takin traditional courses* In other !ords, students ha"e to set u( a s(eci'ic ti,e or e"en a s(eci'ic (lace so the& can concentrate on the learnin ,aterials and assi n,ents o' the online courses*<-Wan 3192 %lthou h the stud& !as (er'or,ed on non)disa#led (ersons, it still dra!s (arallels #et!een the skills ained 'ro, online learnin !ith indi"iduals !ith disa#ilities* /hat !hich is learned #& nor,al students throu h uni"ersit& le"el online classes can #e e+(ected to #e learned #& disa#led students* ID$% created a standard 'or s(ecial education that !ould (re(are those !ith disa#ilities to (ursue a hi her standard o' li"in !hile still acco,,odatin to their needs* Past a hi h school education thou h, those needs are no lon er uaranteed to #e ,et* When (ursuin a hi her education, online courses (ro"ide a 'le+i#le en"iron,ent that can ,eet ,an& o' their needs !ithout creatin too ,an& #arriers* Without those #arriers, stress is reatl& reduced* /his stands true 'or nearl& all disa#ilities and althou h (eo(le ,a& e+(erience a "ariet& o' success #ased on the e+tent o' their handica(, o"erall the 'le+i#le en"iron,ent o' an online course #ene'its the,* =ot onl& that, #ut ,an& o' the i,(ortant li'e skills that the& !ould need to learn in an on)ca,(us class !ill also #e ained !hen takin an online class* 6nline courses ,eet the needs o' the disa#led*

Works >ited Bu e&, /ho,as D* .%cco,,odatin Students With S(ecial =eeds In /he 6nline >lassroo,*. =e! Directions @or /eachin E 0earnin F4 -200021 41* %cade,ic Search Pre,ier* We#* 19 =o"* 2013* 0aAar, Donathan, and Paul Dae er* .Ceducin Barriers /o 6nline %ccess @or Peo(le With Disa#ilities*. Issues In Science & Technology 2B*2 -201121 GF)F2* Academic Search Premier* We#* 4 Dec* 2013* 0on , Har& 0*, >arol 5archetti, and Cichard @asse* ./he I,(ortance 6' Interaction @or %cade,ic Success In 6nline >ourses With Hearin , Dea', %nd Hard)6')Hearin Students*. International Ce"ie! 6' Cesearch In 6(en E Distance 0earnin 12*G -201121 1)19* $ducation @ull /e+t -H*W* Wilson2* We#* 3 Dec* 2013* 9nited States* De(art,ent o' $ducation* Building The Legacy: IDEA 2004* We#* Iidea*ed* o"J* Wan , >hih)Hsuan, Da"id 5* Shannon, and 5ar aret $* Coss* .Students8 >haracteristics, Sel') Ce ulated 0earnin , /echnolo & Sel')$''icac&, %nd >ourse 6utco,es In 6nline 0earnin *. Distance $ducation 34*3 -201321 302)323* %cade,ic Search Pre,ier* We#* 19 =o"* 2013* Wilson, Heidi, et al* .HeidiKs %nd Phili(Ks Stories1 /ransitions /o Post)Secondar& $ducation*. British Dournal 6' 0earnin Disa#ilities 40*2 -201221 FB)93* %cade,ic Search Pre,ier* We#* 1F =o"* 2013