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Running Head: LEARNING WITH A DISABILITY

Learning with a Disability at a Distance: Special Education in Virtual High Schools
Stephanie Wade
Liberty University
EDUC 631
March 3, 2014
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Abstract
Virtual high schools are becoming increasingly popular all over the world as an alternative to
traditional education. These virtual schools can be public or private, and an increasing number
of students with disabilities who are at risk of dropping out are enrolling in these programs.
Online programs are becoming a major movement in education, yet little research has been done
into special education services in these programs. Public charter schools have to follow the same
laws as traditional schools do in servicing students with disabilities, so it is important that these
schools are considering the students they serve. Statistics show that while students with
disabilities may benefit from distance education programs there are also challenges that arise for
students with special needs. Because these programs are essentially new in education it is
unknown how many students with special needs are in these programs. The types of students
with special needs in virtual high schools, examples of programs for students with disabilities,
and the debate into the effectiveness these programs will be discussed.
Keywords: virtual high school, special education, distance education, alternative
education
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Learning with a Disability at a Distance: Special Education in Virtual High Schools
It was not very long ago that distance education was unheard of at the K-12 level, but it
has increased dramatically with the increase in new technology. No longer is a classroom
contained to walls, but students can take classes from the comforts of anywhere. There is a rapid
increase in virtual high schools both public and private as there is a need for flexibility in
education. With the increase in virtual schools, educators need to look at are the needs of all the
students addressed in these schools and do they provide an adequate high school education.
Students attend virtual high schools for a variety of reasons. For some students it is the
flexibility of distance education, more rural schools are offering distance education courses so
students can experience classes in which they would not be able to experience otherwise, some
choose to make up classes through a credit recovery program, and some students choose distance
education for health reasons. Students with disabilities are at an increased risk of dropping out
of school, and some may choose these virtual high schools, because traditional education did not
work well for them (Allday & Allday, 2011). Many states have developed virtual charter high
schools, which are required to offer services for students with disabilities. With the increase in
virtual high schools across the county and even the world, educators need to be aware of the
needs of students with disabilities and be able to service them in a nontraditional environment.
The Virtual School
Forty-one percent of K-12 schools offer some form of virtual learning, and many of these
school are public and require that special education services be offered for students in these
alternative means (Vasquez & Serianni, 2012). Many students with special needs are choosing
virtual high schools to that offer online courses that meet their needs. In 2009, there were at least
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2600 students with diagnosed disabilities enrolled in the virtual K-12 schools, and that number is
continually growing with the rapid increase in virtual schools (Carnahan & Fulton, 2013). Each
of the 50 states in the United States has a virtual school program, and so with that statistic there
are many students with disabilities enrolled in distance education programs. These students are
often considered at risk because they are more likely to drop out or age out of school before they
finish.
There are many factors that cause a student to be at risk, but students with disabilities are
often at risk to drop out of school. Traditional education has often had difficulty in meeting the
need of diverse learners. Because of the personal nature of online learning, important elements of
instructional design for students with special needs are present in online courses (Spitler,
Repetto, & Cavanaugh, 2013).
Students with disabilities often drop out of school because of their dislike for school,
failure at school, and being a disciplinary problem. Traditional education has not met the needs
of these learners, so they are turning to alternative education. We have a high percentage of
students with disabilities in traditional schooling environments, and the population of students
with special needs at virtual schools, mirrors the population at traditional schools (Carnahan &
Fulton, 2013). There are students who are reluctant that they have a disability or have an
undiagnosed disability, and those students are most likely to struggle even more than those with
document disabilities. Those developing and instructing virtual education need to be aware of
the increasing need that all students needs are being met. As these students struggle in their
learning environment, they are at an increased risk of school failure and dropping out of school.
By being aware of students with disabilities in all learning environments, instruction can be
created to meet the needs of these diverse learners.
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Students with Disabilities
About one and ten students worldwide have special needs (Pathy, 2010). It is unknown
how many students with disabilities attend virtual high schools, because there has been very little
study into this relatively new movement (Repetto, Cavanaugh, Wayer, & Feng, 2010). Students
chose the virtual learning environment for various reasons, but always as an alternative to a
traditional education. Online education can motivate students, because it uses a variety of media
to teach. It also provides a student centered environment, which teaches technology skills that
are beneficial to finding a job in the 21
st
century workplace (Vasquez & Serianni, 2012). On the
other hand, there are drawbacks to online education. Students with disabilities become
unmotivated when they feel like they are treated by instructors and peers as invisible or different
(McAndrew, Farrow, & Cooper, 2012). Many students do not have access to online education
because of the digital divide where only more affluent people have access to technology
therefore leaving out students with special needs that may benefit from online education (Pathy,
2010).
Learning disabilities is the highest category of disability in virtual high schools. There
are also many students with emotional and behavioral disabilities, mild cognitive disabilities and
physical disabilities that attend virtual schools (Allday & Allday, 2011). Also high percentages
have attention difficulties, which the virtual environment may be ideal. Students with Autism
while becoming increasingly more common are less likely to be found attending a virtual high
school because of the missing social aspects of virtual learning (Carnahan & Fulton, 2013).
Allday (2011) says students with any disability struggle in school, especially traditional school
where they are required to perform.
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The Online Special Education Teacher
While in a traditional learning environment the special education teacher may perform
the role of an additional teacher to the student, in the virtual learning environment the role of the
teacher is different. Many times an instructor will facilitate the course in virtual high schools,
yet in a public virtual high school there are still legal requirements to be met. The special
education teacher will be included as a part of the IEP team (Repetto, Cavanaugh, Wayer, &
Feng, 2010). Because of the nontraditional learning environment, there must be communication
among all stakeholders in the education of the student. There are many tools that open avenues
of communication. All parties entering this environment of online cannot expect to understand
all these tools, but must be taught how to use them.
Since online education is growing there has been growing concern for the need for
qualified teachers that have experience in online learning. One concern is that there are few
special educators that are trained in online learning. Teachers feel that they do not have adequate
preparation to teach students with special needs in a virtual environment (Pathy, 2010). Creating
opportunities for professional development for all online instructors in diversity in online
education helps instructors working with at risk students (Repetto, et, al., 2010). Change needs
to happen in education opening the door for change in teacher training in online education.
In higher education it is primarily the student making his or her own educational
decisions, but in the K-12 environment the parents are often a large part of the education
decision. It may because of the parent that the student is in the learning environment. It is vital
that the parents and teacher communicate. Also personal relationships between the instructor
and the students and family are vital in a virtual learning environment. Many virtual schools have
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a clear communication policy that is stated in their manual. It is becoming increasingly
important the instructors in distance education be able to clearly communicate through a variety
of means (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).
Services at Virtual High Schools
While online education for students with disabilities offers exciting opportunities, it also
raises challenges. Instructors need to adjust online resources to accommodate disabilities, yet
human interaction is best involved in helping to understand the individual (McAndrew, Farrow,
& Cooper, 2012). Specific tools are available to help aide in online learning for students with
disabilities, and in online education these assistive technology tools can be utilized.
Many times the services at virtual schools lean more towards dropout prevention then
making sure students have an IEP and receive formal special education services (Repetto,
Cavanaugh, Wayer, & Feng, 2010). Because of the flexibility of pacing in the online learning
environment concentration is more on giving students support rather than making sure they
receive services. There is benefit in the flexibility of an online environment in servicing special
needs, because of the individual attention that each student is able to get. With that flexibility
there is drawbacks, such as the motivation of a student affects the success of the student.
Special Education Methods in Distance Education
Universal design for learning (UDL) has shown tremendous promise in supporting the
needs of all learners. With the use of universal design for learning all students are considered as
classes are designed to allow students to use a variety of ways to acquire knowledge,
demonstrate what they know, and engage students in multiple ways (McAndrew, Farrow, &
Cooper, 2012). Universal design for learning has shown success in using it in virtual learning
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environments. The benefit of taking the UDL approach to learning is it benefits all students and
not just students with disabilities. This design helps students who may have an undiagnosed
disability or that do not want to be seen as a student with a disability. When designing learning
for all, all students are helped rather than just singling out students with special needs.
The 5 Cs method has shown tremendous promise in the field of special education in an
online environment. The 5 Cs approach consists of teachers promoting a learning environment
accessible to everyone. The 5 Cs are connect, climate, control, curriculum, and caring
community (Repetto, Cavanaugh, Wayer, & Feng, 2010). As instructors incorporate the 5 Cs
into their learning environment they reach out to all students. Students respond well when they
feel a connection to what they are learning. By having a safe learning climate which can be
incorporated into distance education making each student feel valued has been effective. One
benefit of distance education is students are taking control of their own learning and behaviors.
Instructional designers and instructors need to be aware of the curriculum making it motivating
to the students and creating curriculum that helps them meet their future goals. The last C is
caring community. Students want to feel safe, and students with special needs coming from
traditional learning environments may have be lacking trust, so creating a caring community of
learnings helps students build trust. As virtual school enters mainstream educators need to
develop evidenced based strategies to use in a virtual learning environment (Repetto, et.al.,
2010).
Distance education includes many practices that have been effective with students with
mild disabilities (Allday & Allday, 2011). Students with disabilities seem to respond well in an
environment where everyone can participate and there is not a competition to respond. Also,
feedback is essential with students with special needs and the virtual school offer opportunities
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for corrective feedback from the instructor. One of the biggest strategies that allow students with
a disability to have success in distance education is the opportunity for flexible pacing. In a
study done by Allday (2011), students with a documented disability in an IEP had the same rate
of achievement as nondisabled peers. Much of that achievement was because of the flexibility
that distance education provides.
Conclusion
Distance education at the K-12 level is increasing and many virtual high schools are
forming. Many of these schools are including students with special needs, and reaching out to
students who are considered at risk for dropping out of traditional high schools. Students with
special needs are at risk of dropping out of high school, and distance education shows promise in
the field of reaching out to the diverse needs of these learners. High school students choose
virtual schools for various reasons and for many it is to meet the need of nontraditional learning.
Educators need to realize that distance learning is only increasing, and that to meet the needs of
these diverse learners in an online environment that traditional teaching practices need to change.
Currently there is little research in distance education at the K-12 level, since it is a
relatively new field. As virtual school increase and there is an increase of technological
resources educators are going to have to be aware of the diverse population that is in these
schools. As states start virtual schools as publicly funded school as an alternative to the
traditional schools, there is going to have to be changes in the laws that are directed to meeting
the needs of students with special needs in distance learning. At the present time many of these
virtual schools are new, and there have not been many challenges to students with special needs
receiving services. There is much promise in servicing students with special needs in virtual
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high schools, and providing an alternative environment for those that are at risk in a traditional
learning environment.

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References
Allday, C. M., & Allday, R. (2011). Effects of pacing options on final grades of students with
disabilities in high school. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 12(4), 223-234.
Carnahan, C., & Fulton, L. (2013). Virtually forgotten: special education students in cyber
schools. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 57(4), 46-52.
doi:10.1007/s11528-013-0677-6
McAndrew, P., Farrow, R., & Martyn, C. (2012). Adapting online learning resources for all:
planning for professionalism in accessibility. Research in Learning Technology, 20(4),
345-361. doi:10.3402/rlt.v20i0.18699.
Pathy, S. (2010). The role of distance education in inclusive education. Learning Community:
An International Journal of Education & Social Development, 1(1), 84-93.
Repetto, J., Cavanaugh, C., Wayer, N., & Feng, L. (2010). Virtual high schools: Improving
outcomes for students with disabilities. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 11(2),
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Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M. & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a
distance: Foundations of distance education. Boston: Pearson.
Spitler C. , Repetto, J. & Cavanaugh, C. (2013). Investigation of a special education program in
a public cyber charter school. American Journal of Distance Education, 27(1), 4-15, doi:
10.1080/08923647.2013.754182
Vasquez, E., & Serianni, B. A. (2012). Research and practice in distance education for k-12
students with disabilities. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 31(4), 33-42.
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Vasquez, E., & Straub, C. (2012). Online instruction for k-12 special education: A review of the
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Conference Paper Presentation


The United States Distance Learning Association 2014 National Connection Pathways to
Learning Conference is a good place to submit and present my paper. My paper deals with
distance education at the high school level. It is geared towards distance educator throughout the
united states at all levels. A paper titled Learning with a Disability at a Distance: Special
Education in Virtual High Schools is an appropriate topic to be presented at such a conference.
The United States Distance Learning Association provides education and training to those
involved with distance learning. Their national conference would be a beneficial place to present
the needs of special education in distance education programs.