What Happened Next? The Experiences of Postsecondary Students With Disabilities as Colleges and Universities Reconvened During the Pandemic
COVID-19 caused nearly every college and university in the United States to rapidly shift to remote learning during the spring 2020 semester. While this impacted all students to different degrees, students with disabilities (SWD) faced new challenges related to their mental health, the accessibility...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.872733/full |
| _version_ | 1818193448161771520 |
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| author | Joseph W. Madaus Michael N. Faggella-Luby Lyman L. Dukes Nicholas W. Gelbar Shannon Langdon Emily J. Tarconish Ashely Taconet |
| author_facet | Joseph W. Madaus Michael N. Faggella-Luby Lyman L. Dukes Nicholas W. Gelbar Shannon Langdon Emily J. Tarconish Ashely Taconet |
| author_sort | Joseph W. Madaus |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | COVID-19 caused nearly every college and university in the United States to rapidly shift to remote learning during the spring 2020 semester. While this impacted all students to different degrees, students with disabilities (SWD) faced new challenges related to their mental health, the accessibility of their instruction, the receipt of accommodations, and their interactions with faculty and student support personnel. Literature is emerging that describes the experiences of SWD during the spring 2020 semester and the swift change to remote learning. However, little is currently known about what followed for these students. The present study builds from a prior investigation of SWD during the spring 2020 semester and examines student experiences and perceptions during the 2020–2021 academic year. Eighty-eight SWD from colleges across the United States completed an instrument that contained a mix of demographic, yes/no, Likert scale and open-ended items. Responses revealed most items related to accessing services and instruction showed no improvement from the spring 2020 semester, and that items related to mental health, motivation to learn, and connections with peers were perceived as worse than in spring 2020. Open-ended responses revealed similar themes, with some students describing no improvements, and others noting that accessibility service offices and faculty provided enhanced methods of communication and support. Implications for practice and future research are presented. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T00:46:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d9138d99faa643bea77e962cbb4d246c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T00:46:33Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-d9138d99faa643bea77e962cbb4d246c2022-12-22T00:44:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782022-05-011310.3389/fpsyg.2022.872733872733What Happened Next? The Experiences of Postsecondary Students With Disabilities as Colleges and Universities Reconvened During the PandemicJoseph W. Madaus0Michael N. Faggella-Luby1Lyman L. Dukes2Nicholas W. Gelbar3Shannon Langdon4Emily J. Tarconish5Ashely Taconet6Department of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United StatesAlice Neeley Special Education Research and Service (ANSERS) Institute, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, United StatesExceptional Student Education Program, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United StatesDepartment of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United StatesDepartment of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United StatesSpecial Education Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United StatesDepartment of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United StatesCOVID-19 caused nearly every college and university in the United States to rapidly shift to remote learning during the spring 2020 semester. While this impacted all students to different degrees, students with disabilities (SWD) faced new challenges related to their mental health, the accessibility of their instruction, the receipt of accommodations, and their interactions with faculty and student support personnel. Literature is emerging that describes the experiences of SWD during the spring 2020 semester and the swift change to remote learning. However, little is currently known about what followed for these students. The present study builds from a prior investigation of SWD during the spring 2020 semester and examines student experiences and perceptions during the 2020–2021 academic year. Eighty-eight SWD from colleges across the United States completed an instrument that contained a mix of demographic, yes/no, Likert scale and open-ended items. Responses revealed most items related to accessing services and instruction showed no improvement from the spring 2020 semester, and that items related to mental health, motivation to learn, and connections with peers were perceived as worse than in spring 2020. Open-ended responses revealed similar themes, with some students describing no improvements, and others noting that accessibility service offices and faculty provided enhanced methods of communication and support. Implications for practice and future research are presented.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.872733/fullcollege students with disabilitiesaccessibilityinstructionpostsecondaryCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Joseph W. Madaus Michael N. Faggella-Luby Lyman L. Dukes Nicholas W. Gelbar Shannon Langdon Emily J. Tarconish Ashely Taconet What Happened Next? The Experiences of Postsecondary Students With Disabilities as Colleges and Universities Reconvened During the Pandemic Frontiers in Psychology college students with disabilities accessibility instruction postsecondary COVID-19 |
| title | What Happened Next? The Experiences of Postsecondary Students With Disabilities as Colleges and Universities Reconvened During the Pandemic |
| title_full | What Happened Next? The Experiences of Postsecondary Students With Disabilities as Colleges and Universities Reconvened During the Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | What Happened Next? The Experiences of Postsecondary Students With Disabilities as Colleges and Universities Reconvened During the Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | What Happened Next? The Experiences of Postsecondary Students With Disabilities as Colleges and Universities Reconvened During the Pandemic |
| title_short | What Happened Next? The Experiences of Postsecondary Students With Disabilities as Colleges and Universities Reconvened During the Pandemic |
| title_sort | what happened next the experiences of postsecondary students with disabilities as colleges and universities reconvened during the pandemic |
| topic | college students with disabilities accessibility instruction postsecondary COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.872733/full |
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