Increase Digital Accommodations and Publicize Them for Students
The increasingly digital nature of education has left many things behind, including paper hand-outs, full classrooms, and consistent schedules. All of which now have modified COVID-safe counterparts. But, something that wasn’t accounted for is students with disabilities.
In an attempt to transition to online learning, many colleges, Marist included, have made it difficult for students, who have previously-documented or newly-discovered needs, to receive accommodations virtually. Marist offers accommodations, however it has not yet altered its support to sustain student-need for the foreseeable future of online learning.
While not much data surrounding the impact of COVID-19 on virtual accommodations exists, a 2020 study by the National Union of Students and One Voice Digital, found that students who receive academic support from their institution, only 57% feel they have received adequate support to retain their current academic trajectory. The same study also noted that for students with existing accommodations, only 22% have “received clear advice about what [they] should do with regards to [their] student accommodation.”
Despite its international focus, this data still highlights the burgeoning gap in higher education during COVID-19, between the students who need extra support and the students who receive it. To mitigate this gap, the Center for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) published its “Interim Considerations for Institutions of Higher Learning” on Oct. 5, 2020 that highlighted guidelines for colleges on how to safely operate — including how best to effectively involve those with disabilities in virtual meetings, programs, and education. In this communication, the CDC recommends that “disability resource centers should review policies and procedures to assess/qualify students for new accommodations, modifications, and assistance that may be needed due to COVID-19 changes.” While seemingly simple, many colleges have failed to do this, instead relying on antiquated policies to place their administrative and monetary focus on other operational efforts. This is to the detriment of the population who actually keeps colleges open — the students.
However, this is not surprising considering that the Department of Education’s budget request for State Personal Development — a department which aims to reform and enhance states’ systems for preparing special education and regular education teachers to help children with disabilities — has remained stagnant at $38.6 million since 2019. This budget has remained even as a need for resources in accommodations caused by the shift to online learning has increased.
The stability of this budget, despite documented need, shows a further lack of emphasis on college students who need accommodations, which directly contrasts the CDC recommendations, Once again, this illustrates the need for a culture shift to acknowledge these students. It only presents additional evidence that there is more that colleges, and Marist in particular, could do more to improve digital accessibility and accommodations for students during distance learning.
Though colleges should prioritize the needs of those with all disabilities, especially since 11% of undergraduates file a disability with their institution. The most common disabilities include specific learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, and mental illness/psychological or psychiatric conditions, that compose 36%, 26%, and 13% of all disabilities reported. At the bare minimum, colleges should institute procedures to accommodate these needs in remote learning scenarios to ensure professors’ preparedness for the most amount of students. At Marist, this is not the case.
The Marist Office of Accommodations and Accessibility (OAA) “supports students with documented disabilities in becoming empowered, independent learners by providing the appropriate accommodations and services necessary to access the educational opportunities at Marist College.” Some of the services provided by the office include textbooks in an alternate format, notetakers, testing accommodations, and the use of adaptive equipment. These adjustments not only help ensure educational equity, but under normal circumstances, they pose benefits to students’ academic performances, including higher test scores, better self-esteem, and increased motivation. However, the academic support Marist currently offers and advertises does not yet reflect the changed needs due to distance learning.
Marist’s initial reopening communications in June 2020 and January 2021 made no mention of updated accommodation policies or offerings. There was a failure to acknowledge that education is one of the biggest changes arising from COVID-19.
A year into the pandemic, the OAA’s webpage still lacks a section dedicated to changes resulting from this altered learning — whether that is because they don’t exist or the office has not widely communicated the information. But, there is an “Accessibility Information and Checklist for Online Classes” posted on a subpage for instructors, listing the benefits of accessible design, resources for digital accessibility, and a checklist for accessible course content.
Despite the existence of this document, nothing guarantees faculty compliance with a digitally-accessible course, unless an individual student requests a specific accommodation. This is indicated by Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act and stated in the necessary accommodations and accessibility clause listed on every professors’ syllabus. This is unfortunate, as all students, regardless of their disability status, would benefit from some of the digital accessibility suggestions listed in the checklists. The suggestions include that professors use dark font colors on light backgrounds, optimize image-loading, and ensure audio quality is clear.
Nonetheless, these are mere recommendations listed on a PDF on a webpage, instead of an official communication from the College. As a result, these recommendations still remain un-implemented in course design.
If even these basic digital accessibility guidelines for online learning remain unused, how will professors have the capability to accommodate students who need additional support? This discrepancy stems in part from the hasty transition to remote learning that left some professors unprepared to adopt a digital class model. I don’t fault them at all — the transition has a steep learning curve. However, if the college disseminated clearer documentation and instructions in addition to training faculty on digital accessibility, it could lessen this disparity. This checklist should only be the beginning of Marist’s attempt to assist students with new and existing accommodations during virtual learning, not their entire effort.
In addition, prior to this research, I was unaware this checklist, which is also the only piece of documentation related to virtual accommodations available. This is directly opposed to the CDC’s “Considerations” for collegiate reopening plans, where they deem communicating information to students as an essential component of operational success. As they directly impact student abilities and opportunities, I deem communications regarding accommodations to be essential to reopening. This is because whereas students with documented disabilities might know to check the OAA webpage, students with newly discovered disabilities due to the changed nature of learning, might not. Thus, presenting a problem as this information is not well-communicated to students.
To rectify this, Marist must alter its mandatory procedures for all classes to include amendments for digital accessibility, which it should communicate to students. When considering these additional accommodations, Marist should first attend to obvious solutions, such as requiring closed-captioning and Zoom recordings for all online classes, better helping students with developmental, auditory, and cognitive processing disabilities. For disabilities like Autism Spectrum Disorders where individuals thrive on routine, Marist could institute standardized schedules that all professors must abide by in determining which students attend class which day. When considering disabilities like ADHD, where students learn best with organization, all professors could utilize the built-in calendar in iLearn to record all assignments in the same location to grant students easier access. Though these are only some of the changes Marist should consider when trying to increase accessibility, the college’s main focus should be on instituting change at the structural level in conjunction with individual accommodations to make the Marist campus more inclusive to all individuals, as the OAA strives to do.
While the adjustment to online learning and tentative nature of academic plans and policies are difficult for most individuals, they pose significant challenges for those who require accommodations. To better prioritize all of its students, and especially students with increased need, the college must improve its digital accessibility and virtual accommodations. This will safeguard equal access to learning for all students in the ever-changing environment of higher education during the era of COVID-19.