Experiences of Students with Disabilities Transitioning from On-Ground to Online Courses in the Time of COVID-19

Students with disabilities in American postsecondary institutions were taking an increasing number of online courses prior to COVID-19. However, these students had unique experiences during the shifting educational and technological landscape of Spring 2020 due to COVID-19. Formalized inquiry into these experiences is necessary to understand student fears, barriers experienced, and outlook toward future virtual course engagement. This chapter presents findings from a qualitative research study, in which students with disabilities were interviewed about their experiences with the shift from in-person to virtual learning during Spring 2020. Findings indicate that university communication, professor engagement, and course formatting and platform use were barriers to students. However, findings also show some positive outcomes along with mixed feelings toward taking future online courses. Recommendations for removing these barriers in order to promote equity and inclusion for students with disabilities in virtual spaces are provided.