SUPPORTING ONLINE LEARNERS
WITH DISABILITIES
Dr. Susan Moisey
Centre for Distance Education
Focused on the future of
learning.
Athabasca University
• Founded in 1970
• Currently 41,000
students from 57
countries
• Undergraduate &
graduate programs
• Individualized and
cohort-based
learning models
Mission
Athabasca University, Canada’s Open
University, is dedicated to the removal of
barriers that restrict access to and success
in university-level study and to increasing
equality of educational opportunity for adult
learners worldwide.
We are committed to excellence in teaching,
research and scholarship and to being of
service to the general public.
Supporting Legislation
Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms
– prevents discrimination on basis of race,
national/ethnic origin, colour, religion,
gender, sexual orientation, age, or mental
or physical disability
Canadian Human Rights Act
– Employers/service providers have a duty
to accommodate to ensure equity and
avoid discrimination
Students with Disabilities
Policy
Definition:
Students with disabilities refer to those
individuals who are disadvantaged by
reason of any verifiable and persistent
physical, learning, cognitive, sensory,
psychological, or neurological impairment
that may affect their academic progress.
* Policy located at:
http://ous.athabascau.ca/policy/studentservices/policyforstudentswithdisabilities.htm
Learning Services, Access
to Students with Disabilities
provides …
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•
•
•
•
•
Advice
Assessment
Advocacy
Accommodations
Assistive technology
Alternate format materials
Website: http://asd.athabascau.ca
AU Students with Disabilities
Approximately 2,000
students with disabilities
accessed ASD services in
2013-14
• Course accommodations
• Exam accommodations
• Assistance with grant
applications
• Assistance with online
learning
Type of Disability (%)
7
37
29
27
Physical
Learning
Psych.
Sensory
Factors Affecting Online Learners
with Disabilities
Barriers
Facilitating Factors
• Inaccessible websites and
LMSs
• Poor connectivity
• Outdated equipment and
software
• Need to share home computer
• Lack of ICT-related skills
• Interoperability problems
• Reliance on text
• Synchronous communication
technologies
• Flexible study time and place
• Portability
• Ability to repeatedly access
learning resources
• Provision of multiple
modalities
• “Anonymity”
• Asynchronous
communication technologies
• Availability of assistive
technology
Assistive Technology
provides learners with tools for …
Reading
• Screen readers
• Text-to-speech
• Text-to-MP3
• Screen masking
• Screen magnification
Note taking
• High lighting
• Voice notes
Organizing ideas
• Concept mapping
Writing
• Hand writing
recognition
• Voice dictation
• Speech recognition
• Word prediction
Models of Service Provision
for Learners with Disabilities
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•
•
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Intensive counselor support
Brief counselor support
Self-help
Inclusive instructional design
Resources
• Duty to accommodate students with
disabilities in post-secondary educational
institutions. Located at
http://www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca/publications
/bulletins_sheets_booklets/bulletins/duty_to_acco
mmodate_students.asp)
• The opportunity to succeed: Achieving
barrier-free education for students with
disabilities. Located at
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/opportunity-succeedachieving-barrier-free-education-studentsdisabilities
• Access for Students with Disabilities website.
Located at http://asd/athabascau.ca
Contact
Dr. Susan Moisey
Centre for Distance Education
Athabasca University
susanh@athabascau.ca