Online education – taking classes and pursuing a college degree via the Internet – can be a great option for people with disabilities. You avoid the hassles of navigating to and from campus, you don’t have to worry about whether or not a classroom will be accessible, and you can usually arrange your class participation time around your own daily schedule. Generally, online programs are fairly similar in cost to on-campus programs.
In addition, the number of schools offering online degrees, and the range of degrees offered, has grown exponentially over the past decade. Reputable, high-quality colleges and universities now regularly offer their programs online, and the stigma that used to be attached to an “online degree” is receding as more and more schools understand how to provide an online experience as rigorous and effective as their on-campus programs.
Questions About Online Education and Disabilities
As you consider the online option, there are a number of questions and/or issues you’ll want to explore before making a decision. Consider the following:
Is online education for you? Possibly, maybe even probably, if you’re looking for a college degree program that doesn’t require you to be on campus.
But consider your personal approach to education, and make sure it fits with the online format. Online education is easiest if you’re:
• Passionate and focused about your education goals. Getting a degree takes a long time, and can feel like a never-ending quest, unless you see each day how you are moving toward your education goals. Determine why you want to get your degree, and keep that goal firmly in your mind.
• Self-motivated, comfortable directing your own study. You can learn many tricks and techniques for making online education easily manageable, but nevertheless, participating in class and studying on your own takes a fair amount of self-discipline.
• Able to commit to a regular study/class engagement time. One of the secrets to making steady progress in your class work, your course, and your degree program is to schedule a regular “school” time each week.
Assume that an average college-level online course requires roughly 12-15 hours of class/study time per week, and consider where in your schedule those hours could be consistently carved out. Then make sure everyone else knows that those hours are committed to studying.
• Comfortable with assistive education/communication technology. There are many state-of-the art adaptive education technologies available to online learners today, and many are made available to students with disabilities by the schools providing the degree. Do you need a screen reader? A captioning capability? Other assistive technology? Your job will be to identify what technology you need, and then verify from a prospective degree program that they have the needed equipment for you, and support the unique requirements of your specific disability.
• Willing to speak up when your education needs aren’t being met. Most traditional colleges and universities of doing a good job of supporting their on-campus students with disabilities, but are still learning how to be as successful with their online students. So you’ll need to feel comfortable speaking up – to either your instructor or the program director – when you need an accommodation in order to have a good education experience. A big part of ensuring your success as an online learner will be championing your education requirements.
What will your online education program be like? Online courses are as varied as classroom-based ones; some are highly interactive, while others follow a traditional lecture model, which in the online world means that the instructor posts a lot of reading materials to which you’ll be asked to respond. Your class may be “synchronous,” which means that all of the students will be expected to sign on at the same time (perhaps 6-8 p.m. every Tuesday, for example), or “asynchronous,” which means that although you’ll be expected to interact with your instructor and fellow students regularly, it can be done at any time that suits your schedule.
Some (not all) programs require virtual group projects, which will involve you and a select number of your classmates working on a project together via e-mail and phone calls. Others may require a group presentation, where you each present an aspect to the rest of the class of the project you have completed. (Although working collaboratively in a virtual environment can be challenging, it is also a very important business skill to develop and to be able to list on your resume.)
Generally, however, assume that most online courses will include a substantial amount of reading, which you will then be asked to respond to either in writing or in an online discussion. You will be asked to comment on fellow students’ posts, offering substantial and well-thought-through responses. You may be asked to lead a discussion, and to present online reports (possibly using webcasting tools, which basically enable you to post a Powerpoint presentation online, discuss it, and field questions from your classmates).
What questions should you ask? In order to determine whether an online program will work with your disability, you’ll want to ask the program director (not the recruitment person) the following questions:
• What experience does the program have with students who have [your type of disability]?
• What accommodations have been made to support students like you, and does the program furnish any needed assistive technology? Is there any charge?
• What are the testing requirements? Is an exam proctor needed? (A proctor is someone who functions as a “guarantor” that you have followed test guidelines, including test time restrictions. Often your local public librarians volunteer to be test proctors, but this will entail a trip to the library.)
• Is there a disability services director who will be your go-to person if you are struggling with any class, instructor, or overall program issues?
• What flexibility does the program offer if your disability occasionally makes it difficult/impossible to meet course assignment deadlines?
• What, if any, other disability-support services does the school offer for you?
Online Education Can Be a Great Option for Students with Disabilities
If you’re ready to move forward with your education, consider online education. It can offer an accessible, supportive environment in which to pursue your degree goals, if you’ve done the advance work necessary to ensure a successful experience.
