Tarconish, E., Taconet, A., Madaus, J. W., Gelbar, N., Dukes, L., III, & Faggella-Luby, M. (2022). Perceptions of college students with disabilities regarding institutional and disability services offices response to sustaining education during COVID-19 . Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability , 35 (2), 99–111. https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/publications/jped

[no doi reported]; also located on ERIC online database: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1364197

Accommodations were not specified. Instead, students’ perceptions of institutional and disability service officers’ responses to the shift and increase in remote learning were explored. The remote practices that students hoped would continue when learning resumed in face-to-face instruction settings were also examined.

Of the 316 postsecondary students with disabilities who responded to a survey, 244 completed one or more open-ended questions and were included. The majority (73%) of respondents identified as female and were enrolled in bachelor's degree programs (69%). Of the respondents, 134 (40%) reported their diagnosis of ADHD, 125 (37% reported a mental health disability, and 92 (28%) reported a learning disability. About half of the sample (n=168, 50%) reported having two or more disabilities. The majority of respondents were enrolled in a four-year college or university and 15% (n=37) were enrolled at a two-year college. Nearly half of the respondents indicated that their institution was in New England (U.S.).

The Survey of College Students with Disabilities during COVID-19 was used to measure students’ perceptions of their experiences with the shift to remote learning during the spring 2020 semester. This survey was modeled after items on the AHEAD Ireland Learning from Home During Covid-19 Survey (AHEAD, 2020) and the EDUCAUSE DIY Survey Kit: Evaluating the 2020 Spring Semester (EDUCAUSE, 2020), an open-source question set. In addition to Likert-scale items and items related to class format and instructional methods, the survey included five open-ended questions about students’ perceptions of their disability services and institutions.

Students valued communication and continued services from their disability service offices. It was important for students to experience remote learning preparation, regular communication, and flexible school policies during the shift to remote learning, Students desired virtual meetings and an online accommodation portal to remain as features of their learning when they returned to in-person schooling.