ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus has had a devastating effect on the global community. This phenomenological study examines how the abrupt shift to online learning marginalized and excluded some students with disabilities across schools in Barbados. The research design is qualitative and uses case studies to investigate the narratives of three special education principals about how students, teachers, and parents managed academic and social needs during COVID-19. The research addressed two questions: (a) How did teachers adapt curriculum and instruction for online delivery at special schools? (b) How did schools support and help children cope academically and socially during COVID-19? Themes were developed to discuss the significant findings in the study. Findings revealed that teachers exhibited great creativity in their approaches to maintaining socioemotional bonding for their students, pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment during COVID-19. However, clear challenges to equity in education arose from a shortage of access to devices for students, the lack of authenticity of assessment, and the impersonal nature of online learning. Additionally, this research captures parents’ struggle to obtain proficiency with remote learning and the new technology to support online lessarning and its associated effects on their time and energy. The implications of this work are also discussed in the chapter. © 2023 Taylor and Francis.