Online learning accessibility during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many elementary, middle, and high schools made an emergency transition to online learning. Students have faced numerous access issues during this time, but little is known about how well students with disabilities can access online course content. Many teachers are unfamiliar with adapting, developing, and creating accessible online course content and there is scant research on younger students' experiences with accessible online course content and platforms. Previous research, however, provides insights on how to identify and address challenges that students with disabilities face when accessing online learning in institutions of higher education. In this paper, we review and analyze 14 papers published in the past 11 years on e-learning accessibility to translate insights into actionable recommendations to improve the accessibility of platforms at the time of the COVID-19 crisis, as well as future pandemics. Based on the reviewed research, we present several recommendations including building organizational cultures of accessibility with support for educators as accessible content creators and increased awareness of the many types of disabilities that may affect students and how accessible content can prevent increasing opportunity gaps. Although emergency online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic will likely and hopefully end in the near future, the lessons learned should continue to inform future improvements in accessible education for all learners. © 2021 ACM.