DISABLED ONLINE LEARNERS: BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF ONLINE
EDUCATION AND LEARNING PLATFORMS WHEN PURSUING HIGHER
EDUCATION
In an effort to encourage disabled learners to continue and or pursue higher
education, many schools are providing online learning platforms including WebCT,
Blackboard, Jenzabar, Saba Centra, SunGard of Higher Education and Outlook Express.
However, U.S.-based learners with disabilities may be missing educational opportunities
due to their experiences with this technology. The problem lies in how these platforms
are perceived by learners with disabilities, in terms of whether the online platforms have
a positive or negative impact on their efforts. The main objective of this study was to
determine which online learning platforms were most conducive to comfort and learning
for U.S.-based online learners with disabilities, and to gauge their perceptions with regard
to whether the online web-based learning programs either help or hinder their success.
The study sample was derived from the population of disabled learners in the
United States attending online schools. The researcher sent out the letter of informed
consent and the survey via electronic mail survey links to newsgroups, forums and blogs
in which online learners participate and share ideas, until the target sample was reached.
A pilot test was conducted on the survey questionnaire, designed by the researcher, which
established face validity and reliability for a sample of at least 50. The researcher
collected data from a final sample (n = 90) of disabled online learners’ responses to the
self-completion Web-based Learning Platform Research Survey instrument. A
quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive research method and design was used to
analyze the statistical data collected for this study.