Students with disabilities experience pronounced inequities in the education system, which have been compounded by risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study sought to understand the experiences of students with disabilities and the strengths that facilitated their wellbeing during this period of adversity. In summer 2020, secondary students (6th to 12th grades) with disabilities in the United States (n = 21; 57% male) participated in a semi-structured interview and completed the Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report (SDI:SR). Qualitative analysis was used to generate rich description of students’ lived experiences. Thematic analysis resulted in hierarchical coding, with categories and themes clustered around each research question. Students’ personal resilience was identified in categories related to their educational experiences, individual attributes, and interpersonal connections; and subthemes emerging within each category. Eighty-six percent of students reflected on the role of self-determination in navigating the pandemic. Finally, analysis of students’ overall reflections on COVID-19 yielded three emergent themes: (a) adaptability, (b) increased social awareness, and (c) disability identity. We conclude with a discussion of how student strengths should be leveraged as we move beyond the pandemic and continue to work to address long-standing educational inequities for students with disabilities and other students at risk.
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