A Law of Diminishing Returns: Quantifying Online Accessibility for Engineering Students With Disabilities in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Contribution:This article identifies the barriers students with disabilities have faced when accessing online undergraduate engineering education since the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research addresses the need for greater research that explores the digital equity gap that widens as schools continue to use virtual and/or distancelearning.Background:Poor accessibility standards, a lack of administrative support, and numerous other barriers have contributed to the ever-present digital equity gap for students with disabilities. Previous research has shown that the implementation of universal design for learning (UDL) principles can have a positive impact on in-classroom learning, particularly for historically marginalized students. Related research on UDL has been primarily focused on nonengineering, nondisabled, and in-person teaching contexts.Research Questions:What barriers do engineering students with disabilities face in an online learning environment? What affects disabled students’ perceived value of learning in their online classes?Methodology:A fixed-item survey was developed to capture the experiences of students with disabilities in engineering who participated in online learning at four-year colleges and universities across the United States.Findings:The results of this study have revealed a correlation between accessibility barriers in online undergraduate engineering learning environments and UDL principles.

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