Disabilities, Accessibility and the Student Learning Experience
By Imogen Andrews Third Year Classics
The effects of the coronavirus pandemic have accentuated the issues students with disabilities face, but it must be highlighted that many of these issues are longstanding. In this piece, the Bristorian explores why university needs to be accessible to everyone.
While the pandemic has disproportionately affected students with disabilities, it has also revealed the flaws around accessibility and inclusivity across the higher education sector. This critical insight has prompted the University to work towards a better support system for students with disabilities both during and post pandemic.
For the average student, the anticipation of starting university brings many new emotions; the promise of nightlife, societies, groups to join and new friends to meet and grow with. Seemingly the only obstacles are overcoming nerves and negotiating the challenge of entering a new environment. No student should come to university and feel that they will have to compromise on some of these experiences due to inaccessibility or fear of being discounted or engaged with differently because of their disability. Yet this is the reality of many students who identify as disabled.
It’s easy to take things for granted and not consider the experience and expectations of students with disabilities. When disabled students are overlooked it can complicate their lives, making it more difficult to navigate and engage with their learning. This becomes a greater issue when student services are under growing pressures and higher demands. In such instances, this can cause further distress and exclusion for students with disabilities, with some left feeling dejected or that their disability is viewed as too difficult to be included.
The number of students registered with Disability services has increased by over 3000 in the last 4 years. Despite the number of students identifying as disabled rising rapidly, these services encounter logical constraints leading to longer waiting lists than desirable. This can also impact student perceptions of these services, making them hesitant to register.
While these issues have existed for several years, the arrival of a pandemic added to them. Many services were put on hold and some disabled students had to shield at home. Mounting time pressures to confirm teaching plans and mixed messaging from the government inevitably led to some support services being overlooked. Decisions around policies on fair alternative exam arrangements and closed captioning were also impacted by the situation.
Academics can be hesitant to use closed captioning (similar to subtitles) in their live lectures for many reasons. Often this is because they are not perfectly accurate leading to confusion for students, especially around specialist terminology. This then poses the question: how do we obtain a level playing field where students who need captioning can follow their lectures whilst allowing other students to take accurate notes without being distracted? Closed captioning also needs to be included in online lectures to ensure inclusivity across the university. This conversation needs to be prioritised in the ongoing negotiations between Bristol SU and the university surrounding online learning.
Another issue is the use of breakout rooms and general pace used in lectures, combined with bad internet stability. Students that suffer with anxiety and/or learning disabilities may need more time to process information. They may also feel pressured to engage when put into small groups, or too overwhelmed to engage in larger breakout groups which in turn creates further feelings of anxiety. While all students are affected by internet instability, for students with learning difficulties it is a greater issue as many already struggle to keep up with the pace of lectures, and lagging can cause them to feel overwhelmed and confused. This leaves them little time to keep up with notes as they are being relayed and therefore falling behind on work.
These issues are easier to resolve when the importance of lecturers and personal tutors reading a disabled student’s DSS (Disability Support Summary) is conveyed. Then in turn students' needs are considered and catered for prior to the lectures taking place. However, this issue existed before teaching moved online and has only been heightened by the pandemic, showing that while these issues have been worsened some of these issues can now be reflected on. This is because of online teaching remaining under close surveillance by the university, including the introduction of focus groups to troubleshoot issues.
Moreover, the introduction of online assessments has presented its own issues. Many students with disabilities require rest breaks during assessments for various reasons, from preventing seizures to needing longer to process the questions. However, with examinations now being taken online students couldn’t take their usual rest breaks as there was no option to stop the timer.
It is vital that the Disabled Students’ Network and the students we represent are considered when introducing policies at the university, as we are one of the main liberation groups that are directly affected by teaching and examinations moving online due to the pandemic. It is important to note that if policies are not inclusive and accessible it has a direct effect on the university progression of students who identify as disabled, as well as their future in further education and employment.
It is in the university’s best interest to support disabled students. They are an asset to every environment and must be considered without being praised purely because of their success ‘in spite’ of their disability. A more positive approach to take when introducing progressive policies for disabled students would be to highlight that they are being introduced for disabled students, because they want to encourage more disabled students to be involved, boosting moral and engagement
For any liberation group it is important to see people that represent your community in places of authority. The university should continue their work with Bristol SU liberation groups to enable every student to thrive.