End and Means: Teaching Online Postsecondary Students With a Disability, Chronic Health Condition, or Mental or Emotional Illness: Resources for Instructors

As an asynchronous online educator, it is important to cultivate a learning community where all learners feel welcome, supported, and able to thrive. For me, part of this involves incorporating differentiated instruction (Milman, 2009; Tomlinson, 2017) and universal design for learning (Meyer, Rose, & Gordon, 2014). Occasionally it also involves incorporating accommodations for students who have a disability, chronic health condition, or mental or emotional illness. In fact, the number of students with learning disabilities (Belkin, 2018) and/or mental health issues (Belkin, 2018; New, 2017) is expected to grow in institutions of higher education. Each of these conditions poses unique challenges for students and may also exacerbate others; therefore, it is important to understand not only the condition, but also how to design instruction and use adaptations that promote students’ success, no matter their challenge(s).

Most institutions of higher education have developed processes for documenting and supporting students with disabilities through a disability support services office or center. In many institutions of higher education, students can register their disability to ensure they receive needed support. Because the process may vary from institution-to-institution, it is important for both students and instructors, particularly those who advise students, to become familiar with the procedures “to ensure that [their] accommodations are appropriately and efficiently communicated to university faculty and other necessary parties” (“Registration,” n.d., para. 2). For example, at the George Washington University, students must register with the office of Disability Support Services (DSS, https://disability-support.gwu.edu/) each term and with each instructor. It is also the student’s responsibility to “notify [their] professors that [they] are registered with Disability Support Services and that [they] are entitled to the accommodations for which DSS has deemed [them to be] eligible” (“Letters to Professors,” n.d., para. 1).

Notifying instructors each term is a tedious task and for many students it is a daunting process to have to repeat each term and with each instructor (Alyssa, 2017). Some may feel ashamed or concerned they will be singled out or treated differently. Consequently, it is important for instructors to encourage students to register if they need accommodations and then to schedule meetings and/or conference calls to determine how best to meet their needs.

The student meeting or conference to discuss the accommodations is important because the needed accommodations vary from student to student (even those with the same challenges), as well as helps determine a plan for incorporating the necessary accommodations. During such discussions, students should describe which accommodations are needed and together, the student and instructor should develop and document the accommodation plan (this could be as simple as a follow-up email or a more formal learning contract). It is also recommended to check in with the student throughout the term or semester to see how things are going and to determine if any other accommodations or changes are needed. This way, instructors and students maintain an ongoing dialog.

Instructors should also seek help from their office of disability support services and/or other resources, especially considering that most faculty have not had much, if any, preparation learning how to teach, let alone how to support students needing accommodations. Below are some resources to learn more.