Department of Administrative and Instructional Leadership, St. John's University, Queens, NY 11439, USA.
Association on Higher Education and Disability, Huntersville, NC 28070, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 28;20(5):4297. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20054297.
Utilizing national survey data, this paper details the academic and access challenges created by the pandemic for students with disabilities, as perceived by disability resource professionals. Data included in this paper capture disability support service challenges at two unique timepoints during the COVID-19 pandemic-May 2020 [ = 535] and January 2021 [ = 631]. Disability resource professionals reported there was difficulty in the initial months of the pandemic for students to provide documentation of a disability to receive accommodations, use assistive technology in the new remote academic setting, and receive testing accommodations within the remote environment. While access and resources improved for students with disabilities over time, a portion of the surveyed disability resource professionals noted no observed improvement in students' with disabilities communication with instructors as well as a worsening of conditions for students with disabilities throughout the pandemic related to access to counseling and mental health services. In addition to highlighting key obstacles faced by this student group during the pandemic, this paper provides recommendations and implications for institutions to better serve this student group, including how institutions of higher education can coordinate a holistic approach to support student mental health.
本文利用国家调查数据，详细介绍了残疾学生在疫情期间所面临的学术和无障碍方面的挑战，这些挑战是残疾资源专业人员所感知到的。本文的数据包括在 COVID-19 大流行期间两个独特时间点（2020 年 5 月[=535]和 2021 年 1 月[=631]）收集的残疾支持服务挑战。残疾资源专业人员报告说，在疫情的最初几个月，学生很难提供残疾证明以获得住宿、在新的远程学术环境中使用辅助技术以及在远程环境中获得考试住宿。虽然残疾学生的无障碍和资源在不断改善，但一部分接受调查的残疾资源专业人员指出，残疾学生与教师的沟通情况没有观察到改善，而且与获得咨询和心理健康服务有关的残疾学生的情况在整个疫情期间都在恶化。除了强调这一学生群体在疫情期间面临的主要障碍外，本文还为各机构提出了一些建议和启示，以更好地为这一学生群体服务，包括高等教育机构如何协调一种全面的方法来支持学生的心理健康。
