After watching Dr. Logan Gin moderating an Online with LSE Webinar session, I was reminded about the session he did and rewatched it tonight. The title of the session was “COVID-19 and STEM Undergraduates with Disabilities: Challenges Resulting from the Transition to Online Course Delivery” and it happened a little over a hear ago, around November 2021. Gin provided an overview of the study by stating the hypothesis as: “we hypothesized that the rapid shift disproportionally impacted students with disabilities who use accommodations because Disability Resource Centers (DRCs) and instructors had limited time to plan ahead and consider appropriate accommodations.” They defined students with disabilities for this study as “those supported by a university’s Disability Resource Center” and this could include learning disabilities, physical disabilities, chronic health conditions, vision, hearing, and mental health and psychological disabilities. Gin noted that they may be underestimating because documentation is needed for DRC support. Their research questions addressed how the shift to online learning impacted learning and accommodations for students with disabilities. Gin and colleagues interviewed 66 students with disabilities. the key findings include that students with disabilities were often unable to access the accommodations that they had access to in-person! The transition to online instruction challenged students often requiring additional accommodations. Gin was co-advised by Drs. Katelyn Cooper and Sara Brownell and supported by Frank Guerrero. the questions and discussion section of the webinar was fantastic! Gin did mention that their study only included students who had provided the documentation for accommodations, and students may not be registered and need support. One question about lab courses was brought up: how should lab courses be delivered online to engage students? Gin noted that in some cases lab simulations may be more accessible to students than hands-on labs thought there are other limitations. Another question was about mental health support, and Gin spoke about efforts to rename disabilities resources centers to be more inclusive. Gin noted that interviewees liked flexibility and benefited from flexible deadlines. Unfortunately, Gin did mention learning about instructors being reluctant to offer some changes. I appreciate how Gin spoke frankly and encouraged open lines of communication between students and instructors to navigate unique situations. I am excited and curious about what Gin will do next in his new role!
