n a little over six months, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed almost every aspect of life in almost every country on earth. Education has been no exception. The pandemic has taken 1.5 billion children out of school in 185 countries worldwide. Recently, educational experts and policymakers met on computer screens around the world, as part of an online conference hosted by WISE and Salzburg Global Seminar, to discuss this pandemic’s monumental impact on education. One session of note examined inclusive education in the world today, highlighting the challenges faced by students with disabilities—challenges that have been accelerated by the ongoing pandemic.
Students with disabilities have faced additional educational challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the tools schools across the world that have been used to help students learn remotely might not be compatible with certain disabilities. For example, during the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa, an NGO gave radios to families of children with disabilities in Sierra Leone, to help them access educational programming. Radios, however, would not have helped students with hearing impairments stay connected to the classroom while schools were closed. Other remote learning tools, such as video lessons, might be inaccessible to students with vision impairments or other disabilities, which prevent them from focusing on screens.
Further, not being in the classroom creates challenges for students who previously received in-person disability support at school. In pre-COVID-19 classrooms, students often made use of assistive technology. Visually impaired students might have had text read aloud via a screen reader. Students with hearing impairments might have relied on sign language interpreters during in-class discussions. However, as The Atlantic reports, many of the online platforms that have become popular in the age of socially distant learning are not compatible with the assistive technology used by many students with disabilities. One American teacher in Washington, DC reported that it was difficult for her students to called Action in Development assesses the needs of children with disabilities through home visits and refers them to other organizations if necessary. During a pandemic, it is difficult to imagine that such a service would still be possible.
Further, the remote learning solutions that have been implemented in wealthier countries are often inaccessible to students with disabilities in middle- and lower-income countries. Tools such as tablets and computers may make for accessible solutions in developed countries, but might be hard to come by in lower income or rural households. Additionally, about 43% of students globally lack internet access. Many countries have low internet and broadband penetration—just 12% of households in LDCs have access to the service. Research from the Alliance for Affordable Internet found that over 60% of countries studied had unaffordable internet and billions were unable to afford as little as 1 GB of mobile data. Such disparities underscore the need for support for students with disabilities that doesn’t rely on internet technology.
Even before the recent pandemic, countries often neglected students with disabilities in their educational plans. According to UNESCO, while “68% of countries have a legal definition of inclusive education [in their laws], only 57% of those definitions cover multiple marginalized groups.” In a quarter of countries, laws state that children with disabilities should be educated in separate settings. UNICEF estimates that 90% of students with disabilities in lower-income countries “have never received any form of education.” And 40% of countries’ pandemic response plans fail to target at-risk students, such as those with disabilities.
Policy experts grappling with the coronavirus are living in a moment where they have the chance to make educational policy more equitable for students with disabilities. The pandemic has brought many of the challenges faced by students with disabilities into stark clarity. Experiences with remote learning technology have made it clear that education needs to use platforms that are compatible with screen readers and sign language interpretation. The lack of access to digital remote learning tools in poorer countries underscores the need for a broader understanding of accessibility outside of internet technology. As the world grapples with coronavirus containment polices and thinks about how to rework education moving forward, the needs of students with disabilities mustn’t be left out of the conversation. Plans for more equitable and inclusive educational plans depend on disability access as countries move forward.
a global affairs media network
Coronavirus Calls Attention to Education for Students with Disabilities
June 30, 2020
I
n a little over six months, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed almost every aspect of life in almost every country on earth. Education has been no exception. The pandemic has taken 1.5 billion children out of school in 185 countries worldwide. Recently, educational experts and policymakers met on computer screens around the world, as part of an online conference hosted by WISE and Salzburg Global Seminar, to discuss this pandemic’s monumental impact on education. One session of note examined inclusive education in the world today, highlighting the challenges faced by students with disabilities—challenges that have been accelerated by the ongoing pandemic.
Students with disabilities have faced additional educational challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the tools schools across the world that have been used to help students learn remotely might not be compatible with certain disabilities. For example, during the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa, an NGO gave radios to families of children with disabilities in Sierra Leone, to help them access educational programming. Radios, however, would not have helped students with hearing impairments stay connected to the classroom while schools were closed. Other remote learning tools, such as video lessons, might be inaccessible to students with vision impairments or other disabilities, which prevent them from focusing on screens.
Further, not being in the classroom creates challenges for students who previously received in-person disability support at school. In pre-COVID-19 classrooms, students often made use of assistive technology. Visually impaired students might have had text read aloud via a screen reader. Students with hearing impairments might have relied on sign language interpreters during in-class discussions. However, as The Atlantic reports, many of the online platforms that have become popular in the age of socially distant learning are not compatible with the assistive technology used by many students with disabilities. One American teacher in Washington, DC reported that it was difficult for her students to called Action in Development assesses the needs of children with disabilities through home visits and refers them to other organizations if necessary. During a pandemic, it is difficult to imagine that such a service would still be possible.
Further, the remote learning solutions that have been implemented in wealthier countries are often inaccessible to students with disabilities in middle- and lower-income countries. Tools such as tablets and computers may make for accessible solutions in developed countries, but might be hard to come by in lower income or rural households. Additionally, about 43% of students globally lack internet access. Many countries have low internet and broadband penetration—just 12% of households in LDCs have access to the service. Research from the Alliance for Affordable Internet found that over 60% of countries studied had unaffordable internet and billions were unable to afford as little as 1 GB of mobile data. Such disparities underscore the need for support for students with disabilities that doesn’t rely on internet technology.
Even before the recent pandemic, countries often neglected students with disabilities in their educational plans. According to UNESCO, while “68% of countries have a legal definition of inclusive education [in their laws], only 57% of those definitions cover multiple marginalized groups.” In a quarter of countries, laws state that children with disabilities should be educated in separate settings. UNICEF estimates that 90% of students with disabilities in lower-income countries “have never received any form of education.” And 40% of countries’ pandemic response plans fail to target at-risk students, such as those with disabilities.
Policy experts grappling with the coronavirus are living in a moment where they have the chance to make educational policy more equitable for students with disabilities. The pandemic has brought many of the challenges faced by students with disabilities into stark clarity. Experiences with remote learning technology have made it clear that education needs to use platforms that are compatible with screen readers and sign language interpretation. The lack of access to digital remote learning tools in poorer countries underscores the need for a broader understanding of accessibility outside of internet technology. As the world grapples with coronavirus containment polices and thinks about how to rework education moving forward, the needs of students with disabilities mustn’t be left out of the conversation. Plans for more equitable and inclusive educational plans depend on disability access as countries move forward.
