ERIC Number: ED615189
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Aug
Pages: 13
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
How Has the Pandemic Affected Students with Disabilities? A Review of the Evidence to Date
Morando-Rhim, Lauren; Ekin, Sumeyra
Center on Reinventing Public Education
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted education around the world and created extraordinary new challenges for students, families, educators, and policymakers. Its impacts on students' learning and well-being are far reaching, though not yet fully understood. However, early evidence indicates disproportionate effects on students with disabilities, a diverse group of seven million young people, or 14 percent of all U.S. students. Prolonged school closures separated many students with disabilities from the hands-on instructional supports and physical or cognitive therapies set forth by their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and adapting online learning platforms to ensure accessibility by students with a range of disabilities proved challenging for many educators and districts. While nearly all students have struggled to keep pace in 2020 and 2021, those who rely on specialized supports during ordinary times were doubly disadvantaged. In June of 2021, the Center on Reinventing Education (CRPE) and the Center for Learner Equity gathered a panel of seven experts in educating students with disabilities to assess and reflect on current research. This paper offers an agenda for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and the philanthropic community in the years ahead. Perhaps the clearest takeaway from the review is the urgent need to know more about the experiences of students with disabilities.
Descriptors: COVID-19, Pandemics, Students with Disabilities, Disproportionate Representation, School Closing, Online Courses, Educational Technology, Electronic Learning, At Risk Students, Access to Education, Equal Education, Barriers, Attendance, Learner Engagement, Special Education, Teaching Methods, Achievement Gains
Center on Reinventing Public Education. University of Washington Bothell Box 358200, Seattle, WA 98195. Tel: 206-685-2214; Fax: 206-221-7402; e-mail: crpe@u.washington.edu; Web site: http://www.crpe.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Policymakers; Researchers; Practitioners; Community
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: University of Washington, Bothell. Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A