ERIC Number: EJ1384489
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2374-1473
Parents with Disabilities' Household Access to Educational Devices and Internet during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Owen, Aleksa; Friedman, Carli; Owen, Randall
Journal of Online Learning Research, v9 n1 p101-126 2023
COVID-19 school closures made household access to educational devices and the internet crucial to maintaining educational milestones. While researchers have studied technology needs of students with disabilities, less attention has been given to how households with adults with disabilities living with school-age children access educational devices and the internet. This impacts student learning outcomes because parents often support students in remote learning. This study used 2021 "Household Pulse Survey" data (April to July) to determine the extent to which adults (parents; n = 7,238) with disabilities' households had access to educational devices and internet access for school-aged children, including compared to adults without disabilities (n = 64,046). Among adults who lived with school-age children, adults with disabilities were significantly less likely than adults without disabilities to have a computer and internet available for educational purposes. There were also sociodemographic differences in access among adults with disabilities themselves: adults with hearing, vision, and/or cognitive disabilities; adults with disabilities with household incomes below $100,000; households with more than one child; and households where a child attended private school were less likely to have computers/digital devices and internet available. Findings suggest that parental disability status may be a potential criterion in expanding household access to technology and internet, which in turn may improve outcomes for school-aged children in these households.
Descriptors: Parents, Disabilities, COVID-19, Pandemics, Internet, Access to Computers, Educational Technology, School Closing, Socioeconomic Status, Family Structure, Online Courses, Distance Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Private Schools, Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. P.O. Box 719, Waynesville, NC 28786. Tel: 828-246-9558; Fax: 828-246-9557; e-mail: info@aace.org; Web site: https://www.aace.org/pubs/jolr/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A