Accessing learning resources: experiences of students with disability
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Conceptions of Library and Information Science, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2019
- Issue Date:
- 2019
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Introduction. This study investigates the experiences of students with disability in an Australian university as they engage in their online learning activities and asks the question: How can the experiences of these students help us to re-conceptualise what it means to access learning resources? Method. Students who had identified themselves as having a disability were invited to complete a questionnaire using the Qualtrics survey platform and usable responses were received from 200 students, of whom 26 agreed to take part in a semi-structured interview. Analysis. Descriptive statistics were derived through Qualtrics; qualitative data were analysed using Leximancer to identify key concepts supplemented by a discourse analytic approach to content analysis providing access to the language of the students. Results. Some barriers to accessing learning resources arose from incompatibilities in assistive technologies and from decisions made by staff, but a significant barrier was a lack of social capital. Conclusions. While policies are important in facilitating access to learning resources for students with disability and the skills and expertise of those involved are also significant, the strength of social relationships and the inequities resulting from unbalanced engagement in these relationships must be considered in any discussion of access and barriers to information.
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