STRATEGIC TOOLS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: CREATING AND IMPLEMENTING E-LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

This paper will share the best practices used by one university system - The American Public University System. Many universities in meeting the educational and accommodation needs of students with disabilities have created, implemented, and evaluated a variety of teaching tools. The main focus of this presentation will be to demonstrate how e-learning can be used as a strategic tool for breaking down barriers and enriching the diversity of learning in the e-learning environment. As such, this educational platform can be used for learning and offering applications for learners to apply their learning in real world situations. While some organizations have made strides in employing workers with disabilities as an act of social responsibility, other entities have started to realize the need and value of this untapped human resource (Thakker, 1997)[1]. Research has shown that employees with disabilities have low turnover rates, low absenteeism, and high motivation to prove themselves (Fersh & Thomas, 1993)[2]. Executives will need to rethink their employment practices in order to compete for employees from the current, shrinking workforce. Along these same lines, many American companies, as well as other overseas counterparts, are rethinking their approach to Best Disability Employment Practices (Barrett, 1999)[3]. Further, many employers are looking towards academic institutions for well-qualified employees. This presentation will start with a brief historical overview of problems encountered in the classroom setting by students with disabilities. Historically, most university instruction has been focused on content knowledge (instructor-centered), but not always on the student (learner-centered). As a result, this presentation will examine how e-Learning is filling this void and helping to focus on the learner, especially students with disabilities. However, there are some obstacles or barriers in education that do prevent students with disabilities from succeeding in both the face-to-face and e-Learning environments. Nonetheless, this presentation will focus on how e-Learning can be used as a strategic tool to help overcome some of these barriers. While many organizations and companies have adopted best practices, such as Best Disability Employment Practices (BDEP), to help improve the nature and quality of life for employees with disabilities, there are still some barriers (Barrett, 1999)[4]. This presentation will help to demonstrate to the attendees how technology is being used in Higher Education to help better prepare a more qualified and able workforce. Further, this presentation will help to demonstrate how e-Learning, if properly designed, developed, and implemented, can be used as a strategic tool for all students to learn, grow, and excel in both the classroom and workforce settings. E-learning has provided educators yet another tool in reaching out to more students than ever before.