Access Granted? A Critical Examination of Disability and Digital Equity in the Field of Education

Abstract

The rise of digital technologies in educational fields has ushered in easy accessibility of information and learning opportunities provided that the pedagogy is right. But if this evolution is often framed as some sort of democratizing force, it has also acted to reveal the fault lines and sometimes even deepen them — especially for students with disabilities. The claim that internet and digital learning platforms will transcend geography and make education more personalized is not true, given that many disabled students continue to be cut off from the services these technologies can offer at all. This question is both a challenge and an invitation to unravel the web of disability, digital equity and education. This paper contends that it is not enough to give access to digital tools or platforms for achieving equity in digital learning for disabled students. What is instead required, is more complex and layered: An ongoing effort to consider the variegated circumstances of learners with disabilities, ensuring that their particular needs are addressed in digital learning environments and holistically addressing and striving to dismantle the systemic structures that exclude them