Meeting the needs of disabled students through OER and OEP: insights from the OERH dataset

Leigh-Anne Perryman @laperrymanBeatriz de los Arcos @celTatisThe Open University, UK Photo: CC BY Mark Morgan, https://flic.kr/p/eyggPf

Artwork: Rest in Pieces – South Carolina State Library CC-BY-NC

“To promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.”

‘Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others’.

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 1.

Photo: Exclusion - Sandphin CC-BY

“… very few nations today have acted to ensure that persons with disabilities are part of [the] technology revolution.”

OERH Survey Data: 7,000+ responses from 175 countries

11.3% of respondents declared a disability

N=6966 Disabled 11.3% Non-Disabled 88.7%

Gender 58% female40.4% male

50% female49% male

Age 21.7% 45-54 years-old 24.5% 25-34 years-old

Educational Qualification 17.9% postgraduate24.7% undergraduate

33.4% postgraduate29.1% undergraduate

Employment status 27.8% full-time15.8% part-time

49.9% full-time16.8% part-time

Sample

Type of disability

Blind/Partially sighted

Deaf / hard of hearing

Speech impediment

Mobility/dexterity impairments

Learning difficulties/disabilities

Neuro-diverse impairments

Mental health problems

Long term illness/ chronic medical condition

4.2%

7.3%

2.3%

18.8%

13.5%

5.4%

22.4%

22.3%

DS Non-DSI have adapted open educational resources to fit my needs 78.6% 79%

I have created open educational resources for study or teaching 26.5% 23.3%

I have created resources myself and published them on an open license 6.6% 7.5%

I have added a resource to a repository 15.8% 15.3%

I have added comments to a repository regarding the quality of a resource 14.3% 14.2%

I have added comments to a repository suggesting ways of using a resource 13.3% 9.5%

Engagement with OER

Photo: Leigh-Anne Perryman CC-BY

Challenges of using OER

Overcoming technology problems when downloading resources*

Knowing where to find resources

Finding resources of sufficiently high quality

Finding resources that are relevant to my local context

Not being skilled enough to edit resources*

Not knowing whether I have permission to use or change a resource

Missing/needing the support of a tutor/teacher to help me

33.7%

48.6%

39.4%

22.7%

16.7%

19.6%

22.7%

27.9%

49.1%

42.5%

26.0%

12.3%

15.8%

18.5%

Non-Disabled Disabled

Disabled Non-Disabled

Increased satisfaction with the learning experience 63.5% 60.5%

Gained confidence 56% 51.2%

Increased independence and self reliance 46.5% 52.1%

Improved grades 30.8% 40.6%

More likely to complete studies 47.5% 47.3%

Increased enthusiasm for future study 64.6% 60.2%

Perceived impact of OER on learning

Pho

to: h

arm

on C

C-B

Y-S

A

• 35.9% of students with a disability report having tried out OER before enrolling to study formally compared with 28.9% of non-disabled students.

• 34.9% of students with a disability say they are more likely to take a paid-for course after using OER compared with 24.9% of non-disabled students.

Next steps…• Look at resource

types being used and any links with specific disabilities

• Involve disabled people in our research through case studies

• Compare experiences of people with different disabilities

• Compare formal students, non-formal learners and educators

Photo: Sign Language – arte.callajero CC-BY-NC-SA

Leigh-Anne Perryman @laperryman leigh.a.perryman@open.ac.uk

Beatriz de los Arcos @celTatis b.de-los-arcos@open.ac.uk

Thank you, CC BY-SA 2.0 by Michael Mandiberg https://flic.kr/p/62NbiE