Disguised Blessings amid Covid‑19: Opportunities and Challenges for South African University Students with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

The Covid‑19 pandemic has led to changes from traditional face-to-face teaching and learning to online systems. These changes have resulted in a concerted focus by local and international scholars on how some students are disadvantaged from accessing pedagogy due to a lack of resources and supportive living conditions that enable meaningful off‑campus learning. Simultaneously, disabilities in higher education is getting international attention, too, highlighting how students with disabilities are vulnerable to further exclusions and mental health problems. This article focuses on the pedagogical arrangements during the Covid‑19 pandemic and the challenges and opportunities associated with online and remote learning for university students with learning disabilities. The article draws on the narratives of fifteen students with learning disabilities from a university in South Africa. An analysis of students’ narratives within the Capability Approach’s concept of conversion factors revealed how circumstances could enable or constrain students’ abilities to achieve what they value in higher education. Students’ narratives show that they engage better with online and remote learning despite some notable challenges. In conclusion, the pedagogical arrangements aimed at alleviating the disruptions caused by the Covid‑19 pandemic can address the unmet educational needs of students with learning disabilities even though they have to overcome specific barriers.

COVID-19 pandemic lockdown impact on parity of participation for students with mental health challenges in higher education

“…Elna's narrative resonates with some of the findings from Manase's (2021) recent study of fifteen students with various specific learning disabilities at one South African university. That study found that most participants reported experiencing better engagement with emergency remote online learning in a way that outweighed some notable challenges (Manase, 2021). ISSN 2523-1154…”

“…Against this background, some scholars have recently called for the need for South African HEIs not only to develop formal student mental health policies and strategies but also to ensure that these are constantly implemented, monitored, and evaluated if these institutions are to improve the learning outcomes of these students (Kaminer & Shabalala, 2019;Vergunst, 2017) Davids, 2020;Ned, McKinney, McKinney & Swartz, 2020). The available academic literature in refereed journals (Ndlovu, 2020;Ngubane-Mokiwa & Zongozz, 2021;Manase, 2021;Ntombela, 2022) has not specifically explored the experiences of students with mental health challenges.…”

The pedagogic domain and epistemic access in South African higher education: The challenges for students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Students manifesting with some disability categories accessed learning in the same way as any other student without disabilities because of family support, unique exposure and associations with powerful identities that privileged them (Sherry 2009;Goodley 2013). An example relates to Manase (2021) who argued that students with learning disabilities interviewed in her study stated that they were comfortable with online platforms as they found them a less structured approach to learning, that afforded them engagement with their studies without distractions of big, overcrowded lecture-halls, that are intimidating and cause severe anxiety and panic attacks. Students with physical impairments were advantaged during the pandemic when they could access learning from home because they no longer had to manoeuvre the inaccessible built environment of the university (Ndlovu 2020).…”

“…Intersectionality and context should not be overlooked where it concerns students with disabilities because they are not homogeneous (Goodley 2013). For example, on one hand, scholars such as Burgstahler (2015) have argued that students with learning disabilities have challenges with learning content because of their inability to independently process information as they lack skills and knowledge for time management (Manase 2021) while on the other, Crespo (2020) reported that some students with learning disabilities found online learning flexible and suitable for their learning needs. Such contradiction suggests that difference within differences needs to be considered when looking at pedagogy of students with disabilities largely and their epistemic access, in particular.…”

“…Scholars in the disability field as among others, Ndlovu (2020), Manase (2021) andNtombela (2021), have proposed the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), as an intervention and way forward that could have assisted students with disabilities' active participation in academic practice during the pandemic, which has become the "new normal". The UDL could help in the inclusion of all diverse students in the academic practice because it involves a total overhaul of the system of higher education to be inclusive to all, with structures, practices and processes considering diversity from the outset (CAST 2011; Posey 2021).…”