Virtual learning and special education during COVID-19: a narrative inquiry

Robin  L. Fernandez

doi:10.17918/00001700

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted every profession from healthcare to education. In the United States, businesses, and life as we know it came to a standstill. The most normal of things, like going to the movies or out to dinner, stopped. Mask mandates and social distancing became the new normal. Children were unable to attend school. Students learned from makeshift classrooms in their homes, only seeing their teachers through computer screens and their parents serving as learning facilitators. Following the government's permission to re-opening the school buildings during the 2021-2022 school year, many school districts made the decision to either remain fully virtual or provide a hybrid option to families. Having a student with a disability may have put more pressure on families while learning in a virtual setting. A deeper look into the human impact of the COVID-19 pandemic sheds light on the well-being of society and how we can move forward with helping students and families get back on track as they transition into school buildings. Improvements can also be made in how students with disabilities receive their services within a virtual setting and how families can be more involved in the process and what their children need the most to be successful learners of the world. Virtual learning can be a viable method of teaching for all students if it can be harnessed in a manner that involves the whole child. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to examine the impact of virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic on families of students with disabilities. The primary research questions are 1) How do families of students with disabilities report that they were impacted by virtual learning during COVID-19? and 2) How do families report that services for their students with disabilities have been impacted by virtual learning during COVID-19? In addition, the researcher conducted interviews to gather stories from families to collect data on how virtual learning during the pandemic impacted families and students with disabilities in various areas of their life and education. The recommendations of parent training, related services training, and additional supports for virtual learning that resulted from this study serve as a means to explore not only how we can best serve our students with disabilities in the virtual setting but also tap into different learning modalities that can be beneficial for all students in the future.

Virtual learning and special education during COVID-19: a narrative inquiry

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Virtual learning and special education during COVID-19: a narrative inquiry

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