Enabling Students with Disabilities with Computing Interaction and Empowerment though Enhanced Strategic Instructional Course Design

Abstract

Abstract: As more technology changes the learning environment for educators, this has caused a greater need for instructors need to focus on the syllabus, subject content, administrative tasks, and students with varying learning styles, they may also need to address various learning style of students with disabilities. As more universities provide teacher training, the training may not be detailed enough to help instructors be prepared to work with classroom accommodations for students with disabilities. In particular, online instructors have another factor to work with in this situation, they have to work with students with disabilities virtually and offer similar or comparable accommodations. More educational institutions are seeing that more students are enrolling in online programs and courses, and they realize that there may be some additional barriers to learning in terms of this learning environment⠒s technical process and structure. In particular, students with disabilities are enrolling even more with online courses with the hopes of a barrier‑free environment. Thus, there are still some barriers still present in the learning environment in terms of technical/software application or interaction/communication problems. The purpose of this paper will be to look at how a university can address such problems and develop/create virtual solutions to these barriers by incorporating the help of others in the online community to brainstorm methods of inquiry and build virtual strategies. In particular, there needs to be a special emphasis given to online instructors to become better prepared and trained with technology in terms of structure and how to motivate all types of students, especially students with disabilities, to become more interactive online. While there is a growing need for more human computer interaction, rather than just selecting and clicking single choices, students with disabilities are finding technology to be more enabling than disabling at times. Consequently, universities need to design and develop training progr