Disability Resource Professionals: Access Challenges and Support During the COVID-19 Crisis

ABSTRACT

College students with disabilities (SWDs) have reported extensive barriers accessing higher education during the pandemic. Less is known about the challenges and obstacles encountered by the campus professionals working to provide services and supports to SWDs during this time of pandemic induced upheaval. The purpose of this study was to explore the observations and experiences of disability resource professionals (DRPs) in their work to support SWDs and ensure campus access during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a national survey of 631 DRPs to better understand the barriers and supports they have encountered. Findings indicated that while remote student services are generally working effectively, DRPs are strained to respond to growing student numbers and additional accommodation requests. Critical administrative and institutional support for accessibility work varied by institutional size. The implications for DRPs and the campus community are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Disability resource professionals
• COVID-19 pandemic
• higher education

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).