It can be challenging to provide students with the accommodations needed to be successful. This challenge is greater still in the Online environment. Because instructors must manage a virtual classroom, and an asynchronous environment, relating directly to students becomes a skill of great experience. Tone and inflection cannot be seen online; physical qeues cannot be seen online; voice can be heard by the instructor but often not the student. When a student in this environment has a disability, they may even have a more difficult time expressing it to or sharing with the appropriate staff or instructors. Sometimes the disability will be stated the wrong way, for example in a Discussion Forum or a chat, in front of other students. Then the instructor must work hard to overcome that public knowledge. Often, school administration and instructors will have to speak with the student by phone to fully understand their needs. They may even need to seek the assistance of a parent or guardian to the student, who has been allowed by FERPA disclosure to assist. On the flip side, some students with disabilities may find the online environment a perfect place because they are only recognized by the value of their contribution and not by any appearence they may have. Online offers both challenges and benefits to students with disabilities and their faculty and staff.
