Disability, Chronic Illness, and Distance Education

Distance education may be seen as both enabling and disabling in its application to, and relationship with, people with disability and chronic illness. Cutting edge work suggests that it can provide a suitable route to support the studies of students with disabilities and those with long-term health problems. However it is important that this should be regarded in terms of providing choice to students rather than requiring those who are identified as having impairment/chronic illness to undertake studies at a distance. Unless well designed and evaluated, as with any technology, DE can also become disabling in its impact (Goggin & Newell, 2003; Newell & Walker, 1992).