6 Poetic Journeys College Students with Disabilities Navigating Unanticipated Transitions during the Pandemic
Mina Chun
Gaining a complete picture of how the COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting the lives of college students with disabilities, instead of assuming or imagining their experiences, is critical for colleges and universities interested in supporting the needs of such students in a post-pandemic world. This chapter centres the insider voices of two college students with disabilities and validates their emotional experiences as knowledge (Migueliz Valcarlos et al., 2020) by utilizing a poetic inquiry and participatory approach. In this way, authentic college experiences of and perspectives on navigating the abrupt, unanticipated transitions during the pandemic are revealed.
The authentic insider perspectives on and interpretations of the pandemic experiences of two American-based college students who identified with disabilities were synthesized using poetic inquiry (Butler-Kisber, 2010) as participant-voiced poetry, also known as found poetry (Prendergast, 2009). The found poetry below emphasizes the significance of emergency remote education during the pandemic for two college students, “Kathie” and “Kendall.” To be respectful of the privacy of the participants, any of their confidential information is not shared, and pseudonyms are used throughout this chapter.
Kathie and Kendall attended the same liberal arts university. Kathie was a freshman, and Kendall was a sophomore. They received support from the disability services office. In addition to that support, Kathie had a private tutor who could help her with specific courses. Both were out-of-state students who lived on campus and did not have any family members living near the university.
This study began in fall 2020 and ended in early spring 2021. At the time, the university had strict COVID-19 restrictions with limited in-person gathering; thus, the entire process was completed virtually, including our method of collaborative poetry writing. At the beginning of the study, I discussed the research project virtually with Kathie and Kendall, and they agreed to participate and signed the Institutional Review Board-approved informed consent form. Over five months, Kathie and Kendall individually wrote four reflective journals about their experiences and engaged virtually in dialogue with me four times, after each journal was complete. With the completed journals, we began to co-construct found poems by organizing the journals into themes. Through the collaborative co-writing process via virtual meetings between each college student and me, the poems were “found” by directly drawing Kathie’s and Kendall’s own words and phrases from their reflective journals and changing spacing and lines (Galvin & Prendergast, 2016; Prendergast, 2009). This participatory approach allowed active collaboration with Kathie and Kendall in every step of the study (Cornwall & Jewkes, 1995; Sohng, 2005), including collaboratively co-constructing found poems (Manning, 2018).
The found poems are intended to communicate authentic and affective experiences of Kathie and Kendall during the pandemic by focusing solely on their voices. These poems are organized under each student’s name.
Kathie
A Shift in Learning Style
As a profoundly dyslexic learner,
I use all the resources I can,
especially the teachers.
I need teacher interaction to learn.
I learn by
seeing and doing
asking questions
staying after class with the teacher for help.
My hardest class was completely online.
NO HUMAN TEACHERS!
Never saw the teacher.
Read the assigned chapters.
Completed the assignments.
Took the tests.
This was beyond terrifying.
I asked the professor for a virtual meeting
they answered …
… through an email.
NO HUMAN TEACHERS!
Some professors were accommodating:
Extra time
Concerned
Personable
Available for virtual meetings.
But
Kept getting a zero
even after doing the work correctly
by submitting the work
in the wrong format.
Work coming in from every direction.
Checking so many different platforms.
Submitting work in numerous formats
for each class.
It is so easy to submit the wrong format.
It is impossible to keep it all straight.
Even the teachers confuse themselves.
Not good!
Chaos.
Anxiety.
Frustration.
A Surprise Ending for Me
COVID school is different,
But I figured out
how to make the new system work for me.
COVID has created a learning environment
that actually suits me.
Quite honestly,
it is probably better for me.
Dare I say:
I “like” taking classes in the COVID era.
I watch lectures when I want
I rewatch when I don’t understand
I take as much time as I need
I write essays at my own pace
I look at my notes
I research in my textbooks
I even consult search engines during tests
Everyone else is getting
the same accommodations as me.
I don’t feel different.
I am not forced
to push my square learning style
into a round hole.
Require Professors to Conform
Very strongly REQUIRE professors to use
Same online platform
Same delivery of material
Same format of submission.
Students should not have to
check numerous locations,
scramble to download new applications,
learn multiple ways to save and turn in work,
much less try to remember,
which professor wants it which way.
Pick a single platform!
Force all professors to learn to use
ONE online delivery and acceptance system!
Another simple request:
a book available for students!
Due to my dyslexia,
the words in e-books swim by on the computer screen.
I still need a physical book
to read and write in
Highlight
Outline
Make notes
Circle
Underline
Place sticky notes
Flip back.
A book to touch—is that too much to ask for?
There is no way
students with disabilities are the only ones
who need physical books
to manipulate in order to learn.
Impossible!
I have more worries and academic anxiety
now than ever
about my classes.
I don’t know
if I am capable of taking a test
the old-fashioned traditional way!
Studying, learning, and walking
into a classroom to take a test.
I’m not prepared for that
anymore.
Don’t change it back now.
I’m afraid.
I’ve already adapted.
Kendall
Adjusting to COVID University
As a sophomore in college
with disabilities
in the pandemic
things are more stressful and overwhelming.
In all honesty,
I was really nervous to start
A new semester
A new adviser
New classes
All in the middle of the pandemic.
The semester was really confusing and different.
One hybrid class.
Two in-person classes.
Two asynchronous online classes.
Two synchronous online classes.
The semester was chaotic.
Mentally exhausting!
It was very weird,
having classes in my bedroom,
seeing myself in the corner of my screen.
Everything felt very fake and surreal.
The pandemic definitely made things worse
and held me back.
Mentally and physically.
Made school harder.
More about Me
COVID-19 made me realize
more about myself,
What I need,
What I want to do,
What I’d like to pursue
in my academic career,
How reluctant I am to ask for help.
It is a mixture of embarrassment
and pride.
Meetings with
Disability Resources staff
once a week
My academic adviser
every two weeks
Check-in
Checkups
Reassurance
Work on time management
Make a schedule
Keep me organized!
It is okay to need
help, support, and
guidance.
I miss in-person classes,
But I like the class set up now.
My schedule is fairly organized.
Hybrid
Online
Hyflex
No classes on Tuesdays,
a free day to do work and read.
Really beneficial!
Flexible and helpful
in maneuvering through everything.
It’s pretty cool.
Be Supportive!
Students should not have to do
more during a pandemic.
Students should not only strictly depend
on themselves.
Support students to still meet and spend time
with one another.
Give them options!
Host programs
Fun and educational programs
Virtually or socially distant
Necessary precautions should be taken.
Virtual options should be
more accessible,
more comfortable.
Students may be aware of resources
on campus and in the community.
They may hesitate utilizing the resources.
Reminders of resources and
Benefits of using them can be helpful.
Some students need extra support,
more than others.
We all need an extra push.
Something small can go a long way.
Check up on students.
Show appreciation to students.
Send out funny, relatable,
and friendly emails.
Spread joy!
References
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