The attainment and experiences of disabled students in distance education

Richardson, John T.E.

doi:10.1080/01587910902845931

Cited by 44Disability Education and EmploymentOnline and Blended LearningHigher Education Research Studies

The attainment and experiences of disabled students in distance education

Richardson, John T.E.·2009·Distance Education

DOI 10.1080/01587910902845931

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Abstract

In an earlier study of disabled graduates from campus‐based institutions in the UK, students who had previously declared that they had an unseen disability were less likely to obtain good degrees (with first‐class or upper second‐class honours). The present study investigated the role of disability as a factor in the attainment and experiences of 2351 distance‐learning students awarded first degrees by the UK’s Open University in 2002–2003. In contrast to the earlier study, students who had previously declared that they were dyslexic, were deaf or hard of hearing, or had multiple disabilities were also less likely to obtain good degrees. In a self‐report questionnaire, graduates with multiple disabilities provided lower ratings of the quality of their courses and their personal development. Nevertheless, the attainment and overall experience of graduates who reported disabilities that they had not previously declared to the University were similar to those of graduates with no disability.

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From Clinical assessment meets laboratory science: adapting OSCE methodology for authentic biosciences evaluation in the age of generative AI (2025) · cites this paper as [26]
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“Conversely, OSCE-style assessments may address inequities faced by other disabled student groups.”
From Clinical assessment meets laboratory science: adapting OSCE methodology for authentic biosciences evaluation in the age of generative AI (2025) · cites this paper as [26]

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Academic Attainment of Students with Disabilities in Distance Education.
Richardson, J. T. E. (2014) · Open Research Online - ORO (The Open University) · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Self-citation
Course completion and attainment in disabled students taking courses with the Open University UK
Richardson, J. (2010) · Open Learning The Journal of Open Distance and e-Learning · doi:10.1080/02680511003787263 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Self-citation
The academic attainment of students with disabilities in UK higher education
Richardson, J. T. E. (2009) · Studies in Higher Education · doi:10.1080/03075070802596996 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Self-citation
Perceptions of academic quality and approaches to studying among disabled and nondisabled students in distance education
Jelfs, A., & Richardson, J. T. E. (2010) · Studies in Higher Education · doi:10.1080/03075070903222666 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Self-citation
Academic attainment in visually impaired students in distance education
Richardson, J. T. E. (2015) · British Journal of Visual Impairment · doi:10.1177/0264619615576584 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Self-citation

Authors: Richardson, J. T. E.
Affiliations: The Open University (GB)
Corresponding author: Richardson, John T.E.
ORCID: Richardson, John T.E.
Venue: Distance Education
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Published: 2009-05
Volume: 30
Issue: 1
Pages: 87-102
ISSN: 0158-7919 (ISSN-L)
1475-0198
DOI: 10.1080/01587910902845931
OpenAlex: W2010132211
Cited by: 44
References: 21
Citations by year: 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
FWCI: 6.12
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Distance Education (publishedVersion)
Open Research Online - ORO (The Open University) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Education › Disability Education and Employment
Social Sciences › Education › Online and Blended Learning
Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
Keywords: students with disabilities, academic performance, disability disclosure, dyslexia, deafness, hard of hearing, multiple disabilities, graduate experiences, course quality, human development, Open University, higher education

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The attainment and experiences of disabled students in distance education

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