Navigating online learning: challenges and opportunities for students with disabilities in China

The increasing integration of digital technologies in education has reshaped learning formats and increased the use of digital devices by students. However, less is known about the online learning experiences of students with disabilities, especially from the perspectives of children and young people. This study seeks to contribute to this underexplored area by investigating the lived digital experiences of students with disabilities as they first engaged with online learning, focusing on the opportunities and challenges they encountered. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 students from four special schools in Wuhan, a central city of China, who regularly accessed digital devices for the first time during the pandemic school closures. Findings reveal challenges in adapting to online learning, changes in parental involvement in their learning, and the dual impacts of the online environment on students’ mental and physical health. While digital technologies facilitated learning, social interaction, and recreation, they also highlighted persistent digital inequalities and risks for this disadvantaged group. The study underscores the need for targeted strategies to enhance digital capacity and foster a more inclusive and safer online environment for students with disabilities, informing policy and practice in post-pandemic education.