Exploring the technology experiences of disabled learners in higher education: challenges for the use and development of participatory research methods

There is a need for more in-depth exploration of the e-learning experiences of disabled learners in higher education, taking into account the complex relationship between learners (skills, knowledge and beliefs), their assistive technologies and the e-learning contexts in which learners are required to operate. Participatory methods appear to have great potential in enabling the voice of disabled learners to be a more central focus of e-learning studies. This paper will describe and evaluate a two-year research project called LExDis, which aims to use participatory methods to explore the e-learning experiences of disabled learners in one higher education institution. The experience of conducting phase one of the LExDis project will be discussed with regards to three main challenges to using participatory methods: informed participation; valued participation; and empowered participation