Adult Learners with Disabilities a New Imperative for Adult Educators

Abstract

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and growing global awareness of the issues that individuals with disabilities face in pursuing education, obtaining housing and employment, and accessing transportation, recreation, and social services has created a new opportunity for adult educators to extend the historic role of adult education in promoting diversity and inclusion. Parallels between the racial and gender civil rights movements and the current disability civil rights movement provide new challenges for adult learners with disabilities to access post‐secondary education and training opportunities. Confronting well‐ingrained biases about people with disabilities and breaking down attitudinal barriers can be rewarding for adult educators and students alike and can make significant strides in attacking social problems such as homelessness, unemployment, and criminaljustice abuses. Increased knowledge about people with disabilities when coupled with reasonable accommodations and the use of technology can create learning environments that are conducive to academic success for learners with disabilities.