Learning Technology Newsletter, Vol. 10, Issue 3, July 2008

Requirements for eLearning platforms have usually focused on the learners’ needs. However, very little studies analyze the required support from the teachers’ perspective, especially when the teachers have one or more disabilities. I have analyzed the problems disabled teachers face at the workplace and identified ten requirements for eLearning platforms to overcome them. Introduction Some administrations (e.g. the Training and Development Agency for Schools of the UK ) are lunching campaigns for recruiting disabled teachers because their “ability to change students' views of disabled people and the part they can play in society is particularly worthwhile”. However, the reality is that disabled teachers find it very difficult to manage in their off-line jobs. In this sense, it is expected that technology can make them easier to work as on-line teachers. I have done a research study to find out how people with disabilities work as teachers and which problems they face when trying to carry out their tasks. From the problems outlined, I will discuss 10 requirements an eLearning platform should have to facilitate the on-line job of disabled teachers. Problems of teachers with disabilities There are no official data of teachers with disabilities but the problems they face can be deduced by analyzing the following facts. P1. Accessing to the job Most of the elementary and secondary schools are held by the government, so teachers have to sit a competitive examination to access to their job. If they want, they can compete for a special quota: the only thing they have to do is to prove a committee that they are capable for the job of teacher. This point is critical because there are not clear rules about how to evaluate if a person is capable or not. Due to privacy rules, there are not public documents of these committees. In Spain, the only known case is Mr. J.C. Sainz, who claimed for help as he was denied to be qualified to be an elementary teacher [2]. He was told that his disability (blindness) was not compatible with 'the control, surveillance, assistance and attention of children from 3 to 12 years'. P2. Mental disorders According to reports by the main Spanish trade unions [3], stress, depression and anxiety are very common in elementary teachers (12,2% of the sick leaves). The reasons are social relationships and moral values changes; diversity and the problem students; transfer of responsibilities from families to teachers; and lack of social recognition. Teachers who may suffer from cognitive and neurological disabilities may get worse due to their job duties.