The use of social media to share information, enhance learning, and connect with an online community has grown rapidly over the past 10 years. As social media becomes a more common tool in both formal and informal education, it is imperative to understand how it is used by individuals with disabilities. Through a systematic study of the literature, 215 articles on social media used by individuals with disabilities were selected and 29 selected for in-depth thematic analysis. Six major themes were identified: community, cyberbullying, self-esteem, self-determination, access to technology, and accessibility. To confirm these six categories, we expanded our search, yielding an additional 30 articles, for a total 59 articles reviewed in-depth. Interactions between individuals with disabilities within online communities often had the goal of acquiring knowledge or learning new information. A communities of practice theoretical framework is used to discuss interactions among the elements of social media design, learning, and the building of community by individuals with disabilities.
Access to accurate, up-to-date information about resources and services is essential if survivors are to recover following disasters. Emergency managers need information about community resources to effectively plan for the recovery phase. Long-term recovery committees and case managers rely on resource directories to design recovery plans with survivors. This article describes a replicable approach used to swiftly create and maintain an online resource directory for individuals with disabilities following Hurricane Harvey.
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