Technology Today: Inclusive or Exclusionary for Students with Vision Impairment?

Abstract

The inclusion and equity of mainstream education for Australian students with vision impairment was considered in this phenomenological study of seven students’ experiences. Using Interpretative Phenomenology Analysis, the theme of technology was viewed as significant. Participants revealed a combination of ineffective technology for accessing board-work and worksheets, lack of training in the use of the technology, incompatibility issues, time factors and the lack of teacher expertise limited their use of technology. The provision of appropriate assistive technology for students with vision impairment in this digital age is paramount if equality is to be achieved. Students require training, by experts in technology and vision impairment, in the most current assistive technologies to access instructive technology increasingly used in classrooms and in the wider community. Teachers need an understanding of how imperative assistive technology is for students with vision impairment, and must become skilled practitioners in its use.

Keywords:

• Assistive technology
• curriculum access
• inclusive education
• interpretative phenomenological analysis
• phenomenology
• qualitative study
• vision impairment
• technology

Acknowledgement

There was no research funding for this study, and no restrictions have been imposed on free access to, or publication of, the research data.