Access to assistive technology for students with visual impairment in Adidome Senior High School

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how students with visual impairment access assistive technology in Adidome Senior High School and to make recommendations for effective use of such technologies. The case study design was adopted to guide the study. The sample size was 30 respondents. The sampling technique adopted was purposive sampling. Interview and observation were used to gather data from the respondents. Data collected were transcribed and analysed thematically. Findings of the study revealed that both high-tech and low-tech assistive technology devices such desktop computers, an embosser, Perkins, slates, and stylus were available in the school. However, they were not enough to meet the learning needs of the students with visual impairment. In addition, the majority of the Perkins machines in the school were broken down. Findings of the study revealed that students with visual impairment did not frequently access JAWS because they did not have the requisite skills. Furthermore, the findings revealed that resource teachers were not trained on how to maintain assistive technology devices. On the positive side, the students with visual impairment had mobility and keyboarding skills. It was recommended that the headmaster could collaborate with benevolent organizations to provide more assistive technology devices such as desktop computers and Perkins, in the school. The researcher recommended that 1) the headmaster should contact the District Education to hire a technician to repair broken down Perkins machines periodically, 2) the students with visual impairment should be trained on how to use the JAWS and NVDA, and 3) the resource teachers in the school should be trained on how to maintain the assistive technology devices.