Some software may take the form of a Textbooks while other software may be supplemental material that you provide. This survey was not asking about the use of videotapes or television, only about use of computer software or the internet. Major Impressions Respondents felt more comfortable with general technology than with technology designed specifically for students with visual impairments. This finding raises the question of the level of expertise we expect of a TVI for a given piece of assistive technology. The general pattern of technology use for blind and low vision students is similar, except that low vision students seem to be more facile with a wider range of technologies.
Blind students prefer the PC platform.
Low vision students, while they use the PC platform as often as blind students, are more likely to also use the Mac platform. This might indicate that the PC platform is more friendly to users who have no vision. Or that the PC platform is better able to run the specialized programs that a person without vision is apt to use. As one would expect, there were very different patterns in the use of access technology between blind and low vision students. Blind students are more apt to use Braille based systems while low vision students are more apt to use optical devices or a system that enhances the visual presentation of material.