Perceptions of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments regarding Assistive Technology: A Follow-Up Study to a University Course

Structured abstract: Introduction: The study presented here examined the learning outcomes of graduate students in visual impairment who were enrolled in an assistive technology course in three university programs. Methods: The students' perceptions of learning were evaluated using pre- and posttests administered during the course. A follow-up questionnaire was e-mailed to the participants in 2011. Information gathered in the questionnaire included the participants' demographic characteristics, perceived level of skill, training since completion of the course, frequency of use of the devices with students, and perceptions of the importance of specific devices. Variables were coded using a Likert scale, and correlations were coded using Spearman's correlation for nonparametric data. Results: Pre-posttest data (n = 97) showed the participants' improvement in the use of devices introduced during the class, with a greater increase in devices specific to visual impairment. Data from the follow-up questionnaires (n = 60) revealed a relationship between the perceived importance of the devices, frequency of use, and the participants' skills. The participants were more likely to seek additional training if they perceived that a technology was frequently used and important. Discussion: The results suggest that a formal assistive technology course can contribute to the development of skills and that the participants' initiatives in setting priorities and seeking additional training were important for their continued acquisition of technology skills. Implications for practice: Teachers can benefit from university-based training in the use of assistive technology. Also, continued development of such skills is necessary to allow the teachers to gain expertise in the use of frequently used devices and in devices that they perceive as important in educational settings. ********** More than 20 years have passed since the term assistive technology was first used in the special education law Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 (IDEA, 1990). The term emerged from the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act (1988) and was defined as "any device or service that is necessary for a child to benefit from special education or related services or to enable the child to be educated in the least restrictive environment" (34 C.F.R. [section] 300.308). Later amendments to IDEA mandated that the members of the Individualized Education Program team not only consider and assess the assistive technology needs of every child in special education (IDEA, 1997), but consider how each student can benefit from using assistive technology to access the general education curriculum (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004). Yet, despite the endorsement of laws that stressed the importance of assistive technology, research showed that the consistent use of assistive technology is low (Freeland, Emerson, Curtis, & Fogarty, 2010), and only 59% to 71% of students who are visually impaired (that is, are blind or have low vision) who could benefit from assistive technology have opportunities to use it (Kelly, 2009). Several explanations for the surprisingly low percentage of students who use assistive technology have been proposed. Johnstone, Thurlow, Altman, Timmons, and Kato (2009) found that if teachers do not believe that technology is important, they are less likely to teach children to use it. Also, access to a plethora of highly specialized and often costly assistive technology equipment with which to assess students who are visually impaired has been limited in many school districts, where students are placed in general classrooms with support by itinerant teachers. The fact that children who attend specialized schools for students who are visually impaired are more likely to use assistive technology (Kelly, 2009) may be due to the availability of equipment. Finally, practicing teachers have stated that they do not think that they have adequate skills to integrate such technology into the curriculum and instruct students in how to use assistive technology devices (Abner & Lahm, 2002; Kapperman, Sticken, & Heinze, 2002; Zhou, Parker, Smith, & Griffin-Shirley, 2011). …