Beyond access: A case study of how technology impacts the educational engagement of college freshmen who are legally blind.

Abstract

Few studies exist that examine the role that technology plays as college students with visual impairments engage with their learning environments. Furthermore, of the few studies involving technology and students with visual impairments at any educational level, many focus on the availability of particular devices, rather than how devices impact the educational experiences of their users. The purpose of this study was to expand beyond the mere consideration of the types of technology that are used in educational settings to explore how technological devices impact the educational experiences of users with visual impairments. The project consisted of two phases. The first phase consisted of a year-long descriptive case study of a college freshman who is legally blind. The second phase considered data generated through interviews with five additional freshmen with visual impairments in an effort to determine whether or not the experiences of the case study student are typical. Results from this study demonstrated the following: Students' ability to engage with their coursework using technology was influenced by their prior high school experiences with technology; assistive technology, accessible mainstream technology, and students' understanding of these resources influenced their ability to engage with their environments, despite its benefits, technology played only a partial role in helping students engage with their learning environment; student engagement involving technology was influenced by partnerships between disability service providers and other university and non-university entities; and engagement among all participants attending one of the universities involved in the study was enhanced by universally designed technology.