ERIC Number: ED433625
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1999
Pages: 325
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-2-9803316-4-3
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Learning Technologies: Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education. Final Report to the Office of Learning Technologies [and] Appendix.
Fichten, Catherine; Barile, Maria; Asuncion, Jennison V.
This report discusses the outcomes of a project that investigated the computer, information, and learning and adaptive technology needs and concerns of Canadian postsecondary students with disabilities. A series of four bilingual focus groups involving 31 individuals was held. Focus groups included postsecondary students with various disabilities; college and university personnel responsible for providing services to students with disabilities; professors; and academics, computer specialists, and other concerned individuals. The study found that: (1) colleges had a larger proportion of students with disabilities than universities; (2) the majority of students, regardless of type of disability, can and do use computer technologies to help them succeed; (3) personnel responsible for providing services to students with disabilities indicated the use of computers was not only beneficial for students but also cost effective; (4) about half of the students had two or more impairments; (5) the high cost of acquiring and maintaining computer technologies was the single most important and common issue noted by computer users and non-users alike; (6) the majority of students who had computer equipment at home indicated that they or their families had paid for it; and (7) most students did not know about the existence of a government program that would help them obtain computers or other adaptive technologies. An extensive appendix includes interview questions and relevant data. (Contains approximately 200 references.) (CR)
Descriptors: Accessibility (for Disabled), Appropriate Technology, Assistive Devices (for Disabled), Computer Uses in Education, Cost Effectiveness, Disabilities, Educational Technology, Financial Support, Focus Groups, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Interviews, Student Attitudes, Tables (Data), Teacher Attitudes
Adaptech Project, Dawson College, 3040 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3Z 1A4; Tel: 514-931-8731; Fax: 514-931-3567; Catherine S. Fichten, e-mail: md71@musica.mcgill.ca, Maria Barile, e-mail: mdb2@musica.mcgill.ca, Jennison V. Asuncion, e-mail: j asunc@alcor.concordia.ca; Web site: . Final report available in French at web site: . (Final Report ISBN-2-9803316-4-3; Appendix: ISBN-02-9803316-5-1).
Publication Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Human Resources Development Canada, Hull (Quebec). Office of Learning Technologies.
Authoring Institution: Dawson Coll., Montreal (Quebec).
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A