Perceived effectiveness of assistive devices and support services provided to students with visual impairment in mainstream classrooms in the United Arab Emirates
Ashraf Mustafa, Maxwell Peprah Opoku, Ahmed Hamdan, Mohammed Safi, Enas Mohamed
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Students with disabilities such as visual impairment (VI) face challenges in accessing education, mainly owing to their inability to participate in learning activities in the classroom. While experts in special education have discussed the deployment of assistive technology (AT) to support the learning of students with VI, research on its impact is very scarce, especially in non-western countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). To bridge this gap, this study explored special education teachers' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of AT in supporting the learning and mobility of students with VI in schools. A total of 228 special education teachers from three regions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE, participated in the study. The participants completed an assistive technology for VI scale, and the data were subjected to mean score computation, multivariate analyses of variance and correlation and hierarchical multiple regression. Participants rated the impact of AT highly with regard to the reading, writing and orientation and mobility skills of students with VI. Interestingly, the orientation/mobility sub-scale showed an association with teacher experience and location. The article discusses the practical implications of the findings as well as directions for future research.
期刊介绍:
This well-established and respected journal covers the whole range of learning difficulties relating to children in mainstream and special schools. It is widely read by nasen members as well as other practitioners, administrators advisers, teacher educators and researchers in the UK and overseas. The British Journal of Special Education is concerned with a wide range of special educational needs, and covers all levels of education pre-school, school, and post-school.