Undergraduates with Special Needs’ Awareness Towards the Use of Assistive Technology for Learning at The University Level

Abstract

The use of assistive technology has been widely accepted in education to bridge the gap between special and regular schools. Its penetration has transformed teaching and learning across the curriculum. This study examines the awareness of students with special needs towards the use of assistive technology for learning at the university level. This type of research is descriptive with a survey method. The sample consisted of 25 students from the University of Ilorin who were distinguished by faculty, department, level, and study program. The data were analyzed using percentages and frequency counts to answer research questions 1 and 2, while ANOVA was used to test research hypotheses 1 and 2. The results showed that: students were aware of assistive technology for learning; students on average use assistive technology to learn; there is no significant difference in the level of awareness and use of assistive technology for student study program-based learning and this is reflected in the results with a significance value of 0.424 and 0.230 both tested at the same significance level p>0.05 This study concluded that students were aware and average average use assistive technology for learning. It is recommended that seminars and workshops should always be organized for students and lecturers on the use of emerging assistive technologies, and the Government should also include access to assistive technologies in education policies and programs.