Paper Type
Research-in-Progress Paper
Abstract
In the knowledge driven world, quality education is an absolute necessity in order to succeed and advance. Most of the current educational curriculum is oriented towards the use of the eyesight. This requirement poses paramount challenges to the blind and visually impaired (BVI) students. This paper undertakes a qualitative and subsequent quantitative inquiry to understand the academic challenges faced by BVI students in high school and college, their resolution strategies and the use of technology to resolve their problems. The pilot study and the subsequent survey identify the extent of visual disability, knowledge of Braille, availability of materials in Braille, availability of alternative formats such as tactile models, availability of human assistance reader/scribe, affordability of the solution technology and perceived use of the solution technology as antecedents for the choice of the resolution strategy.
Recommended Citation
Sahasrabudhe, Shrirang and Palvia, Prashant, "Challenges of Blind Students and IT-Based Mitigation Strategies" (2013). AMCIS 2013 Proceedings. 8.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2013/SocialTechnicalIssues/RoundTablePresentations/8
Challenges of Blind Students and IT-Based Mitigation Strategies
In the knowledge driven world, quality education is an absolute necessity in order to succeed and advance. Most of the current educational curriculum is oriented towards the use of the eyesight. This requirement poses paramount challenges to the blind and visually impaired (BVI) students. This paper undertakes a qualitative and subsequent quantitative inquiry to understand the academic challenges faced by BVI students in high school and college, their resolution strategies and the use of technology to resolve their problems. The pilot study and the subsequent survey identify the extent of visual disability, knowledge of Braille, availability of materials in Braille, availability of alternative formats such as tactile models, availability of human assistance reader/scribe, affordability of the solution technology and perceived use of the solution technology as antecedents for the choice of the resolution strategy.