Accessibility of Elementary School-Based Assistive Technology: A Descriptive and Associational Survey

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative survey design study was to better understand the perceived barriers of accessibility of elementary school-based assistive technology (AT) from the perspective of parents, teachers and occupational therapists. Furthermore, the purpose of this study was to quantify parent, teacher and occupational therapist perceptions on the benefit of AT training, frequency of AT use, and the efficacy of AT use in the school and home environments. This 13 question survey collected a combination of nominal and ordinal data on participant profession, benefit of AT training, frequency of AT use, level of support by elementary school institution, method of payment for acquiring AT, and the efficacy of AT use in the school and home environments. 33 participants responded to the survey, however only 27 met inclusion criteria (<i>n = </i>27). Participants reported the frequencies of which specific forms of AT they observe children using in both the school and home environments. The amount of training one received on operating AT was moderately correlated with feelings of support for the child from the IEP team regarding AT, <i>rs</i>(27) =.429, <i>p</i> =.013, Fisher’s<i> z</i> =.459, CI 95% [0.12, 1.00], VS-MPR = 6.64. The frequency of use of AT by a child was moderately correlated with feelings of support for the child from the IEP team regarding AT,<i> rs</i>(27) =.392, <i>p</i> =.022, Fisher’s<i> z </i>=.414, CI 95% [0.08, 1.00], VS-MPR = 4.38. The perceived benefits from AT for students were moderately correlated with the feelings of support for the child from the IEP team regarding AT, <i>rs</i>(27) =.438, <i>p</i> =.011, Fisher’s <i>z</i> =.470, CI 95% [0.13, 1.00], VS-MPR = 7.35. The level of support one feels from their IEP team can significantly predict perceived benefit from AT, <I>F</I>(3, 23) = 3.897, <i>p</i> =.022. The results of this study indicate that participants universally believe that for AT to be at its most beneficial, training is vital for teachers, parents, and therapists to become confident in utilizing AT, alongside strong elementary education institutional support. Further research is indicated to improve understanding of AT access and AT compliance strategies in the elementary education setting.