Pioneer ICT as a learning aid for visually impaired undergraduates in Sri Lankan State Universities: Breaking barriers to the knowledge society

Abstract

Throughout past decades the lifestyle of people has been changing revolutionarily due to the rapid changes in Information and communication Technology (ICT). But still all the learners do not get the advantage of ICT for their education and for accessing of information. In order to provide equal opportunities to the disabled learners, ICT educational tools can be used. This study mainly focuses on developing a framework for VI undergraduates in state universities to introduce ICT as a learning aid which enhances the quality of their education. Therefore, to achieve the main objective 63 VI students, academic and academic support staff members were interviewed and gathered data. This is an exploratory study which goes through a certain pattern, a model development and hypothesis formulation. The sample was selected purposively and divided in to three groups based on their ICT usage for the learning purposes as: Fully Computer assisted Learning (Fully CAL), Partially Computer Assisted Learning (Partially CAL) and Non Computer Assisted Learning (Non CAL). For data analysis cross tabulation, chi square tests and descriptive statics were used. Results concluded the physical, social, economic, educational and institutional factors directly affective ICT usage patterns of VI undergraduates. Research results illustrates that the ICT usage as a learning aid can be increased by increasing the support of academic staff and the institutional facilities provided for VI students.