The Use of Assistive Technology by High School Students with Visual Impairments: A Second Look at the Current Problem

Even though a wide variety of assistive technology tools and devices are available in the marketplace, many students with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) have not yet benefitted from using this specialized technology (Abner & Lahm, 2002). An Illinois survey of the use of assistive technology by elementary and secondary students with visual impairments reported that students are not receiving the experiences with assistive technology that support successful participation in the curriculum (Kapperman, Sticken, & Heinze, 2002). The findings of that study pertained specifically to students with visual impairments who were academically oriented readers (that is, those who read braille or large print) and, therefore, could have been especially inclined to have benefitted from training in assistive technology. The study also indicated that "60% of the students who, in the authors' judgment, could benefit from the use of assistive technology were not given the opportunity to use it" (Kapperman et al., 2002, p. 107). The results of a recent analysis of a nationally representative federal survey on the use of assistive technology (Kelly, 2009) indicated that the situation in Illinois paralleled the current national status of these students. Less than half the academically oriented students with visual impairments in the United States were using assistive technology during each of the three periods measured by the Special Education Longitudinal Study (SEELS). Specifically, across all three waves of data, an average of only 36% of the elementary and middle school students who were visually impaired had the opportunity to use assistive technology. Kelly (2009) also examined the significance of many contextual factors that may or may not have contributed to the use of assistive technology. For example, she found that children who had parents that attended any type of parent meeting, special program, or training session for families with children with disabilities were significantly more likely to use assistive technology, and that placement in a residential school was a significant predictor of the use of assistive technology. Contextual factors that are important to understanding the use of assistive technology by high school students with visual impairments may also include the measurement of preparation for post-high school outcomes. As Crudden (2002) explained, the majority of people with visual impairments are unable to sustain competitive employment. The potential relationship between the use of assistive technology and post-high school outcomes (that is, employment or postsecondary training) is worthy of further investigation. Now that the estimate of the use of assistive technology by U.S. elementary and middle school students with visual impairments has been established, the study presented here assessed the use of assistive technology by high school students with visual impairments through a secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). An investigation of many contextual factors that may or may not have contributed to the use of assistive technology was also replicated with the NLTS2 database. The predictors included those that Kelly (2009) found to be significant, as well as a measure of the likelihood of these high school students, who are about to make the transition to adulthood and post-high school outcomes, eventually getting paid jobs. To investigate these issues, the study addressed the following research questions using the NLTS2 database as the data source: 1. What percentage of high school students with visual impairments in the United States who were academically oriented readers using large print or braille media and thus who were most inclined to have benefited from the use of assistive technology with academic materials were using assistive technology during the three periods under study (2000-01, 2002-03, and 2004-05)? …