This paper examines the gap in educational technology access between students with special needs and their non-disabled peers. Drawing on empirical studies, it documents the extent of the digital divide at home and at school, then explores three primary barriers—inadequate teacher training, cost constraints, and restrictive policies—that limit technology use in special education settings. The review further identifies specific assistive technologies matched to particular disability categories, including visual impairments, hearing impairments, speech and language disorders, and physical disabilities. The paper concludes with policy recommendations aimed at expanding equitable technology access and improving academic outcomes for learners with disabilities.
The paper uses a structured literature review to synthesize multiple empirical studies into a coherent argument. Rather than summarizing each source in isolation, it groups findings thematically—first establishing positive effects of technology, then identifying barriers, then prescribing solutions—demonstrating how to build an evidence-based case using secondary research.
The paper opens with a statement of the problem and research questions, followed by a definition of key terms. The literature review is divided into three parts: (1) the effect of technology on academic performance, (2) strategies for closing the access gap, and (3) specific assistive technologies by disability type. A brief conclusion synthesizes findings and gestures toward policy reform. This structured format is well suited to education research papers at the undergraduate level.
Technology plays a significant role in almost all recreational, employment, and educational activities (Burgstahler, 2002). In the educational sphere, computer access improves learners' academic outcomes by allowing them to access distance learning courses, communicate with mentors and peers, participate in class discussions, and complete coursework independently (Burgstahler, 2002). Studies have shown that students enjoy and gain more from their lessons when technology-based instructional techniques are employed, as opposed to when traditional worksheets, blackboards, and textbook methods are used (Kulik, 1994).
Students with special needs have particularly benefited from the opportunities that technology offers in the modern-day classroom (Burgstahler, 2002). They have been able to use technology to compensate for their inability to perform specific functions owing to their disability (Burgstahler, 2002). Today, a special needs student who cannot speak with their own voice can still actively take part in a classroom discussion with the help of a speech-based synthesizer (Burgstahler, 2002).
Despite these benefits, empirical evidence shows that students with special needs have significantly less access to technology than their mainstream counterparts. This is perhaps because stakeholders do not fully understand the role of technology in influencing the academic performance of students with special needs. This paper provides insight into how the effective use of technology affects the academic outcomes of learners with special needs, and identifies the specific tools that teachers could use to maximize outcomes for specific learner groups.
The central question guiding this study is: How does the use of technology in the classroom affect the performance of students with disabilities? The subordinate questions include: What is the extent of the disparity in access to technology between special needs and mainstream students nationally? What are the barriers to the effective use of technology for students with special needs? What specific strategies could be used to close the access gap? What tools can special education teachers use to maximize outcomes for specific learner groups?
Students today learn differently as a result of technology (Prensky, 2008). However, students with special needs continue to lag behind their mainstream counterparts owing to a lack of access (Burgstahler, 2002). One possible reason for this is that stakeholders in the educational sector do not fully understand the role of technology in facilitating the learning process for this particular group (Johnson, 2003). In fact, not many studies have focused on this area (Johnson, 2003).
This study examines the effect of technology on the performance of special education students in fourth and fifth grade, and the specific tools that could be used by special education teachers to maximize outcomes for different learner groups.
Access: A way of being able to use or obtain something (Merriam-Webster, 2014). Technology Integration Education: Instruction in how to use information technology to enhance classroom curricula. Information Technology: Traditional computer applications (CAI, tools) and communication tools such as email and web resources. Special needs: The individual requirements (as for education) of a person with a disadvantaged background or a mental, emotional, or physical disability, or a high risk of developing one. Technology: A manner of accomplishing a task using technical processes, methods, or knowledge (Merriam-Webster, 2014). Integrate: To give or cause to give equal opportunity and consideration (Merriam-Webster, 2009). Digital Divide: The difference between people who have easy access to the internet and those who do not (Techopedia, 2014). Title I: A federally funded program that awards funding to schools based on factors such as the number of socioeconomically and physically disadvantaged students. Traditional: Of, relating to, or being a tradition (Merriam-Webster, 2014).
Technology can help any student with motivation, academic skills, and social development (Burgstahler, 2002). A 2009 survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics found that 97% of teachers in regular classrooms had one or more computers located in the classroom every day, while 54% could bring computers into the classroom (NCES, 2009). Internet access was available for 93% of the computers located in the classroom daily and for 96% of the computers that could be brought into the classroom (NCES, 2009). The ratio of students to computers in the classroom was 5.3 to 1 (NCES, 2009).
The same cannot be said of students with special needs. Multiple studies have shown that students with disabilities, compared to their counterparts without disabilities, are less likely to have computer access both at home and at school (Kaye, 2000; NCES, 2006). In a study assessing the differences in access between persons with special needs and their non-disabled counterparts, Kaye (2000) found that persons with disabilities are less than half as likely to have access to a computer at home (23.9% vs. 51.7%). Moreover, persons without disabilities are three times more likely to have internet access at home compared to those with disabilities (Kaye, 2000). At school, only 3.9% of students with disabilities reported having computer and internet access, compared to 20.6% of their non-disabled counterparts (Kaye, 2000).
These findings mirror those of a study by the National Center for Education Statistics, which showed that 91% of non-disabled children in nursery school and grades K–12 used computers both at home and at school, compared to 81% of their counterparts with disabilities (NCES, 2003). The gap is even more striking in the case of internet access: 61% of non-disabled children reported having access to the internet at home and at school, compared to only 49% of those with disabilities (NCES, 2003).
These studies indicate that, nationally, special education students have less access to technology than their counterparts without disabilities both at home and at school. One possible reason for this is that stakeholders do not fully understand how the use of technology influences academic performance for students with special needs. Moreover, even those who understand this often lack knowledge of the specific technological tools they could use to maximize the learning outcomes of their students (Johnson, 2003).
Multiple studies have shown a positive correlation between the effective use of technology and positive academic outcomes for students with special needs (Kulik, 1994; Butler-Kisber, 2013; Bartsch & Cobem, 2003). In his study, Kulik (1994) utilized meta-analysis to collect and analyze the results of over 500 different studies on computer-based learning. He found that the use of computers individualizes the learning process and accommodates the varying inclinations, knowledge systems, learning styles, interests, and needs of learners. The researcher concluded that special needs learners who utilized computer-based learning scored 64% on assessment achievements, versus the control group (learners not using computers), whose average score was 50% (Kulik, 1994). According to the study, students with special needs, just like their non-disabled counterparts, learn more within shorter periods and tend to like their classes more when using computers and other mobile devices than when using traditional techniques such as worksheets, books, and blackboards (Kulik, 1994). Moreover, they tend to have more positive attitudes toward education when using computers (Kulik, 1994).
Similar findings were reported by Bartsch and Cobem (2003), who compared the use of PowerPoint presentations and overhead transparencies, finding that students generally preferred PowerPoint presentations. The authors posit that these findings indicate that students generally learn better with more advanced technology (Bartsch & Cobem, 2003).
Another study showed that technology helps students with special needs participate actively in class and develop crucial social and communication skills that would otherwise be difficult to acquire (Peterson-Karlan & Parrette, 2005). The authors contend that technologies such as smartphones offer students access to Instructional Technology (IT) and Assistive Technology (AT) applications—such as dictionaries, reminders, voice recognition software, and planners—that make it possible for them to keep up with class proceedings and maintain active engagement during classroom sessions. Burgstahler (2002) offers a specific example: a special needs student who cannot speak with their own voice can actively take part in a classroom discussion with the help of a speech-based synthesizer.
These findings mirror those of Butler-Kisber (2013), who examined the impact of technology on the literacy skills of preschoolers who are deaf or hard of hearing. The researcher found that learners' literacy skills improved considerably after viewing educational videos presented using American Sign Language (ASL) (Butler-Kisber, 2013). Moreover, the study established that literacy skills could be improved even further by increasing viewing times and incorporating follow-up measures (Butler-Kisber, 2013).
In yet another study, Zhang (2000) sought to determine how technology influenced learning outcomes for fifth graders with learning disabilities. He sampled five students and used the ROBO-Writer computer program to assist them in a writing curriculum. The students wrote three times a week in sessions lasting approximately twenty minutes (Zhang, 2000). One year later, their writing skills were assessed; results showed that the students' writing skills had improved considerably following the use of technology (Zhang, 2000). Prior to the study, the students displayed high degrees of self-consciousness about their poor writing skills, which had caused them to avoid practicing effective writing (Zhang, 2000). The word processing software, however, gave them ample opportunities to enhance their power of expression (Zhang, 2000).
Sivin-Kachala (1998) cautions against adopting a blanket assumption that technology always leads to improved academic outcomes for learners with special needs. The researcher reviewed 219 research studies conducted between 1990 and 1997 to assess the effect of technology across all ages and learning domains. He concluded that although technology use generally produces positive outcomes on achievement, the level of effectiveness is influenced by the specific needs of the student population (Sivin-Kachala, 1998). In order for educational technology to yield maximum outcomes for students with special needs, the instructor must accurately identify the needs of individual students and choose the strategy that best responds to those needs (Sivin-Kachala, 1998).
More and more Americans are going online daily. However, the gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not may be getting wider, and students with disabilities are particularly affected by this divide. Research has shown that students with disabilities urgently need technological support in schools. Yet they are often not receiving it—either because teachers are not properly trained or because schools do not have policies in place to ensure that such students use technology effectively and succeed.
In contrast, some schools—particularly those in more affluent communities—have made technology access a cornerstone of their mission, ensuring that every child has adequate access regardless of disability. Such schools have sufficient computers, and many students bring home-owned iPads and other mobile devices to class. This gives those students a considerable advantage over peers whose homes and schools lack such resources.
There is still a great deal to be desired regarding the accessibility of technology for students with special needs. Adaptive technologies that can enable students with severe disabilities to become active learners in the classroom have been developed and continue to improve. It is essential that these advances be accompanied by policy restructuring efforts aimed at ensuring that policies governing technology use by learners with special needs do not interfere with their ability to acquire educational skills outside the classroom. These measures will go a long way toward making technology more accessible and equitable for all learners with special needs.
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