The Digital divide: Meeting the needs of learners with disabilities in low and middle income settings

• In Event: Innovative approaches to foster student learning and connection

Proposal

The digital divide: meeting the needs of learners with disabilities in low- and middle-income settings
Applied Research
Relevance to CIES 2025
As an organisation, we promote equal opportunities and campaign for disability rights. Informed by our vision of a world where persons with disabilities participate fully in all aspects of life, we have examined our use of educational technologies in supporting learners with disabilities to access quality learning.

Learners with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are often unable to access even the most basic technology. When they can, they may not be able to use it effectively due to lack of support services, limited internet access, unreliable electricity supply, and other factors. This lack of access was highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic in which “nearly 40% of disadvantaged learners in LMIC countries have been left entirely unsupported in their education, and among these, children with disabilities are disproportionately represented” (Lynch et al, 2021, p. 21).

We have considered international agreements. Article 4 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities affirms the right of persons with disabilities to, “new technologies, including information and communications technologies, mobility aids, devices, and assistive technologies, suitable for persons with disabilities, giving priority to technologies at an affordable cost.” Sustainable Development Goal 1 recognises the importance of universal access to “appropriate new technology” with Goal 4 proposing that youths and adults should acquire relevant technical skills and access the internet.

Area of interest
As an organisation we are interested in increasing the dialogue around the use of dif-ferent technologies for supporting learners with disabilities to access the quality of education that is their right.

Whilst digital and other technologies have the capacity to deliver educational content using interesting and engaging methodologies, the reality in many low- and middle-income countries is that cost, lack of connectivity and the limited skills base of par-ents and other education providers excludes learners with disabilities. It is important to seek solutions for accessing education when ‘high tech’ digital solutions are not available or accessible.

We have re-examined our use of terminologies and agreed on guiding principles and definitions to align our thinking. We consider the use of ‘high-tech’ devices - products such as mobile phones and computers, as well as relatively ‘low tech’ devices and products such as pencils, exercise books, walking frames, and spectacles. Whilst technology is a way to enable learners to participate in formal and non-formal educa-tion to achieve learning goals, we try not to be distracted by the technology itself.

We consider the use of majority technologies; those designed for general use without specific consideration for the needs of people with disabilities, accessible technolo-gies; those designed for general use but which can be customised by people with dis-abilities to meet their specific needs and assistive technologies; those specifically de-signed to enable people with disabilities to perform tasks.

Methods and guiding frameworks
We referred to the World Bank framework of the 6 Ps in developing our guidelines . These include technologies that are most appropriate for learners given their individu-al differences (People), the availability, affordability of good quality products (Prod-ucts), the most appropriate technologies given social and cultural attitudes, existing infrastructure, and socio-economic and geographical realities (Place), the skills and knowledge teachers and other caregivers possess to support the use of this technol-ogy, (Pedagogy) and the systems available for procuring, distributing, maintaining, storing, and replacing the technology. (Provision)

We used a systems strengthening approach considering how we can have impact at school and community level, by raising awareness about educational technology for learners with disabilities, identifying technological needs and providing necessary training and coaching in the use of technology. At organisational level, we provide technical assistance for local stakeholders, including head teachers and teachers, re the procurement, utilisation, and adaptation of technology. At institutional level, our advocacy work includes influencing budget holders to consider the cost and maintenance of different technologies.

In complex contexts, these frameworks provide a starting point for considering how to support learners with disabilities to access quality learning more effectively.
Successes and challenges
Working with a range of experts we have produced a set of principles to guide our use of technology to support learners with different disabilities. We have considered approaches to Universal Design for Learning and how technology might support more effective engagement with curriculum content, access to information in different for-mats and more creative representation of ideas from learners.
We were careful not to dismiss using ‘Hi-tech’ because of the barriers faced by in ac-cessing them. We identified sustainable strategies for overcoming these barriers, for example advocating for budgets at different systems levels, raising awareness about the value of technology in communities and schools and mapping the availability of technologies in different contexts.
These approaches have supported us in understanding the challenges in using tech-nology but in being creative about what will best support learners with different needs.
Impact
As an organisation we have developed a clearer view about how learners with disabilities can be supported using a range of technologies, seeking solutions in the contexts in which we work. Our project design process considers how technology can be best used within a project. Our advocacy work includes advocate for access to different technologies.

Constraints such as funding, sustainability and the maintenance of assistive technologies remain key issues. We would like to use the opportunity provided at CIES to create a space to discuss these issues further and to seek solutions in the provision of technological solutions for the marginalised and vulnerable within education systems.

Author

• Hamish Higginson, Sightsavers