Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg PO Box 524, South Africa.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 8;18(8):3892. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18083892.
This paper used the Critical Disability Theory (CDT) to analyse the provision of assistive technology (AT) and assistive devices at an institution of higher education in South African. In this empirical study, data were collected through interviews with students with disabilities and Disability Rights Centre staff members. The paper sought to explore the effectiveness of the provision of AT and assistive devices, in terms of enabling students with disabilities' learning. The provision was deemed inadequate, and a specific AT and assistive device was inaccessible to one category of disability, consequently limiting learning. The paper concludes that the provision of assistive devices at the institution enabled students with disabilities' learning, however, there was a need for improvement by way of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The UDL will help all diverse students, including students with disabilities in all their categories of disability, to be assisted to learn through the provision of AT and assistive devices. It is hoped that the paper will contribute to contemporary debates on the provision of AT and assistive devices for people with disabilities in low-resource settings, from a South African context specifically, and in higher education broadly.
本文运用关键残障理论（CDT）分析了南非一所高等教育机构的辅助技术（AT）和辅助器具的供应情况。在这项实证研究中，通过对残疾学生和残疾人权利中心工作人员的访谈收集了数据。本文旨在探讨提供 AT 和辅助器具在促进残疾学生学习方面的效果。结果发现，提供的辅助技术和辅助器具在某种程度上对残疾学生的学习是不够的，一类残疾学生无法获得特定的 AT 和辅助器具，因此限制了他们的学习。本文得出结论，该机构提供的辅助器具使残疾学生能够学习，但需要通过通用设计学习（UDL）进行改进。UDL 将通过提供 AT 和辅助器具，帮助所有不同的学生，包括所有残疾类别的残疾学生，辅助他们学习。希望本文能从南非的具体情况和高等教育的广泛角度，为资源匮乏环境下为残疾人提供 AT 和辅助器具的当代辩论做出贡献。
