Asked by
Monica
in
Computers & Technology
at
2:40 PM on November 11, 2008
Dan Dan's Answer
More and more schools are adopting textbooks that include multimedia presentations. However, these textbooks are not accessible to students who are blind or visually impaired. To determine the current use of technology in accessing multimedia formats, in the spring of 2000 the AFB Textbooks and Instructional Materials Solutions Forum conducted a national survey of teachers who instruct students with visual impairments. We were interested in determining the access challenges these teachers face and solutions they are using in the classroom.
The AFB Solutions Forum is a collaborative national effort on the part of textbook publishers; access technology specialists; producers of braille, large print, and audio; parents; educators; and consumers. The AFB Solutions Forum is a project of AFB's National Education Programs.
A wide array of technology currently is used in America's public schools. For students with a perceptual impairment, the range of technology is often increased by the need for alternate information media and the ability to present and access these alternate media. For students with visual impairments, the provision and access of information through braille, large print, and speech can involve many different pieces of technology.
A total of 410 teachers from 44 states and four provinces responded to the survey, which produced the following significant findings.
Demographic features of respondents
93.1% were teacher of students with visual impairments (TVIs)
57.2% were AER members
79.7% were itinerant teachers
15.1% worked in Local Education Authorities (LEAs)
4.9% worked in special schools for the blind
30% of TVIs were the only TVI in their LEA
Answered at
2:58 PM on November 11, 2008
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