Journal of Educational Sciences > Volume 26, No. 3, 2014

Factors that affect the use of assistive technology with students with multiple disabilities in their institutions and the attitudes of teachers toward this use / Turki Abdullah S. Alquraini

The purpose of this study was to identify some factors that affect the use of assistive technology with students with multiple disabilities in their institutions, as well as the attitudes of teachers towards using assistive technology with their students. The study included 54 teachers who worked with student with multiple disabilities in institutions in the city of Riyadh. The results of the study showed that an essential factors that significantly affects the use of assistive technology is the lack of special education teachers with the necessary competencies relevant to the field of assistive technology. The training of individualized education program team members on using this technology is similarly lacking. The results of the study also showed that teachers of students with multiple disabilities do have positive attitudes towards the use of assistive technology with their students. Finally, the study provided several recommendations regarding assistive technology as used with these students.
Keywords: competencies, special education teachers, training