Abstract
Inclusive education is a complex and multi-dimensional approach, and so it dominates the discourses surrounding the education of students with special educational needs (SEN) both in developed and in developing nations. Inclusion is emphasized in the developmental programs of various policy documents. However, the policy-practice gap continues to exist in fulfilling the principles of inclusion and inclusive education for students with SEN. The success of inclusive education is influenced by several factors. Integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) into the curriculum for students with SEN is documented as one of the significant factors for removing obstacles that lead to exclusion in inclusive classrooms. Technology offers numerous advantages to teachers (digital immigrants) and students (digital natives) with and without SEN. This paper highlights the benefits of ICT for teaching-learning process from the teachers and the student’s context. It is noteworthy that the lives of students with SEN are made simpler in general, and their learning processes are augmented specifically. The “digital divide” as a possible barrier to digital equity for students with SEN is discussed in light of van Dijk’s (The deepening divide: Inequality in the information society. Sage Publications, London) Resources and Appropriation Theory that proposes four phases of technology appropriation – motivations and attitude, physical and material access, skills, and usage. Furthermore, the literatures’ reflections on how to address the digital divide are revisited with a focus on application.
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Rajendran, P., Gouda, N.K., Srinivasavarathan, S. (2023). Understanding the Digital Divide in Inclusive Classrooms. In: The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68127-2_419-1
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