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Assistive Technology for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities

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Assistive Technologies for People with Diverse Abilities

Part of the book series: Autism and Child Psychopathology Series ((ACPS))

Abstract

This chapter reviews research involving the use of assistive technology (AT) to support and empower postsecondary students with disabilities. Three areas of research related to AT for postsecondary students are reviewed, specifically: (a) survey research aimed at identifying the types of AT options available, (b) intervention studies designed to evaluate the potential benefits of AT, and (c) research aimed at identifying obstacles to the provision or continued use of AT. The chapter concludes that a wide array of AT options for students with varying disabilities exists. However, intervention research evaluating the potential benefits of the various forms of AT is sparse, precluding firm conclusions regarding the effects of any specific form of AT on postsecondary students’ educational outcomes. Furthermore, students with disabilities may struggle to obtain AT support from their institution of higher education, and even when AT is readily available, some students stop using it over time. Recommendations regarding AT for postsecondary students with disabilities are presented and directions for future research are offered.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinic for Autism Research Evaluation and Support, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA

    Russell Lang & Allyson Lee

  2. The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Russell Lang

  3. New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA

    Sathiyaprakash Ramdoss

  4. School of Educational Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Jeff Sigafoos, Vanessa A. Green & Larah van der Meer

  5. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Amy Tostanoski

  6. The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Mark F. O’Reilly

Authors
  1. Russell Lang
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  2. Sathiyaprakash Ramdoss
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  3. Jeff Sigafoos
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  4. Vanessa A. Green
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  5. Larah van der Meer
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  6. Amy Tostanoski
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  7. Allyson Lee
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  8. Mark F. O’Reilly
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Russell Lang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Giulio E. Lancioni

  2. Dept. Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA

    Nirbhay N. Singh

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Lang, R. et al. (2014). Assistive Technology for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities. In: Lancioni, G., Singh, N. (eds) Assistive Technologies for People with Diverse Abilities. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-8029-8_3

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