Journal Critique: Labels and Students with Disabilities Assignment- Friday, October 30th
Journal Critique: Behavior and Discipline Assignment- Friday, November 6th
Thesis Statement Assignment- Friday, November 6th
Journal Critique: Defining and Designing Special Education Assignment- Friday, November 13th
Journal Critique: RTI and IDEA Assignment- Friday, November 20th
Research Proposal Assignment-Friday, November 27th
Journal Critique: Inclusion Assignment- Friday, December 4th
Journal Critique: Autism Assignment- Friday, December 11th
Literature Review Draft Submission- Friday, December 18th
Literature Review Assignment- Friday, December 18th
Assignments will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool!!!!!!!!!
EDUC 721
JOURNAL CRITIQUE ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
This course is heavily focused on the current issues and trends within special education with a
specific focus on research. As such, this assignment affords you the opportunity to examine and
analyze different topics in the literature that relates to the current module’s readings.
Furthermore, your research in the literature will help you respond to the module’s Discussion
Assignment and potentially, your Literature Review Assignment, which is the crux of the course.
You should use these journal critiques as a guide to the type of research required for your
Literature Review Assignment.
INSTRUCTIONS
During this course, you will complete 6 Journal Critiques (see chart below). For each critique,
you will locate a research article from a professional journal and report on the study’s research
question, design, participants, settings, procedure, results, and your personal commentary. You
are highly encouraged to find articles that relate to the topic in the chart and assist you in
developing your Literature Review Assignment or Discussion thread for the module. All articles
must be current (published no more than 5 years ago).
All critiques must use the Journal Critique Template and follow current APA style. Each
critique should be between 1 – 2 pages excluding the reference page. In addition, you must
include a PDF copy of your article when you submit your critique.
All articles selected must relate to the topics given on the chart below:
Module: Week
Journal Critique
Topic
Journal Critique Topic Description
Module 1: Week 1
Labels and Students
with Disabilities
After reading your text for this module, select a
research article related to labels and/or students
with disabilities.
Module 2: Week 2
Behavior and
Discipline
After reading your text for this module, select a
research article related to behaviors and/or
discipline issues surround students with
disabilities.
Module 3: Week 3
Defining and
Designing Special
Education
After reading your text for this module, select a
research article related to defining and/or
designing special education as a whole or from a
classroom perspective.
Module 4: Week 4
RTI and IDEA
After reading your text for this module, select a
research article related to RTI and/or IDEA and
the impact on special education.
Module 6: Week 6
Inclusion
After reading your text for this module, select a
research article related to the inclusion
classroom.
Module 7: Week 7
Autism
After reading your text for this module, select a
research article related to autism.
EDUC 721
You are highly encouraged to use Liberty University’s Online Library services in order to locate
your articles. The research portal ERIC is one of the most frequently used data bases for
researching education topics. However, Liberty University's Ebscohost (Academic Search
Complete) also provides full-length articles for free.
Below is a list of sample special education research journals:
American Journal on Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilties
Journal of Emotional and Behavioral
Disorders
Assessment for Effective
Intervention
Gifted Child Quarterly
Journal for the Education of Gifted
Journal of Learning Disabilities
Journal of Special Education
Journal of Applied Behavior
Analysis
Topics in Early Childhood Special
Education
Focus on Autism and Other
Developmental Disabilities
Teacher Education and Special
Eduation
Journal of Early Intervention
Remedial and Special Education
Learning Disabitlies Quarterly
Exceptionality
International Journal of Inclusive
Education
EDUC 721
THESIS STATEMENT ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
The thesis statement is the main point of your composition. Professional papers must contain a
thesis statement to test ideas, better organize and develop an argument, and provide the reader
with a “guide” to the argument. A strong thesis statement shows more than just an observation,
reflects a conclusion about the subject, and justifies a discussion. The thesis statement must
express one main idea and be as specific as possible.
Your thesis statement should be measurable, objective, and narrow.
Your research proposal and literature review will be based on your thesis statement. Do not
reveal any bias by stating a strong opinion.
Incorrectly worded thesis statement: “This research seeks to determine if inclusion has
any positive or negative effect on the morale of teachers.”
o This thesis statement doesn’t have a measureable outcome. There is no way to
evaluate all positive AND negative outcomes.
o This thesis statement doesn’t indicate what population of students. A study cannot
look at all grade levels and all disability types.
o This thesis statement would be very hard to design.
Correctly worded thesis statement: “This research seeks to identify patterns in survey
data regarding effects on the morale of high school teachers who teach in an inclusive
setting.
o There is a specific population – high school teachers who teach inclusive classes.
o There is a specific outcome measure – pattern in survey data.
o This statement lends itself to design.
Incorrectly worded thesis statement: “This research seeks to determine if PBIS is
effective.”
o This thesis statement doesn’t have a measureable outcome. Effective in what
way?
o This thesis statement doesn’t indicate what population of students. A study cannot
look at all grade levels and all disability types.
o This thesis statement would be very hard to design.
Correctly worded thesis statement: “This research will evaluate the effects of classroom
PBIS implementation for students with emotional and behavioral disorders in inclusive
second grade classrooms on the rate of office discipline referrals.”
o There is a specific population – EBD second grade students in inclusive classes.
o There is a specific outcome measure – office discipline referrals.
o This statement lends itself to design.
Once you have discovered your topic, that topic must be the subject of all your research.
EDUC 721
RESEARCH PROPOSAL ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
The Research Proposal will be based on the topic chosen for the Thesis statement. This proposal
does not need the research to be carried out nor do you need to know the specific statistical
analysis. In order to help you, you can use the statistical guide which is located on the Research
Proposal Assignment page under Research Proposal Resources.
The assignment is intended to help you begin thinking about appropriate research techniques.
Your research must be related to your research question, and you should strive to keep things as
simple as possible as this is often your first take on study design.
Your Research Proposal should include an introduction containing an abstract of the literature
review that consists of one to two paragraphs with cited references. The proposal should also
include a two-paragraph rationale for your study. You should state your research question in the
introduction.
In the body of your proposal, you should explain the methods for your research. This is where
you will describe your participants, the criteria used in the selection of your participants, the
setting in which your investigation will occur, and the materials/equipment that will be used.
You will also describe the data collection procedures, including relevant data forms. In this
section you will operationally describe your procedures. In general terms, you should describe
the experimental design of your study, the reliability procedures, and both the dependent and
dependent variables.
You will end your Research Proposal with your conclusion and discussion which will summarize
the proposal as you do not yet have results. Also, you will provide a summary as it relates to
your research question as well as explain implications for future research/teaching.
The dissertation portal contains a plethora of dissertations that can be used as guides. If you find
one fairly close to your thesis, then that would serve as an excellent guide. A link to these can be
found in the Research Proposal Assignment page under Research Proposal Resources, and a
Grading Rubric for which your proposal will be measured against is provided.
The Research Proposal must be 3–5 pages, written in current APA format.
EDUC 721
LITERATURE REVIEW ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Building from your Thesis and Research Proposal assignments, write a Literature Review paper
on a topic within the field of exceptionality in education. You must use 15–20 scholarly sources
(outside of course texts). The body of the review must be 10–15 pages long. Adhere to current
APA formatting guidelines and use the Writing Guide provided below for guidance when writing
the title, abstract, and reference pages as well as the body of the paper.
There is a Draft link for you to submit your paper and check your plagiarism score before final
submission. Be aware that I will be able to see where your plagarism score comes from. If your
score comes from references and quotes then this isn’t an issue.
WRITING GUIDE FOR LITERATURE REVIEW
I. Prewriting involves the preparation and arrangement of your ideas before writing them in
a paper. Use whatever techniques work for you (e.g. freewriting, brainstorming, listing,
outlining, questioning, clustering). Your research and documentation are accomplished
during the prewriting stage.
A. Sources
1. Generate material from outside sources. You must use 15–20 outside sources
for your literature review. These sources MUST be scholarly.
2. Peer-reviewed sources are preferred (journals and books published at
university presses). You can find such sources through Liberty University’s
Online Library research portal. The research portal ERIC is one of the most
frequently used databases for researching education topics.
3. Because this research assignment has many possible facets you can explore,
you may have the following reasons for using non-peer-reviewed sources:
a. Online databases of historical texts/documents (where the sponsoring
organization, editorial board, and information about the original
printed source are clearly identified)
b. Professional organizations (usually ending in a .org suffix)
c. Government agencies (ending in a .gov suffix)
d. Websites with the “.edu” extension are not necessarily reliable ones as
many different people have access to posting articles on such sites.
Additionally, faculty material published on such sites has not been
subject to the rigorous review process required by print publications.
B. Research
a. Go through your sources and take notes on information relevant to your
topic.
b. Once you have discovered your purpose for writing, it will direct the rest
of your note-taking.
c. Document! When you are getting ideas from outside sources, you must
make special efforts to record all bibliographical information. Make note
of the page numbers of the quotations you retrieve. Doing this at the
prewriting stage will save you time.
EDUC 721
II. Thesis Statement: For this assignment, you will have already written your thesis
statement.
III. Outline and write your literature review. The way you synthesize and arrange material is
unique to you. Your personal interpretations and ideas can be incorporated. Look for gaps
in your sources; there may be a point that is not stressed or an obvious conclusion that is
overlooked. Dispute with your sources. You are not to accept anything as fact as you are
open to exploring all possibilities as a non-biased researcher. Remember to stay aligned
with your Research Proposal as well as the guidelines provided by the Writing the
Winning Thesis or Dissertation textbook.
IV. Revise, Edit, and Proofread
A. Check your thesis statement. Does it clearly articulate all the points you have
covered in your review? Are any points mentioned that are not covered in your
review?
B. Check your body paragraphs against your thesis (10–15-page review). Are they
related to your thesis? Are they analytical?
C. Check the details of your body paragraphs. Do you have enough support for your
topic sentence? Are all the details in each body paragraph directly related to their
respective topic sentence? Are the points you are making arranged in such a way
that your reader can clearly follow your line of thinking? Do you have too much
outside support (so much so that it overwhelms your voice)?
D. Read your paper carefully (out loud is suggested).
E. Check your compliance with current APA format. Review in-text documentation
and the reference page (using the most current APA manual). Check for any
missing citations and correct them if necessary.
V. Submit the final draft of your paper by the deadline stated.
EDUC 721
Page 1 of 2
LITERATURE REVIEW GRADING RUBRIC
Criteria
Levels of Achievement
Content (70%)
Advanced
Proficient
Developing
Not present
Content
66 to 70 points
The sources are all clearly related
to the problem and research
question. Each source citation is
relevant, accurate, and of good
quality.
61 to 65 points
The problem and research
question are covered by the
sources, but their relationship
to the project is somewhat
unclear. Each source citation is
somewhat relevant, accurate,
and of good quality.
1 to 60 points
The problem and research
question are not covered by the
sources, and/or the sources are
unclear in their relationship to
the topic. The source citations
included, if any, are of low
quality, and lack relevance and
accuracy.
0 points
Not present.
Timeframe
28 to 30 points
At least 8 journal articles are
current and have been published
within the last 5 years.
26 to 27 points
Fewer than 8 journal articles
are current and have been
published within the past 5
years.
1 to 25 points
Fewer than 6 journal articles are
current and have been
published within the past 5
years.
0 points
Not present.
Variety, Level of
Writing, and
Authority
38 to 40 points
A variety of scholarly sources are
included in the bibliography, and
they are all written at the
appropriate scholarship level for
this paper’s purpose.
35 to 37 points
Mostly 1 or 2 source types
(e.g., Internet sites, books, etc.)
are used in the bibliography,
and most sources are written at
the appropriate scholarship
level for this paper’s purpose.
1 to 34 points
The sources are not varied or
are inappropriate for this
paper’s purpose. Few of the
sources appear to be scholarly.
0 points
Not present.
EDUC 721
Page 2 of 2
Structure (30%)
Advanced
Proficient
Developing
Not present
Current APA
28 to 30 points
A title, abstract, and reference page
and a minimum of 15-20 sources
are included. The title, abstract, and
reference pages, and sources are
formatted in current APA style.
26 to 27 points
A title, abstract, and reference
page and at least 12 sources are
included. Only a few current
APA formatting errors are
present in the title, abstract,
reference pages, and/or
sources.
1 to 25 points
A title, abstract, or reference
page is not included, fewer than
10 sources are cited, and/or the
title, abstract, or reference
pages and/or sources are not
formatted in current APA style.
0 points
Not present.
Mechanics
28 to 30 points
Correct spelling and grammar are
used throughout the assignment.
There are 0-1 errors in grammar or
spelling that do not distract the
reader from the content.
26 to 27 points
There are occasional errors in
grammar or spelling. There are
1-2 errors in grammar or
spelling that rarely distract the
reader from the content.
1 to 25 points
There are 3 or more errors in
grammar or spelling that do
distract the reader from the
content.
0 points
Not present.
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 1
The Impacts of Assistive Technology in Education Outcomes of Visually Impaired Students
in an Inclusive Setting
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 2
Literature Review
Introduction
This section concerns a review of existing literature on assistive technology within
special education, with a special focus on improving the learning outcomes of visually
impaired learners within the standard learning system. Creating an equal environment for
disabled children in a normal education system requires more than the customary practices
such as enhanced communication and collaboration. It requires the input of technology, a
term that has become so common and so important in any learning field, if not every part of
daily human activity. Technology has posed itself as both a benefit and a disadvantage, but
depending on how, where, why, and when used. In learning for visually impaired learners,
assisted technology helps achieve success in an inclusive environment. Thus, the proposed
study will concern answering the question: what are the effects of assistive technology on
visually impaired students' learning outcomes in an inclusive setting?
The Challenges Visually Impaired Students Experience Within an Inclusive Education
System
Despite the general need to implement an inclusive learning system, there are inherent
challenges that are found to retard the achievement of that need. Inclusive education allows
both the "abnormal" and "normal" students to learn within the same setting. In this paper, the
term abnormal refers to learners with at least one disability or special need. At the same time,
normal is used to define those with not perceived or medical conditions that can be classified
as requiring special needs or a case of disability. Given these definitions, it is notable that
several challenges can arise when creating an inclusive learning environment. A survey study
was done within Chilga, and Tikil Dingay primary schools aimed to assess “the challenges
and opportunities to implement inclusive education in selected primary schools of North
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 3
GondarZone” (p. 118), Wondwosen Mitiku, Yitayal Alemu, and Semahegn Mengsitu. (2014)
established that challenges for implementing an inclusive education cut across different
levels. For instance, they found that society’s negative attitudes towards disability can impede
their acceptance to change to accommodate the disabled within an inclusive setting. This
arises from the challenge of addressing stigma among disabled and low self-esteem. Other
challenges arise from the need to standardize classroom arrangements and teaching plans,
which can be costly to implement successfully.
Parents play a significant role in their children's learning process, and the function is
more substantiated among parents to disabled children. In a study that employed the use of
interviews with 13 parents of children with mild disabilities, Wong, Poon, and Jia Ng (2014)
found that "parental perspective on inclusive education in Singapore is not only about
classroom support but also reflects a deeper concern about whether their children with
disabilities will emerge from school as contributing individuals in society" (p. 85). The basis
of such findings is that despite the general increase in inclusive learning, the possible
obstacles such as parental perceptions indicate a long way ahead for the ultimate inclusion of
learners with special needs.
Learning outcomes are defined by the learner's behavior within the educational
context and within the social context. Norshidah Mohamad and Salleha Khalim Zainab
(2010) conducted a study to assess why visually impaired students exhibit social behaviors
like indiscipline within an inclusive learning setting. They found that despite the general
challenge the disabled students faced when interacting with people and their passive nature,
they showed similar indiscipline cases compared to their normal-sighted peers. The main
challenge is to help the disabled children develop positive and active behavioral traits within
the social context earlier in their development stages. Its lack is hugely contributed to by the
negative perception both society and teachers have against disabled children. Hence, the need
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 4
to implement additional interventions such as premediated skill training sessions, behavioral
contract, assertiveness training, and physical fitness.
Apart from parental perceptions on inclusive education, those held by the teachers,
disabled children, and their normal peers impact the overall implementation process and
outcomes of such a learning system. Asamoah, Ofori-Dua, and Cudoje (2018) conducted a
study that involved the use of semi-structured in-depth interviews to collect data from 23
visually impaired students, 27 students without disabilities, and 19 teachers in an inclusive
school. The findings indicated a general acceptance of inclusive education among disabled
children and a portion of the teachers, while the normal children held negative attitudes.
Hence, when planning on implementing inclusive education, it is essential to provide
comprehensive training for the teachers and create a well-designed and focused awareness
creation for the non-disabled children to increase acceptance rates for inclusive education.
Since inclusive education is more of modern practice in special education, attempting
to overcome the barriers that have set aside special needs children from their normal peers
requires an effective change implementation strategy to win the will of all the stakeholders,
especially the disabled children. Change is always not an easy step, especially when the
subjects to change causes fear instead of motivation. These arguments are in line with the
outcomes of an interview study with eight children with visual impairments and focused on
individual opportunities and challenges concerning central aspects in PE, conducted by Ruin,
Giese, and Haegele (2020). The authors found that the fear of heights, among other
existential worries, is among the causes of the reluctance to accept the modifications that
come with inclusive education. These negative perceptions based on fear to change
significantly pull back efforts to implement inclusive education.
Assistive Technology for The Visually Impaired Within the Special Education System
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 5
There is an innumerable number of assistive technologies to help visually impaired
students through their learning progress. Regardless of each technology's potential outcomes,
the possibilities of their application within the learning sector, especially towards the
achievement of a fairground for learning, are increasingly high. One of such assistive
technologies is Voice user interfaces (VUIs). According to Metatla et al. (2019), VUIs have
become popular within the inclusive education system. Most of their application revolves
around creating an educational system that provided equal opportunities for enhanced
performance. Based on the outcomes of focused discussions with educators at a school, with
support staff from local authorities and, through bodystorming, with a class of 27 pupils, the
authors developed a wide range of possible approaches that can be used to implement VUIs
for maximum benefit for the visually impaired students. For instance, through training, the
outcome can be elevated because of an increased acceptance and usability rate. The proposals
are based on the use of design space demonstration of the potential approaches to using VUIs
outside the home setting, which is common with this type of assistive technology.
The scope of assistive technologies in the learning process for the visually impaired is
a significant determining factor for the outcomes of their implementations. Saleem and Sajjad
(2016) argue that the more comprehensive the scope, the higher the chances that it achieves
the intended goals and many more. These assertions were based on exploratory mixed-
method research that comprised qualitative and quantitative approaches. The sample size
included 56 students with blindness aged between 11 and 22 years, from the secondary level
of education selected through convenient sampling from five special schools located in four
cities of the province of Sindh of Pakistan, namely; Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, and
Nawabshah. The collected data were then analyzed using Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS), and hypothesis analysis using chi-square for the electronic views. Given the
relatively large sample size used and the statistical analysis approaches employed, one can
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 6
arguably conclude that there is little to no effect on assistive technology's scope from the
student's perception because they view it as a basic need for learning and overall quality of
life and functionality. However, the general assumption is that those that can cover the
learners' diverse needs with blindness are considered most effective compared to those
limited in scope.
As technology advances, so should assistive technologies. The advancements should
focus on eliminating the existing ones' limitations, adding new features that the current lack,
and exemplifying diversity and flexibility for future accommodations. Based on the same
topic, Albouys-Perrois et al. (2018) conducted a participatory design study that encompassed
15 visually impaired students and 3 O&M instructors over six months to determine the
success factor of a multisensory assistive technology for low vision and blind students. The
assistive technology comprised an integration between projection, audio output, and use of
tactile tokens for a comprehensive design that went beyond the limited use of existing maps
as a learning tool. The authors established that the rate of acceptance and customer
satisfaction was higher after using assistive technology. Besides, each student successfully
used the device, which substantially increased user satisfaction and goal achievement.
Conclusively, the researchers acknowledged the potential effect of augmented reality as a
visually impaired technology for the visually impaired persons, arguing that it had a higher
possibility of increasing access to education for the visually impaired learners.
While assistive technology is highly influential in the learning outcomes of disabled
persons, their use and adoption are dependent on factors such as the cost of accessing them.
There are publicly available assistive technologies, but most are unreliable to deliver the
anticipated outcomes. Also, given their scarcity, these devices are mostly costly. In an
exploratory case study that used a single-subject research study aimed to design, test, and
evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based English vocabulary learning program for the
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 7
visually impaired middle school children, Arslantas, Yildirim, and Asrslantekin (2019) found
that the affordances of the web-based drill program had a direct impact on rapid access to
content, customized teaching and tracing development. This means that the difficulty to
afford assistive technologies of similar or different type plays a role in the failure to realize
the anticipated outcomes in the learning progress of the visually impaired kids, lowering their
chances of engaging in a fair competition with fellow normal learners. Such findings have
implications on areas such as policy formulation, which can be focused on increasing
expenditures on the programs that reduce the costliness of assistive technology for the
disabled.
The teachers' ability to put into practice the assistive technologies for the maximized
realization of the associated benefits depends on their perceptions of the significance of such
technologies and their competencies in using the same learning aids. When the perceptions
are clouded with negativity, or when there is a general lack of training on using such
technologies, then the chances of registering significant improvements within an inclusive
education are limited. Ajuwon, Meeks, Griffin-Shirley, and Okungu (2016) explored
teachers' reflections of visually impaired students on their assistive technology competencies.
The commentary's basis was to link the success of assistive technology use and what the
instructors thought of their competencies in using them. The authors established a general
trend in uncertainty around their abilities to use the technologies, with more than half of the
participants (59.2%) showing a lack of confidence in assistive technology instruction
effectiveness. With such high rates of disapproval, the possibility of recording significant
improvements within the learning arena runs below the anticipated level because the ability
or likelihood of applying the same concepts in learning diminishes. Hence, the need to
establish a positive perception among the instructors on their ability to use assistive
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 8
instruction through in-service training and guidance works on elevating their perceptions on
the same.
Impacts of Assistive Technology for Visually Impaired Students
Assessing the impacts of assistive technology for the disabled is not a straightforward
and clearly defined procedure. Erdem (2017) makes a significant point on the same when he
notes that “In the USA, although relevant legislation (IDEA'97) includes provisions for the
use of assistive technologies, no standard definition exists for the quality of the assistive
technology services” (p. 136). However, the author identified that the Quality Indicators of
Assistive Technology (QIAT) Consortium set indicators for evaluating the quality of assistive
technologies in 2000. The indicators encompass “administrative support, consideration of
assistive technology needs, assessment of assistive technology needs, documentation in the
IEP, and assistive technology implement" (p. 136). The basis for identifying and
implementing the quality indicators is that assistive technology should work towards creating
an equal opportunity for the disabled within inclusive education. Since the impacts of
assistive technology instruction cut across a wide range of factors, such studies limit their
scope in specific areas, limiting the extent to which new avenues are approached.
Communication is one of the critical areas where assistive technology for visually
impaired students should be recorded. Assistive technologies play significant roles in
facilitating communication for visually impaired students across several settings and
circumstances. According to Belson, Hartman, and Sherman (2013), methods used to aid
visually impaired students to communicate are described as Augmentative/Alternative
Communication (AAC). They comprise aided and/or unaided symbols. Assistive
technologies help students with the inability to effectively communicate with a wide array of
opportunities like the utilization of simple communication boards or advanced technology
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 9
electronic systems. Generally, several technologies can be used for assisted communication;
they comprise communication boards/books with pictures, speech-generating devices, eye
gaze boards/frames, text-based devices with speech synthesis, and picture exchange
communication systems. These findings are suggestive of the significance of assistive
technologies in social interaction, and educational performance.
Writing skills involve particular intellectual skills, such as the ability to bring words
together and certain physical skills. Beal & Rosenblum (2018) showed that the assistive
advancements and systems, for example, natural and seating variations, an assortment of
pencils or pens, adjusted pencils or pens, adjusted papers, composing layouts, prewritten
words or expressions, name creators, compact talking word references, convenient word
processor, PCs with availability highlights, PCs with word preparing programming, elective
consoles, PCs with scanner PCs with word expectation, and PCs with voice acknowledgment
programming can be utilized in the training of composing abilities. Different guides,
including word processors, instruments that encourage the holding of pens, and PC
programming, to give some examples, are accessible to help the composing abilities of
understudies. Studies may have various outcomes regarding the impact of assistive advances
for composing aptitudes relying upon the assistive innovation utilized. For instance, as per
Parette and Peterson-Karlan (2011), unique sorts of PC programming, such as voice
acknowledgment, word assessment, and text-to-discourse, encourage effective results for
understudies composing troubles. Belson, Hartman, and Sherman (2013) found that the
utilization of advanced pens by people with learning challenges decidedly influenced the
nature of note-taking), while McCartney Prest, Mirenda and Mercier (2010) showed in their
investigation on the utilization of image upheld PC programming in instructing keeping in
touch with people with Down Syndrome that utilizing program improved their composing
rate and quality.
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 10
Overall, there are several ways in which assistive technologies can help create a
balanced playground for students with disabilities within an inclusive learning environment.
These impacts can be drawn across three main groups: educational, cognitive, and social.
Educational consequences are those directly related to performances within areas such as
writing and reading outcomes. Psychological benefits cut across the behavioral aspect of the
learners, who attempt to fit in with their normal counterparts and try to engage in socially
active roles and performances. These are conclusions drawn from a literature review of
studies from five databases: PsycINFO, PubMed, CINAHL, ERIC, and Web of Science
(Social Science Citation Index) (McNicholl et al., 2019). The outcomes, thus, point to the
diversity of the successful implementations of Assistive technology within the inclusive
learning context and a promoter for the attainment of a balanced playground for both normal
and abnormal students towards the common goal of increasing educational competency and
learning outcome.
Summary of Literature Review
This section has analyzed different literature on a wide range of topics regarding the
impacts of assistive technologies for the visually impaired within an inclusive learning
environment. The general trend is that the use of assistive technologies in special education is
not entirely a new concept, yet, there is still a large ground to cover to realize the potential
benefits. This is because most educators and normal children still hold negative attitudes
toward the use of assistive technologies. Teachers have low confidence in their expertise in
the use of assistive technologies and the widespread impacts on the learning outcomes. Thus,
despite the benefits across communication, writing and reading skills, social relations, and
several others, there are still deficiencies that hinder the maximum achievement of these and
many more advantages.
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 11
References
Ajuwon, P., Meeks, M., Griffin-Shirley, N., & Okungu, P. (2016). Reflections of Teachers of
Visually Impaired Students on Their Assistive Technology Competencies. Journal of
Visual Impairment & Blindness, 110(2), 128-134.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x1611000207
Albouys-Perrois, J., Laviole, J., Briant, C., & Brock, A. (2018). Towards a Multisensory
Augmented Reality Map for Blind and Low Vision People. Proceedings of the 2018
CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3173574.3174203
Asamoah, E., Ofori-Dua, K., Cudjoe, E., Abdullah, A., & Nyarko, J. (2018). Inclusive
Education: Perception of Visually Impaired Students, Students Without Disability,
and Teachers in Ghana. SAGE Open, 8(4), 215824401880779.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018807791
Beal, C., & Rosenblum, L. (2018). Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Tablet Computer
Application (App) in Helping Students with Visual Impairments Solve Mathematics
Problems. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 112(1), 5-19.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x1811200102
Belson, S. I., Hartman, D., & Sherman, J. (2013). Digital note taking: The use of electronic
pens with students with specific learning disabilities. Journal of Special Education
Technology, 28(2), 13-24
Erdem, R. (2017). Students with Special Educational Needs and Assistive Technologies: A
Literature Review. TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational
Technology, 16(1), 128-141. Retrieved 19 December 2020, from.
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 12
Kamali Arslantas, T., Yıldırım, S., & Altunay Arslantekin, B. (2019). Educational
affordances of a specific web-based assistive technology for students with visual
impairment. Interactive Learning Environments, 1-18.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1619587
McCartney, P. J., Mirenda, P., & Mercier, D., (2010). Using symbol-supported writing
software with students with down syndrome: An exploratory study. Journal of Special
Education Technology, 25(2), 1-12
McNicholl, A., Casey, H., Desmond, D., & Gallagher, P. (2019). The impact of assistive
technology use for students with disabilities in higher education: a systematic
review. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 1-14.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2019.1642395
Metatla, O., Oldfield, A., Ahmed, T., Vafeas, A., & Miglani, S. (2019). Voice User Interfaces
in Schools. Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems. https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300608
Mitiku, W., Alemu, Y., & Mengsitu, S. (2014). Challenges and Opportunities to Implement
Inclusive Education. Asian Journal of Humanity, Art and Literature, 1(2), 118.
https://doi.org/10.15590/ajhal/2014/v1i2/54051
Parette, H. P., & Peterson-Karlan, G, R, (2011). Facilitating student achievement with
assistive technology. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 42(4),
387 - 397
Ruin, S., Giese, M., & Haegele, J. (2020). Fear or freedom? Visually impaired students’
ambivalent perspectives on physical education. British Journal of Visual Impairment,
026461962096181. https://doi.org/10.1177/0264619620961813
EXCEPTIONALITY IN EDUCATION 13
Saleem, S., & Sajjad, S. (2016). The Scope of Assistive Technology in Learning Process of
Students with Blindness. International Journal of Special Education, 31(1), 46-54.
Salleh, N., & Zainal, K. (2010). How and why the visually impaired students socially behave
the way they do. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 859-863.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.249
Wong, M., Poon, K., Kaur, S., & Ng, Z. (2014). Parental perspectives and challenges in
inclusive education in Singapore. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 35(1), 85-97.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2013.878309
The Impacts of Assistive Technology in Education Outcomes of Visually Impaired Students
in an Inclusive Setting
I. Literature Review
a. APA formatted tittle page
II. Introduction
III. The Challenges Visually Impaired Students Experience Within an Inclusive
Education System
IV. Assistive Technology for The Visually Impaired Within the Special Education
System
V. Impacts of Assistive Technology for Visually Impaired Students
VI. Summary of Literature Review
References
Ajuwon, P., Meeks, M., Griffin-Shirley, N., & Okungu, P. (2016). Reflections of Teachers of
Visually Impaired Students on Their Assistive Technology Competencies. Journal of
Visual Impairment & Blindness, 110(2), 128-134.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x1611000207
Albouys-Perrois, J., Laviole, J., Briant, C., & Brock, A. (2018). Towards a Multisensory
Augmented Reality Map for Blind and Low Vision People. Proceedings of the 2018
CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3173574.3174203
Asamoah, E., Ofori-Dua, K., Cudjoe, E., Abdullah, A., & Nyarko, J. (2018). Inclusive
Education: Perception of Visually Impaired Students, Students Without Disability,
and Teachers in Ghana. SAGE Open, 8(4), 215824401880779.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018807791
Beal, C., & Rosenblum, L. (2018). Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Tablet Computer
Application (App) in Helping Students with Visual Impairments Solve Mathematics
Problems. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 112(1), 5-19.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x1811200102
Belson, S. I., Hartman, D., & Sherman, J. (2013). Digital note taking: The use of electronic
pens with students with specific learning disabilities. Journal of Special Education
Technology, 28(2), 13-24
Erdem, R. (2017). Students with Special Educational Needs and Assistive Technologies: A
Literature Review. TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational
Technology, 16(1), 128-141. Retrieved 19 December 2020, from.
Kamali Arslantas, T., Yıldırım, S., & Altunay Arslantekin, B. (2019). Educational
affordances of a specific web-based assistive technology for students with visual
impairment. Interactive Learning Environments, 1-18.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1619587
McCartney, P. J., Mirenda, P., & Mercier, D., (2010). Using symbol-supported writing
software with students with down syndrome: An exploratory study. Journal of Special
Education Technology, 25(2), 1-12
McNicholl, A., Casey, H., Desmond, D., & Gallagher, P. (2019). The impact of assistive
technology use for students with disabilities in higher education: a systematic
review. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 1-14.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2019.1642395
Metatla, O., Oldfield, A., Ahmed, T., Vafeas, A., & Miglani, S. (2019). Voice User Interfaces
in Schools. Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems. https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300608
Mitiku, W., Alemu, Y., & Mengsitu, S. (2014). Challenges and Opportunities to Implement
Inclusive Education. Asian Journal of Humanity, Art and Literature, 1(2), 118.
https://doi.org/10.15590/ajhal/2014/v1i2/54051
Parette, H. P., & Peterson-Karlan, G, R, (2011). Facilitating student achievement with
assistive technology. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 42(4),
387 - 397
Ruin, S., Giese, M., & Haegele, J. (2020). Fear or freedom? Visually impaired students’
ambivalent perspectives on physical education. British Journal of Visual Impairment,
026461962096181. https://doi.org/10.1177/0264619620961813
Saleem, S., & Sajjad, S. (2016). The Scope of Assistive Technology in Learning Process of
Students with Blindness. International Journal of Special Education, 31(1), 46-54.
Salleh, N., & Zainal, K. (2010). How and why the visually impaired students socially behave
the way they do. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 859-863.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.249
Wong, M., Poon, K., Kaur, S., & Ng, Z. (2014). Parental perspectives and challenges in
inclusive education in Singapore. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 35(1), 85-97.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2013.878309
