Opinions of Visually Impaired University Students on Assistive Technology Use

Abstract

This study explores the perspectives and experiences of university students with visual impairments regarding their use of assistive technology in both academic and daily life. Employing a qualitative phenomenological research design, the study investigates the lived experiences of these students in relation to assistive technology. Ten visually impaired students from various higher education institutions in Turkey participated in the study; they were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focusing on the participants' experiences using assistive technologies for education, daily living, and accessing information. Content analysis was used to analyze the data, and the findings were organized into two main themes, further divided into ten sqw2wqwqub-themes derived from the participants' narratives. The results indicate that assistive technologies significantly improve independent mobility, access to information, academic participation, and social integration for visually impaired students in educational settings, daily routines, and when using library services. However, the study also identified barriers such as accessibility issues, high costs, limited institutional support, and a lack of sufficient technical training. Based on these findings, the study proposes recommendations to improve the accessibility and effective use of assistive technologies in higher education, including enhancing technological accessibility, strengthening technical support and training programs, and increasing institutional and social awareness of assistive technologies.