Assistive Technology Use in Open, Distance and Blended Learning within TVET in Kenya and Zambia

This paper describes a project undertaken in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in Kenya and Zambia which examined educators’ awareness and use of Assistive Technology (AT) in open, distance and blended learning. A qualitative, symbolic interactionist approach was used to determine the types of AT that were familiar to the educators before and after training. The training was designed to provide a broad overview of AT, including low to high tech AT, and introduce some principles for including it in online and blended learning to support trainees with disabilities. The project used interviews with principals of each of four institutions (two in Kenya and two in Zambia), written responses of participants in group situations, and a post-training questionnaire to collect data. The results showed that while the TVET educators had some awareness of AT, they used a limited range of AT in their teaching. Post-training, as is to be expected, the educators demonstrated a greater awareness and understanding of a wider variety of AT. Both the principals and educators identified the need for ongoing training in inclusion and AT to ensure that skills were developed further in this area. Some of the challenges which may impact AT use included a lack of opportunity to access the AT, financial constraints, poor internet connectivity and inconsistent power supply issues. The project demonstrated that ongoing training in AT is an important consideration for the inclusion of trainees with disabilities to ensure that they can be successful in pursuing appropriate skill development which will ultimately lead to better employment outcomes.