Specialized ICT hardware and software tools form the technological infrastructure upon which visually challenged students (VCS) depend for academic participation. This paper examines the availability, usability, and institutional deployment of such tools in two Kenyan public universities, drawing on empirical data collected through multi-informant interviews, structured questionnaires, and systematic observation at Kenyatta University and Maseno University. Adopting a human-computer interaction (HCI) lens informed by Donald Norman's principles of good design and Shneiderman and Plaisant's Golden Rules of Interface Design, the study evaluates the functional alignment between available tools, including screen readers, refreshable Braille displays, OCR systems, talking books, modified keyboards, and adaptive computers and the specific cognitive and interaction demands of non-visual academic computing. A comparative analysis reveals significant inter-institutional disparities in tool availability, a systemic disconnect between institutional tool inventories and day-to-day usability, and a critical gap in staff competence to support assistive technology deployment. The paper proposes a tool-needs matrix linking specific academic tasks to appropriate assistive technologies, and advances recommendations for a Kenya-wide assistive technology procurement consortium to address the structural cost barriers that perpetuate digital exclusion.
E. M. Savatia (Mon,) studied this question.
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