The impact of tablet computers on students with disabilities in a Higher Education setting

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Henderson, Kirsty | Gibson, Chris | Gibb, Forbes^{; *}

Affiliations: Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Forbes Gibb, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 26 Richmond Street, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK. Tel.: +44 0141 548 3704; Fax: +44 0141 548 4523; E-mail: forbes.gibb@cis.strath.ac.uk.

Abstract: This study evaluated the impact of iPads on students with disabilities in a Higher Education (HE) setting with a focus on: an assessment of their physical characteristics and functionality; their utility as communication devices; and the use of iPads to engage with university services. The participants, who had a range of disabilities, were provided with iPads for a period of three weeks, given basic training in their operation, and were instructed to use them freely. The participants completed an online survey and then took part in semi-structured interviews at the end of the loan period. The participants also undertook a series of short information-seeking tasks that were designed to compare the performance of laptops and tablet computers. This study should be of use to education practitioners as well as acting as a pilot for future studies aimed at investigating the provision of tablet computers to students with disabilities.

Keywords: Tablet computers, usability studies, information seeking, laptop computers

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-130365

Journal: Technology and Disability, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 61-76, 2013