The assistive technology in regular schools context: the reports of disabled children caregivers

Abstract

The disabled schooling has been discussed in the literature along with the possibilities of using auxiliary features to this process as the use of assistive technology. The use of these resources has been indicated to favor the execution of tasks, the access to educational content and school environments, and consequently, to help disabled individuals’ learning. However, there are few studies showing the resources impact in the education process of children with physical disabilities. The aim of this study was to identify, from the main student’s caregiver’s standpoint, the contributions and daily difficulties involved in the use of technology resources in students with cerebral palsy, focusing on those with severe motor impairment, attending regular education. The study included five caregivers of these students who were using assistive technology resource in the execution of writing and / or communicating assignments. Interviews were conducted based on a guide and data were analyzed following the Collective Subject Discourse (CSD) technique. The results indicated that the assistive technology resources are already included in regular schools and that they have brought contributions to the process of children with cerebral palsy education in regular class, nevertheless they are being implemented without systematization, monitoring and / or partnerships. The study pointed to the necessity of considering the different opinions and requirements of key stakeholders in the context which the use of technology is placed.