Information and Communication Technology for French and English Speaking Postsecondary Students with Disabilities: What are Their Needs and How Well are These Being Met?

This study evaluates how well information and communication technology (ICT) related needs of students with various disabilities are met at school, at home, and in e-learning contexts. Results are based on the POSITIVES Scale, a 26 item objective measure of how well the ICT related needs of these students are met. The sample consists of 131 students from French and 1202 students from English language universities and junior/community colleges with various disabilities from across Canada. Although the results generally show more favourable than unfavourable scores, these are affected by the nature of students’ disabilities and by context: home or school. Generally, both groups had similar views about circumstances where their needs were poorly met and about what worked well. The findings suggest that linguistic and policy considerations have an impact on how well the ICT related needs of students with different disabilities are met in different parts of Canada.