Assistive Technology: a Key Enabler in the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities

People with disabilities (PWDs) frequently face challenges to their enjoyment of academic, social, and community participation and are subjected to discrimination and social exclusion based on their age, gender, ethnicity, social status, language, religion and living environments. Access to assistive technology is a precondition for achieving equal opportunities, enjoying human rights and living in dignity. Over the past decade, evolving technologies have revolutionised the way we do business, communicate, make war, farm, and provide medical treatment. New technologies are also transforming education, and in no domain more dramatically or successfully than in the education of students with disabilities. Use of assistive technology enhances and improves access and participation of PWDS in many life activities. This paper discusses thebenefits of assistive technology to students with disabilities (SWDs), and assistive technologies for people with different impairments. Effective use of assistive technologies can help governments in developing countriesachieve inclusive education by promoting access and participation in education by students with different impairments.This paper advocates for the utilisation of assistive technologies to provide powerful tools for making learning effective and interesting for learners with disabilities.