USING OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR BLIND STUDENTS.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the preference of the assistive technology for the visually impaired students in education field. Methods: This study was carried out with 10 visually impaired students studying at a state university. In our study, a qualitative question form created by researchers to assess the using of assistive technology were used. Results: The mean age of participations (6 women, 4 men) participated in the study was 19.20.±1.47. 80% of the participants were using the screen and document reading software, especially the JAWS program. All of the participant used Audio format materials, smart mobile phone and smartphone screen readers. It was found that 20% of participants used Braille translation software and computer printers. It was found that 10 % of participants used Voice recorders. Conclusions: According to the results we have obtained from our study, it seems that participants often benefit from assisstive technology of listening to written materials. Participants do not prefer the technological tools to write notes such as Electronic Braille Notebooks. It is thought that it would be beneficial to carry out new studies investigating the reasons for not using braill alphabet. It is thought that it is important to investigate the level of knowledge about these technologies in order to prepare both the course content and the exam questions of the academic staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]