Teachers and the use of ICT for universal accessibility: where are we going?

ABSTRACT

ICT (information and communication technologies) have become a necessary educational resource and their use has become a daily occurrence in classrooms at different educational stages, even more so with the COVID-19 crisis. This relevance increases when it comes to disability, as ICTs become a tool for educational and social inclusion. Inclusion, technology, and teacher training are interrelated aspects, although they have hardly been analyzed in previous research. The aim of this paper is to analyze the situation regarding these aspects. To this end, a methodology based on uni- and bivariate analysis of six dimensions of a scale previously validated in other studies is used. The main results indicate that knowledge about disability and ICT is not sufficient;that knowledge about both aspects is greater among university teachers;and that in terms of gender and age differences, men and younger or less experienced teachers are more prepared and motivated. In short, the study is new in that it provides an accurate picture of the situation of teachers at all stages of education in technology and disability.