The adoption of assistive technologies in academic libraries: Acase of library users with visual and hearing impairments at

Kyambogo University in Uganda

By Robert S. Buwule

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of the adoption and usage of Assistive Technologies forusers with visual and hearing impairments at the Kyambogo University, Uganda. Themajor objectives of the study are to identify the types of assistive technologies availablefor use to persons with visual and hearing impairments, the usage preferences andpatterns, factors that influence usage, and the barriers to effective utilization. The studyhas established that a wide range of technologies were being used at the UniversityLibrary. Most of the respondents were aware of the available assistive technologies andwere using them. The major challenges the respondents were facing included lack ofskills and poor maintenance of the technologies. The main recommendations includeintroduction of IT skills, increasing the number of assistive technologies, regularmaintenance, employing of skilled library staff.

Key words: Assistive Technologies, Visual and Hearing Impairment,Disability, Libraries, Uganda

1

Background

Persons with disabilities (PWD), particularly persons with visualand hearing impairments (PVHI), are usually overlooked in theprovision of information. Most of the lives of these people inEast Central and Southern Africa are characterized by a high rateof illiteracy, poverty and exclusion from most of society’sdevelopmental activities. This is occasioned by the limitedopportunities for them to access developmental informationavailable to the rest of the people (Ochoggia, 2004). In order toensure an inclusive access to information, several informationproviders are employing Assistive Technologies (ATs) to provideinformation in digital form to persons with visual and hearingimpairments.

Assistive technology is a term that describes software and/orhardware that assists users. It is applied mostly in reference totechnology used by persons with a disability or impairment. Anexample would be the use of screen-reading software for usersthat are blind or vision impaired in a library or informationcentre (BTVET, 2008). Assistive technologies have been around inthe world for at least 130 years. Assistive technology helpspeople perform functions that their disabilities prevent themfrom doing.

There are several technologies for PVHI today and many are usedin modern libraries. Assistive technology for PVHI can includemobility devices such as walkers and wheelchairs, as well ashardware, software, and peripherals that assist people withdisabilities in accessing digital information or otherdevelopmental information technologies. For example, people withvisual impairment may use software that reads text on the screenin a computer-generated voice, people with low vision may usesoftware that enlarges screen content, people who have hearingimpairment may use a text telephone (TTY), or people with speechimpairments may use a device that speaks out loud as they entertext via a keyboard (University of Washington, 2002).

Many of these technologies have been installed in libraries likeKyambogo University Library but these services are challenged

2

with old and obsolete technologies, shortage of stock(digitalinformation), Shortage of logistical facilitation, lack of signlanguage library interpreters, inadequate PVHI tailoredinformation services to mention but a few (Nabirye B. 2008:21-23). One wonders whether the PVHI are benefiting from thedevelopmental information provided like other normal users whoaccess the library.

Some Facts on PWDs in Uganda

The Uganda average rate of population growth remains high at 3.2percent per annum (Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 2009). At thisgrowth rate, the population increased to reach 31.8 million in2010 and is projected to increase to 37.9 million in 2015(National Development Plan, 2010). It has also been estimatedthat 2.5 Ugandans consist of persons with disabilities (PWDs)(Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS), 2006); there is nospecific data on the percentage of PVHI. Only 2.2% of PWDs haveattained post secondary education (Census 2002). Ninety percentof PWDs do not go beyond primary education; and 60% of PWDs donot receive any kind of rehabilitation at all (Hoogeveen, 2004).

ATs accessibility for PWDs is highly challenged by lack ofincentives to encourage private sector commitment to meet thecost implications related to enabling access to appropriate ATsby PWDs (Kirya, 2011). Consequently, to address these challengesthe Government has identified the following activities, amongmany others:

Rural communication development fund (RCDF)–the mainobjective is to realize universal access to communicationsin Uganda.

Education, training and human resource development;Government in partnership with civil society have increasedopportunities for training of women and PWDs.

Need to facilitate and encourage PWDs and women toparticipate in the Information Communication Technology(ICT) policy development and implementation process.

3

Persons with disabilities are increasingly being seen as individuals who are able and capable of directing the developmentof their future rather than objects of charity that have to depend on others in order to survive in society.

Problem Statement

In spite of the fact that there are some few Assistive technologies in University libraries, PVHI are not optimally utilized and benefited from these services.

Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study was to evaluate the access, adequacy, ease, range, quality, impact and challenges of ATs’ use in the University Libraries.

The study sought to achieve the following objectives:-

1. To evaluate the ease of access and pattern of use of the assistive technologies by PVHI in Libraries

2. To establish the availability and relevance of the content provided through the Assistive technologies

3. To identify the needs and challenges faced by the users andmanagers of Assistive technologies in libraries

4. To explore the possibility of designing tailor made digital information services for PVHI

Research Questions

1. How easy and accessible are the assistive technologies by PVHI in Libraries?

2. What is the pattern of use of the assistive technologies by PVHI in Libraries?

3. How easily available is the digital information retrieved through the assistive technology?

4. How relevant is the content provided through the Assistive technologies more especially in relation to poverty eradication and sustainable development?

5. What are the needs and challenges faced by the users and managers of Assistive technologies in libraries?

4

6. Suggest possible interventions that can be done to help the designing of tailor made digital information services for PVHI in libraries

Significance of the Study

It has been observed that there is no comprehensive research onthe adoption of assistive technologies in libraries more sofocusing PVHI users in Universities and Academic libraries in SabSaharan Africa.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

Conceptual scope of this study covers the function ability of theassistive technologies, possession of required skills inoperating the technologies; management of information in thedigital environment, provision of the required and relevantinformation, challenges faced and suggested solutions.

The Geographical scope covers PVHI library users and managers ofthe assistive technologies in Kyambogo University in Uganda.

Literature Review

Types of Assistive Technologies used in Libraries and otherComputer Aided Devices

Assistive technology encompasses all devices developed to assistdisabled individuals with performing tasks that might otherwisebe difficult or impossible for them to achieve. This technologycan encompass mobility devices such as walkers, wheelchairs andelectric scooters as well as communicative equipment such ashardware, software and peripherals to assist the visual, hearing,speaking and motion impaired populace. The history of assistivetechnology is not a long one, but the rate of change it continuesto generate is truly remarkable (ehow Health, 2011)

According to ehow Health (2010), many useful devices for the deafcame out of the Alexander Bell’s labs in subsequent years of1870. In 1917, E.C. Wente developed the condenser microphonewhich translated sound waves into electrical waves, allowing themto be transmitted by a vacuum tube amplifier. Harvey Fletcher

5

introduced the Western Electric Model 2A hearing aid and binauralheadset in the 1920s. An artificial talking machine or "voicecoder" was developed by H.W. Dudley working for Bell labs in1936. Walter B. Shockley and Walter H. Brattain followed with thetransistor in 1948 while Davis, Biddulph and Balasek introducedthe first speech recognition device in 1952(ehow health 2011).Those with hearing impairments can benefit from visualcaptioning, which is possible via certain software applications.The Telephone Device for the Deaf is another, technologyavailable.

The values of Assistive technologies to Persons with Disabilities

The importance of ICT to PWDs (both as students and lecturers) ininstitutions of higher learning cannot be over-emphasized. Listedbelow are some of the benefits of the usage of assistivetechnologies in academic libraries:

PWDs can benefit from e-learning, which is a useful tool inundertaking long-distance courses as well as sharingknowledge from various institutions;

Through various search engines, such as Google and Yahoo,PWDs can obtain research material which may not be easilyfound in ordinary libraries;

PWDs can easily undertake class assignments through wordprocessing, graphics and various spreadsheets;

ICT facilitates easy and cheap communication via e-mail,text messages and other phone services like Skype;

It may also be beneficial for PWDs to join social networkslike tweeter, face book and LinkedIn;

Commercial websites like amazon.com and tesco.com cangreatly facilitate E-shopping for PWDs;

Nowadays it is also possible to do internet banking, therebyenabling PWDs to avoid the hustles of physical banking.

ICT Options for People with Hearing ImpairmentHearing impairment takes two forms -- hard of hearing andprofound deafness. The primary difficulty that people with

6

hearing impairments experience is receiving auditory information;although it sometimes goes hand in hand with inability to talk.

Whereas Sign Language and lip reading are the basic communicationmodes for most deaf people, auditory information can also bereceived by presenting it in visual and/or tactile formats(Vanderheiden and Vanderheiden, 1991). Technologies which canoffer such capabilities are Telecommunication Devices for theDeaf (TDDs), telephone signaling devices (TSDs), and captions foraudio content. Likewise, in Windows XP there is a SoundSentrywhich can display visual warnings whenever the system makes asound. The hard of hearing would, in addition, benefit fromincreasing the volume range and lowering the frequency of highpitched auditory outputs. Those who can use hearing aids may fitthem with coils in order to receive telephone calls or hear whatothers say more clearly when ambient noise is reduced.

ICT Options for People with Visual ImpairmentVisual impairment represents two broad categories of people –those with low vision (dim or hazy vision, extreme far- or near-sightedness, colour-blindness and tunnel vision) and the totallyblind (Alexander, 2008).

People who are totally blind usually rely on a screen reader(software that translates the contents of the computer or mobilephone screen to either speech output or Braille display). Some ofthe common screen readers include JAWS For Windows, Window Eyes,and Refreshable Braille Displays. It is also possible to avoidusing a standard screen reader through text-based browsers orvoice browsers in the case of accessing the web. But of courseall these depend largely on the design of websites as featureslike ‘text only’ or voice browsers are usually embedded therein(Busuulwa A.2011).

Most low vision people can benefit from simple compensations likemagnifiers, glare reducers, bright lighting, high contrastcoloring, and larger lettering (Vanderheiden and Vanderheiden,1991). However, severe low vision may necessitate using screen

7

magnifiers, and sometimes these are used in combination withscreen readers.

People with low vision too, may have the option of increasing thesize of system fonts and images to avert the need for screenmagnifiers. For colour blindness in particular, which is a lackof sensitivity to certain colours, some websites have anallowance for individuals to use their own style sheets tooverride the font and background colour-choices of the author(Brewer, 2005).

ICT options for multiple disabilities

It is common to find the causes of one impairment causing others.For instance, diabetes can cause blindness and loss of sensationin fingers; rubella can cause deaf-blindness; a physicalimpairment emanating from cerebral palsy may also cause mentaland/or hearing impairments, speech disorders or even visualimpairments.

For someone with mild deaf-blindness, a combination of screenmagnification and screen reading software may be useful; yet aRefreshable Braille display is the only option for someone who isseverely deaf-blind. For someone who cannot move his or her handsas well as not being able to see the screen properly due tocerebral palsy, a combination of speech input and speech outputmight be useful; hence voice recognition software as well as ascreen reader.

Assistive technologies in Kyambogo University Library

Kyambogo University is a fairly new university established in2003 following a merger of Uganda Polytechnic, Kyambogo (UPK),Institute of Teacher Education, Kyambogo (ITEK) and UgandaNational Institute of Special Education (UNISE). KyambogoUniversity Library offers a range of services to its clientele.There are several Information Communication Technologies (ICTs)for People with Disabilities most especially targeting personswith visual and hearing impairments. These services are found in

8

the Faculty of Special Needs and Rehabilitation (FSN&R) Librarylocated at the North end of Kyambogo Campus. This paper discussesin detail the various ICT services offered to People with Visualand hearing Impairment.

FSN&R Library operates a Disability Resource Centre which issometimes called a talking library. This resource centre isequipped with different assistive technologies which assist usersto convert information in text to sound or brail or any formatthat a reader can comfortably access. More to that, the libraryidentifies and stocks non book and grey materials on SpecialNeeds. It preserves, stores, retrieves and disseminates specialworks of people with disabilities. It further offers informationand reference services related to issues of special needs allwith the help of ICTs.

Today we have a variety of assistive technologies and below aresome available in Kyambogo University library accessible to userswith visual and hearing impairments. It should be noted here thatthe government of Uganda sponsors 64 PWD students for universityeducation every academic year. Two thirds of these students areposted at Kyambogo University mainly because of its enablingenvironment for PWDs compared to other public universities inUganda.

Research Methodology

The study used a case study approach as the design of theresearch. Case study was used because the researchers wanted tothoroughly make detailed descriptions of the case and itssetting. An official register was used to obtain the total numberof PIVHI users. The study used a census sampling technique. TheRegister had 34 regular student users and 8 members of staff,giving a total population of 42. The study also interviewed 9key informants who were 3 library staff, 1 transcriber, 2lecturers, and 1 faculty administrator, 2 top managementuniversity officials. The study focused on these key informantsbecause of their rich experience of associating with both thecurrent and the former users of the assistive technologies.

9

The study adopted three major methods of Data Collection. Theseincluded questionnaires, interview and observation methods.Respondents were purposively sampled and interviewed to solicitfor in-depth data to supplement data collected throughquestionnaires. Observational schedules were designed forrecording notes, experiences and all other necessary detailsduring the data collection process. Quantitative data wasanalyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSSversion 16) while qualitative data was organized into themes.

Findings

Introduction

Thirty-nine questionnaires out of the four-two questionnairesdistributed were returned, giving a response rate of 92%. Eleven(28.2%) of the respondents were female while 28 (71.8%) weremale. Twenty-one (53.8%) had visual impairments while 18 (46.2%)had hearing impairments.

Awareness, availability, accessibility and usability of assistivetechnologies

Respondents were asked to indicate their levels of awareness ofthe available assistive technologies at Kyambogo UniversityLibrary. The findings of this study suggest that all therespondents were aware of the availability of CCTV and scanners(table 1). While all the respondents with hearing impairment wereaware of the availability of printers and computers, only 15 outof the 21 visually impaired respondents were aware of theavailability of these technologies. These findings indicate thatlevels of awareness of the existing assistive technologies variedamong the respondents according to type of disability.

Table 1: Availability of Assistive technologies

Type of DisabilityVisual Impairment

(n=21)Hearing Impairment

(n=18)Type of assistive technology

Count Row N % Count Row N % Total10

CCTV 21 53.8% 18 46.2% 100%Scanner 21 53.8% 18 46.2% 100%Printer 15 45.5% 18 54.5% 100%Computer 15 45.5% 18 54.5% 100%Jaws 21 72.4% 8 27.6% 100%Embossers 16 59.3% 11 40.7% 100%Magic 9 37.5% 15 62.5% 100%Audio player 18 78.3% 5 21.7% 100%Screen 3 30.0% 7 70.0% 100%Total 21 18 39

Other assistive technologies the respondents were aware ofincluded embosser photocopiers (5), photocopiers (3), andtelevisions (7).

The respondents were further asked to indicate the extent towhich they used these assistive technologies, on a 1-5 Likertscale, very poor to very good. The usage of CCTV and scanner wererated good while Jaws, printers, computers, and were embosserswere rated fair. Usage of Magic was rated poor while usage ofaudio players, screen, Kurzweil reader, bobby, and projectorswere rated very poor (table 2).

Table 2: Extent technologies are being used PHVIs

n mean mode sdCCTV 3

94.2 4 0.

7Scanner 3

93.8 4 0.

9Jaws 3

23.4 3 0.

8Printer 3

63.2 3 0.

7Computer 3

23.1 3 0.

6Embossers 3

23 3 1

Magic 2 2.6 3 0.11

9 8Audio player 3

61.9 1 1.

3Screen 2

91.7 1 0.

8Kurzweil Reader

8 1.6 2 0.5

Bobby 13

1.2 1 0.4

Projector 26

1.1 1 0.3

Respondents were further asked to rate the operational stateof the available assistive technologies using 5 item Likertscale, ranging from very poor to very good. As indicated intable 3 CCTV and embossers were rated to be in a goodoperational state while scanners, magic, Jaws, computers andprinters were rated to be a fair operational state. Audioplayers, projectors and screens were rated to be in a verypoor operational state.

12

Table 3: Technologies in sound operational state

N mean mode SdCCTV 3

93.9 4 0.

6Embossers 3

93.6 4 0.

5Scanner 3

93.4 3 0.

6Magic 2

73 3 0

Jaws 32

3 3 0.6

Computer 27

3 1 0.7

Printer 32

2.7 3 0.7

Audio player 36

1.6 1 0.7

Projector 14

1.4 1 0.5

Screen 17

1.2 1 0.4

Kurzweil Reader

5 1 1 0

Bobby 8 1 1 0

When respondents were asked to state whether the library had therequired infrastructure in the use of assistive technologies, 51%were of the opinion that the library had the requiredinfrastructure while 49% were of the opinion that the library didnot have the required infrastructure. The following were some ofthe infrastructure lacking in the library: poor Internetconnectivity mainly due to inadequate bandwidth (10), inadequatespace (4), inadequate storage facilities (3), and inadequatecomputers (3). However, 74% of the respondents expressedsatisfaction with the content of the available digitalinformation.

13

Skills in the use of assistive technologiesRespondents were asked rate their skills in the use of theavailable the assistive technologies. Table 4 shows the averageskills of the respondents in the use of the availabletechnologies. The respondents rated themselves on average to begood in the use of printers, audio players, CCTV, and screen;fair in the use of projectors, magic and Jaws; poor in the use ofembossers; and very poor in the use of Kurzweil readers andbobby.

Table 4: Required skills needed to operate these assistive technologies?

N mean mode sdPrinter 3

64.4 5 0.

7Audio player 2

73.8 5 1.

3CCTV 3

13.5 3 0.

9Screen 1

53.5 5 1.

8Scanner 3

93.4 3 1

Projector 18

3.2 5 1.8

Magic 32

3.1 3 0.6

Jaws 29

2.9 3 1.3

Embossers 32

2.3 2 0.9

Kurzweil Reader

19

1.3 1 0.5

Bobby 19

1.3 1 0.5

Furthermore, when respondents were asked whether the library hastrained library staff to operate the available assistivetechnologies, 22 felt that the library staff were not trained

14

while 17 felt they were trained. Furthermore, 34 (87%)respondents felt that the library staff lacked skills in handlingPHVIs. The respondents indicated that library staff lacked skillsin the following areas: sign language (11), braille literacy (9),operating and maintenance of assistive technologies (7) likescanners, embossers, use of Jaws (6), customer care (5), andinformation literacy. However, 84% (33) of the respondents feltthat they were receiving adequate assistance from the librarystaff.

Suitability of available digital information

Respondents were asked to rate the suitability, timeliness,adequacy, and reliability of the available digital information toPHVIs; 79.5% (31) rated the digital information as current, 79.5%(31) rated them as timely, 92.3% (36) rated them adequacy, and79.5% (31) rated them reliable (fig. 1).

Figure 1: Suitability of available digital information

Benefits got from using assistive technologies

Respondents were asked to list down the benefits of usingassistive technologies. The benefits listed in their order ofimportance included (table5). The major benefits of assistivetechnologies they noted were included (table 5): assistive

15

technologies provide easy access to information; enable them todo conduct research; enhance the learning process; provideopportunities for PHVIs to acquire IT skills; and they provideopportunities to learn more on disability.

16

Table 5: Benefits of using assistive technologies

Benefits (n=39) Freq

Ease access to information (including current affairs)

13

Research 8Enhance the learning process 7IT skills 6Learnt more on disability 5Total 39

Challenges being faced by PHVIs in the use of assistivetechnologies

Respondents were asked whether they had experienced anyincidences of non-conversion of information from print todigital; 93.3% (36) of the respondents admitted experiencingincidences of non-conversion of print information to digital. Ofthese, 25.6% reported that they sometimes experienced incidencesof non-conversion of print information while 51.3% reported thatthey often experienced non-conversion of information from printto digital. Other challenges observed were (table 6):

inadequate bandwidth, which limits the down loading ofgraphical and sound files

Some websites are too sophisticated for the VIs to navigatearound to get the information they want on their own

Financial constraints, for example Kyambogo UniversityLibrary incurred $1,000 for a JAWS license for eachcomputer. This version of JAWS cannot be installed onanother computer without a fresh license

Poor security of assistive technologies leads to theequipment exposed to vandalism and thefts

Library rest rooms were not convenient for the VI DRC closing hours were not convenient for evening PWD

students who study up to 10:45pm. The DRC operates from 9am to 5pm.

17

Table 6: Challenges in the use of assistive technologies

Challenges freq

Lack of IT skills 12Faulty assistive technologies due to lack of Maintenance

9

Limited space 4Inadequate assistive technologies (e.g. Jaws) 3Shortage of Computers 3Lack of Braille materials 2Lack of awareness of availability of assistivetechnologies

1

Lack of digital local content (e.g. newspapers)

1

Lack of guides/manuals 1Poor Internet connectivity 1Load Shedding/unreliable electricity supply 1Competition from normal users over the use of assistive technologies

1

Lack of trained staff in handling assistive technologies

1

Total 40

Recommendations from the respondents

The following recommendations were submitted by the respondents(table 7): PHVIs should be taught IT skills and the use ofassistive technologies; organize field visits for library staff;employ library staff skilled in the use of assistivetechnologies; employ staff skilled in the handling of assistivetechnologies; and train staff in the handling of assistivetechnologies, Braille, and sign language. Other recommendationsincluded the need to increase the number of assistivetechnologies; the need to install latest versions of softwarelike Jaws; regular repairs and maintenance of assistivetechnologies; improving Internet connectivity; increaseaccessibility to the library; improve awareness of available

18

assistive technologies; improve storage facilities; spread theaccess points across the university campus.

19

Table 7: Recommendations

Recommendations Freq

Teach PHVIs IT skills 10Organise field visits for library staff 5Employ library staff skilled in the use of assistive technologies

5

Train staff in handling assistive technologies, Braille, Sign language, etc.

4

Increase the number of assistive technologies 2Install latest version of Jaws (version 12.0) 2Regular repairs & maintenance of assistive technologies

2

Improve internet connectivity and subscription 1Increase accessibility to the library by PHVIs 1Improve the marketing of available of assistive technologies

1

Make library entrance easily accessible to PHVIs 1Procure updated talking books 1Provide alternative energy sources (e.g. solar energy)

1

Provide specialised storage facilities for assistive technologies

1

Spread assistive technology services to the whole University

1

Transcribe into Braille 1Total 39

Discussions

Uganda has taken the initial important steps in the provision ofassistive technologies to PWDs in order to increase their accessto information. However, there is need to continually address thesocioeconomic challenges of PWDs, explore private publicpartnership in addressing the remodeling of ICT systems ininstitutions of higher learning, establish structures thatfacilitate research into techniques and technologies that promoteaccess to ICTs by PWDs.

20

Assistive technologies provide opportunities for PWDs to enhancetheir learning and to provide access to information for personaldevelopment. Assistive technologies are a powerful tool thatsupports inclusive education to the PWDs. They enable PWDs toovercome the traditional barriers, such as mobility andgeographic distance, to information.

Kyambogo University intends to increase the number of motorizedtricycles for the PWD students to ease their movement around thecampus. Plans are under way to set up an e-campus system. Thissystem will provide internet service points all over the campuswhere any student can easily access it (it is not certain whetherthese Internet service point will also cater for PHVI students).They intend to run 10Kms of fibre optics. The E campus will alsobe able to do video streaming, recall lectures for those whomight have missed them, Pod Casting etc. Kyambogo University isalso planning to have students to sit for verbal exams. KyambogoUniversity is planning to procure 400 computers in the nextfinancial year which will be equally distributed to alldepartment of the university. An understanding with the ChineseGovernment is in its financial stages where China wants to supply3,000 computers to Kyambogo University at a greatly subsidizedprice. Furthermore, the Sign Language Department is about toundertake a project of revising the sign language dictionary.

Conclusion

The main objective of this study was to assess the extent towhich assistive technologies were being used by PHVIs at KyambogoUniversity in Uganda. The study has established that a wide rangeof technologies were being used at the University Library. Mostof the respondents were aware of the available assistivetechnologies and were using them for their study, research andpersonal development. The major challenges the respondents werefacing in the use of assistive technologies included inadequateequipment, lack of skills, and poor maintenance of the existingtechnologies. The main recommendations include introduction to ITskills and the use of assistive technologies, increasing thenumber of assistive technologies, regular maintenance of existing

21

technologies, employing library staff skilled in the use ofassistive technologies.

22

References

Brewer, J. (2005). How People with Disabilities Use the Web. Retrieved October 10th 2010 from

http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/20050505

BTVET, (2008), Definition of Key terms. Retrieved June 15th 2011 from: http://www.btvet- uganda.org/glossary/ploneglossarydefinition.2008-03-06.0938173856

Busuulwa A.,(2011). Disability and ICT in Institutions of Higher Learning: Values and Options for Persons

with Disabilities. A paper presented at a workshop organized by Action for Youth with Disabilities Uganda at the Faculty of Food Scienceand Technology, Makerere University, Kampala

Creswell J. W., (1997) Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among five Traditions.

Califonia, Sage

Ehow Health. (2011), History of Assistive Technologies. Retrieved June 15th 2011 from

http://www.ehow.com/about_6802248_history-assistive-technology.html

Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (1995). Ethnography: Principles in Practice (2nd ed.) New York:

Routledge.

Kiirya D. G, (2011) Remodeling ICT systems to suit needs of persons with disabilities in institutions of

higher learning. A paper presented in the ICT for Disability Workshopheld in Makerere University, Kampala.

Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications (2002). National Information and Communication

Technology Policy Framework. The Republic of Uganda.

Nabirye B. (2008:21-23), Challenges of Managing a Modern Information Resource Facility: A case of

23

Faculty of Special Needs and Rehabilitation – Disability Resource Centre. Unpublished Dissertation of Kyambogo University, Kampala.

Nayiga Florence – Ssekabira. (2000), Disability in Uganda. Retrieved June 15th 2011 from

http://www.dredf.org/international/florence.html

Ochoggia, R. (2004) Provision of Library and Information services to the visually handicapped students in

Kenya Public Universities: A case of Kenyatta University – Results of the Study. Towards a knowledge society for African Development Conference Proceedings of SCECSAL 2004. ULA, Kampala

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006). Author, Newyork.

University of Washington (2002), Washington Assistive Technologies. Retrieved June 15th 2011 from:

http://www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?109

Vanderheiden, G. C. and Vanderheiden C. R. (1991). A Brief Introduction to the Major Disability Groups

and Some Specific Barriers to Accessibility They Encounter. Trace Research and Development Centre: University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved July 15th 2011 from http://trace.wisc.edu

Waddell, C. D. (1999). The Growing Digital Divide in Access for People with Disabilities: Overcoming

Barriers to Participation in the Digital Economy. US Department of Commerce: Washington DC. Retrieved June 1st 2011 from www.icdri.org

World Bank (2004) World Bank Public Information Centre. Retrieved June 15th 2011from

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTSOCIALPROTECTION/EXTDISABILITY/0,,contentMDK:20298353~menuPK:282704~pagePK:64020865~piPK:149114~theSitePK:282699,00.html

24