Access and use of digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic: experience of primary school students with disabilities

Abstract

In Mexico, during the contingency due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people with disabilities faced various difficulties in the educational field. The objective of this work was to describe the characteristics and problems in the access and use of digital technologies that, during the online classes of the 2020-2021 school year, were reported by relatives who accompanied primary-level students with various types of disabilities enrolled in schools with different learning approaches, in the context of southern Tamaulipas. 93 questionnaires were applied to caregivers of primary students with disabilities. Their responses are analyzed from a descriptive quantitative perspective. Results show that every student had at least one technological device for online classes, with the cell phone being the most frequent resource (100 %) and internet connection at home through mobile data (97 %). The main mediation tools were the use of text books, booklets, or photocopies (72 %) and the use of platforms and apps (Google Classroom or Meet, Teams, Zoom and Whastssap) (69 %). However, they did not have accessibility planning, and the resources of the Learn at Home government program were underutilized with a reported use of 3 % of the web page and 2 % of radio and television programs. Public schools exclusively for people with disabilities (Multiple Attention Centers, CAM) were the ones that applied the least technological mediation, and those that taught classes on a less regular basis. There was a field of opportunity in training for a more intensive use of accessibility applications and tools that facilitate the process of technological appropriation, according to the type of disability. During the pandemic, the implementation of distance education presented differences in its scope and effectiveness, affecting vulnerable groups.