Special Education Technology Addressing Diversity: A Synthesis of the Literature

Abstract

With the increasing complexity of schools and society, there is great need for expanded understanding of the many dimensions of diversity within the field of assistive technology (AT). The question that lies before us is how has diversity been examined in AT research and literature? Following a research synthesis method similar to Summers (1985) and Edyburn (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) the purpose of this study was threefold: (a) first, to conduct a literature review of scholarly publications in the area of AT that focused on the diversity dimensions of family, rural, culture, race, or gender between the years of 2000 and 2004, (b) second, to identify to what extent literature scatter was present or absent in this literature review, and (c) third, to answer the question ‘What have we learned?’ Using study criteria, 19 articles scattered across 12 peer-reviewed journals were identified and classified under five categories: family, rural, culture, race, and gender. Implications for practitioners and the field of AT are discussed.