Assistive technology used by elementary and high school learners with special educational needs: Its challenges and opportunities

This research delved into the level of experience, challenges and opportunities in the used of assistive technology among learners with special educational needs in the SPED schools at a City in Capiz during the 2024-2025 academic year. One hundred twelve (112) learners participated in the study, which were selected to answer questions pertaining to the experience, challenges and opportunities in using assistive technology. Data were gathered by utilizing a researcher-made questionnaire, which is validated by a professor in special education. After validation, it was pilot-tested with thirty learners from Kalibo Integrated Special Education Center. Factor analysis, construct validation, and reliability testing were performed by utilizing Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. The independent variable was the level of experience in using assistive technology, while the dependent variable was the level of challenges and opportunities in using assistive technology. In analyzation of data, Descriptive statistics, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation were employed with a significance level set at 0.05. The findings of this study are the following: The level of experience in using assistive technology for elementary and high school learners with special educational needs is “high”. The level of challenges in using assistive technology for elementary and high school learners with special educational needs is “moderate”. The level of opportunities in using assistive technology for elementary and high school learners with special educational needs is “high”. There is no significant difference in challenges among the levels of experience in using Assistive Technology of Elementary and High School Learners with Special Educational Needs. There is significant difference in opportunities among the levels of experience in using Assistive Technology of Elementary and High School Learners with Special Educational Needs. There are significant relationships among experience, challenges, and opportunities of Elementary and High School Learners with Special Educational Needs.