Access

Revised By: Jodi Altenbaumer, Kim Franzen, and Tim Pletcher

The 2002 addendum by Kim Baker, Amy Craddock, & Ann Orwig

In order to meet the needs of students in today's world, access to technologies must be equally available to all students. Accessibility to technologies in schools involve complex and vast issues. Several components to accessibility issues exist, but these issues fall into the following major categories: gender bias and gender gap , accessibility to all regardless of social, economical, or educational status, funding issues , hearing disabilities , visual disabilities , and other disability issues .

There is a gap between male and female interest and access to computers and the Internet. Access is not available to all students in part because of socio-economic issues and funding for technologies. Students with impairments have additional challenges, needs and access concerns that also must be met. Addressing these issues and finding ways to equalize access are the first steps to providing access to all.