Chapter 12: Assistive Technology for Students With Disabilities: An International and Intersectional Approach

Based on a review of almost two decades of research, augmentative and alternative communication devices tend to be promoted and discussed using a mostly dominant framing of race, culture, language and context (Kulkarni & Parmar, 2017). These communication devices are part of a broader set of assistive technologies (AT) supports provided to students with disabilities primarily in school settings. While devices can be meaningful for the participation, socialization, and employment of students with disabilities, particularly those with difficulties with verbal speech and mobility, few studies have highlighted important perspectives of culturally and linguistically diverse student users, their families and community members. In this chapter, we call for a framework of intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991) that embraces race, culture and language when supporting students with disabilities who utilize assistive technology devices. We begin by introducing AT use and research internationally, addressing some of the underlying issues around participant demographics (mainly that intersectional markers are often not included), providing 1–2 case examples of students with disabilities at the intersections of race and language who utilize AT, and concluding by providing a framework for future research on culturally and linguistically diverse AT research.