Kelly, S. M., & Smith, D. W. (2011). The impact of assistive technology on the educational performance of students with visual impairments: A synthesis of the research . Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness , 105 (2), 73–83. https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jvba

Literature from 1965–2009 related to assistive technology for people with visual impairments was reviewed. Accommodations were broadly discussed, with some specific supports such as Braille, scanners, optical character recognition technology, computer screen readers, compact discs (CDs), and hardware and software innovations mentioned.

In total, 256 articles related to assistive technology use for individuals with visual impairments from 1965–2009 were reviewed. Articles were collected from EBSCO academic search premier, EBSCO Professional Development Collection, ERIC, and PsychInfo using search terms related to visual impairment and assistive technology. Participants in the studies reviewed were visually impaired and ranged in age from 3–21.

Literature was examined to determine whether science-based and rigorous research had been conducted on the effectiveness of assistive technology for students with visual impairments.

Only two reviewed articles included promising evidence-based practices. The first found that closed-circuit television (CCTV) was effective in improving the reading rates of college-bound, visually impaired students. The second found that the use of the electric Perkins Brailler improved writing rates and accuracy.