The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) have called on higher education institutions across West Africa to adopt assistive technologies to remove barriers preventing learners with disabilities from accessing quality education.
The institutions made the call on Tuesday at a two-day regional workshop on assistive technologies for learners with disabilities in open and distance learning (ODL) institutions in West Africa, organised by the Regional Training and Research Institute for Distance and Open Learning (RETRIDOL), NOUN, in collaboration with COL.
Speaking at the workshop, Professor Jane-Frances Agbu, Adviser on Higher Education at COL, said that although open and distance learning had expanded educational opportunities beyond geographical boundaries, inaccessible learning environments, technologies and educational practices continued to exclude some learners with disabilities.
“We may have overcome some barriers of distance learning, but we have not done enough to overcome the barriers created by inaccessible learning environments, technologies and educational practices,” she said.
Agbu identified screen readers, speech to text applications, captioning tools, adaptive devices, accessible digital platforms and emerging artificial intelligence applications as technologies capable of helping learners with disabilities access information, engage with learning materials and participate more independently in their education.
She stressed that the success of open education should not be measured solely by the number of learners reached, but by how effectively institutions enable them to participate, learn and achieve their potential.
“Ultimately, the true measure of open education is not simply by how many learners we reach, but how many we enable to participate meaningfully, learn with dignity, realise their potential and succeed,” she said.
The COL adviser urged institutions to involve learners with disabilities in designing inclusive educational policies and technological solutions, noting that their experiences should inform decisions on the development and implementation of assistive technologies.
“We must not simply design solutions for them. We must listen to them and involve them in shaping these solutions,” Agbu said.
She described the workshop as an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange experiences, review existing practices and identify practical and sustainable approaches to strengthening inclusive education across West Africa.
In his opening remarks, NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Professor Uduma Oji Uduma, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Technology, Innovation and Research, Professor Christine Ofulue, said that providing access to education was insufficient without the necessary support to ensure meaningful participation by learners with disabilities.
He said assistive technologies could reduce barriers to learning but cautioned that technology alone could not guarantee inclusion without proper selection and integration into teaching and learning.
“Technology alone cannot guarantee inclusion. We need to think about appropriate technology and how it can be effectively integrated into teaching and learning,” he said.
Uduma stressed the need for institutions to complement assistive technologies with appropriate policies, accessible learning materials and responsive learner support services to ensure that learners with disabilities benefit fully from educational opportunities.
He said NOUN had taken steps to promote inclusive education through a policy on learners with special needs, the establishment of a Special Needs Unit within the Directorate of Learner Support Services and the launch of an interdisciplinary network on inclusive education.
While describing the initiatives as evidence of the university’s commitment to widening access to education, he acknowledged the need to strengthen support for learners with disabilities.
The vice-chancellor also commended COL for its continued partnership with NOUN in promoting innovation, capacity development, knowledge sharing and inclusive education across West Africa.
Earlier, RETRIDOL Director, Professor Dorothy Ofoha, said the workshop was designed to strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions to integrate assistive technologies into their open and distance learning programmes.
She explained that RETRIDOL, established in 2003 through a collaboration between NOUN and COL, was mandated to advance open and distance learning and promote regional cooperation across West Africa.
According to Ofoha, the institute had supported capacity building and research initiatives across Cameroon, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo.
She said access to education would remain incomplete if learners with disabilities could not participate fully in learning activities or benefit from opportunities provided by their institutions.
“Access to education is not meaningful unless all learners are able to participate fully and benefit from the learning opportunities provided,” she said.
Ofoha added that assistive technologies could help reduce barriers associated with learning materials, digital platforms, communication channels and assessment activities.
