Inequality Amplified: How Technological Hindrances Deepen Educational Disparities for Learners with Differential Abilities in Ghana

This paper explores the technological, attitudinal and policy barriers students with disabilities face in accessing assistive technology and inclusive education in Ghana and how disability, gender, socioeconomics and other factors affect their technology experiences. This qualitative study examined students' attitudes on assistive technology and inclusive education through focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Twenty-three disabled students from two Ghanaian public universities were selected to reflect disability type, gender, socioeconomic level and other characteristics. The Intersectionality Framework was utilized to analyse the study to understand how many social identities and oppressive systems affect marginalization. This view acknowledges that humans have many, interconnected social identities that reflect power and inequality. This study indicated that disabled students in Ghanaian institutions experience multi-faceted impediments to assistive technology and inclusive education. Others include expensive device costs, ownership and lack of financing assistance that limit assistive technology availability. Architecture and transportation also limit campus accessibility. Attitudes produce biased learning environments, whereas institutional impediments include disability ignorance and inclusive practises. Researchers recommend expanding government and commercial funding for assistive technologies, especially free and affordable ones, to decrease financial obstacles for disabled individuals. They also suggested expanding inclusive pedagogy and universal design for learning teacher training and professional development.