The importance of providing equal access to education for students with disabilities within an inclusive education system was highlighted by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic in the 2023 “Accessible Country” state program. Recent literature has supported the significant role of assistive technology (AT) in meeting the needs of students with disabilities within an inclusive setting. However, this indicates a necessity for teachers to be knowledgeable and skilled in using AT. In order to meet the goals of the Accessible Country program, the current study aimed to explore teachers’ AT knowledge and skills, their perspectives toward AT use, and their perceptions of AT in K-12 settings. Data were collected from 262 teachers via survey. The results indicated that the schools had more low-tech AT and less mid-tech or high-tech AT, and that teachers had an awareness of the benefits and importance of ATs in education. However, the teachers have limited AT knowledge and skills, in addition to their pedagogical knowledge of AT integration in the special education context. Also, the teachers held a neutral perspective about the use of AT in special education. The teachers reported AT training needs, lack of available time, lack of support, lack of motivation, low teacher salaries, and lack of resources as barriers to the use of AT in the Kyrgyz education system.
Arslan‐Ari et al. (Mon,) studied this question.