The role of digital technologies in advancing educational quality for students with special educational needs: A higher education analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2026.20.02.22Keywords:
digital technologies, inclusive higher education, information and communication technologies (ICT), educational attainment, students with special educational needs (SEN), European Union, chi-square analysis, mixed-methods approach, accessibility, digital inclusionAbstract
The integration of enabling digital technology in a functional way in higher education is the key to enhance access to learning materials and to support the inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN). The scope of this article is to recognise digital technologies which are relevant and to identify gaps and barriers to the educational process in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the European Union (EU). The synthesis, systematization and generalization of scientific literature, for outlining main digital solutions in inclusive education and related structural barriers, was realized through qualitative methods. The quantitative part is based on chi-square (χ²) calculations, and uses data at an aggregated level from official statistics to analyze patterns of distribution along the axes of type of disability, level of educational attainment, age and gender. We find evidence of a stratification effect in educational attainment between groups with differing severity of disability, albeit with age and gender specific patterns. However, because of the nature of aggregate data analysis, the results are to be considered descriptive and not inferential, and no causal relationships are implied. The findings emphasize the role of digital technologies as an enabling element in providing access to and equity in higher education for students with SEN. Nevertheless, the impact of digital access on outcomes continues to be limited by organizational, infrastructural and socio-economic barriers and challenges, and these will need to be explored using stronger empirical approaches.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Liudmyla Nikolenko, Svitlana Kulbida, Nataliia Pakhomova, Olha Hubar, Serhii Levsha
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