Evaluations of an information and communication technology (ICT) training programme for persons with intellectual disabilities

106 persons with intellectual disabilities were recruited for the evaluation of an information and communication technology (ICT) training programme (77 in the experimental and 29 in the control group). The main features of the programme were a specially designed training curriculum with software designed in appropriate language and appropriate levels for people with intellectual disabilities. In the training programme, participants were taught about the operations of mouse and keyboard and browsing the Internet using Internet Explorer (IE). Participants in the control group underwent equal number of hours of ICT training by the staff working in their centers. All participants were assessed on ICT competence at pre- and post-training and one month follow up using a skill-based checklist. Results from repeated measure ANOVA and t-tests showed that participants acquired a higher level of computer competence after training and retained skills within one-month follow-up period, [F (75) = 70.06, p=.000]. For the control group, there was no statistically significant difference in the score on sub-tasks of use of mouse and keyboard [t(28) = 1.51, p > .05], the sub-task of internet browsing [t(28) = 1.00, p > .05] and the overall score [t(28) = .90, p > .05]. Results indicated that persons with intellectual disabilities have the capacity to learn ICT skills in a structured group with appropriate learning assistance and appropriate training tools. Copyright © 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.