LEVERAGING AUDIOBOOK APPLICATIONS FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS: RETHINKING EDUCATIONAL ACCESSIBILITY

Abstract

Ensuring educational accessibility for visually impaired students remains a pressing challenge in inclusive education. Traditional teaching approaches often fail to provide equal opportunities, leaving many learners at a disadvantage. Audiobook applications have emerged as promising digital tools capable of enhancing comprehension, retention, motivation and learner autonomy. This paper offers a perspective on leveraging audiobook applications to improve accessibility and learning outcomes for visually impaired students. Drawing on existing studies, it highlights observed challenges such as limited adaptive resources, inadequate teacher training and policy implementation gaps, while exploring the potential of audiobooks as practical solutions. Design considerations, including user-friendly interfaces, curriculum alignment and accessibility features, are discussed to guide developers in creating effective applications. The paper also considers implications for teachers, developers and policymakers in fostering inclusive practices. While large-scale empirical evidence is still evolving, this perspective underscores the transformative role of audiobook applications in rethinking accessibility and promoting equitable education.