Digital Accessibility in Education: A Bibliometric Analysis

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 2, 94 - 108, 02.07.2025

Tarana Aliyeva , Hüseyin Çakır

https://doi.org/10.53850/joltida.1467629

Abstract

This study uses bibliometric analysis to examine the relationship between Digital Accessibility and Education. Two different search queries were applied using two keywords in the research process: (1) “Digital Accessibility” and (2) “Digital Accessibility” and Education. These searches were conducted in the Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, and ERIC databases. Searches cover all areas, languages and types of publications between 2013 and 2024. The initial search yielded 1,544 records for the keywords “Digital Accessibility” and “Digital Accessibility and 924 records for Education”. The results from all three databases are filtered according to scientific studies published in the specified period to narrow down the data set. This research aims to contribute to the academic literature on Digital Accessibility and Education and provide a roadmap for future research, considering the critical effects of digital accessibility in education. Emphasizing the role of digital accessibility in education, this study also demonstrates the importance of increasing the quality and quantity of research in the field of digital accessibility. In this study, the data obtained using VOSviewer 1.6.20 software was visualized, and the trends in academic publications related to Digital Accessibility and Education were analyzed. In addition, scientific trends, academic collaborations and global contributions to Digital Accessibility and Education have been examined. This study aims to identify gaps in training related to digital accessibility and provide a roadmap for future research.

Keywords

Accessibility , education , digital technologies , e-learning , inclusion , COVID-19 , digital environment.

References

• Aliyeva, T., & Rzayeva, U. (2023). Advanced Trainings in the System of Teachers’ Professional Development: The Empirical Study. In S.N. Shahbazova, A.M. Abbasov, V. Kreinovich, J. Kacprzyk, & I.Z. Batyrshin (Eds.), Recent Developments and the New Directions of Research, Foundations, and Applications (Vol. 422, pp. 309–314). Springer.
• Altendorf, A., & Schreiber, J. (2015). Assistive technology in dementia care: methodological issues in research design. Journal of Assistive Technologies, 9(1), 38-47.
• Beyene, W. M., & Godwin, T. (2018). Accessible search and the role of metadata. Library Hi Tech, 36(1), 2-17. Bong, W. K., & Chen, W. Q. (2021). Increasing faculty's competence in digital accessibility for inclusive education: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Inclusive Education.
• Bouraoui, A., & Gharbi, I. (2019). Model-driven engineering of accessible and multi-platform graphical user interfaces by parameterized model transformations. Science of Computer Programming, 172, 63-101.
• Bunyan, S., & Collins, A. (2013). Digital Exclusion Despite Digital Accessibility: Empirical Evidence From An English City. Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie, 104(5), 588-603.
• Dai, R. K., & Hu, L. J. (2022). Inclusive communications in COVID-19: A virtual ethnographic study of disability support network in China. Disability & Society, 37(1), 3-21.
• Darvishy, A. (2017). E-Accessibility Supports Researchers with Disabilities. In Proceedings Paper 6th International Conference on Information and Communication Technology and Accessibility (ICTA), Muscat, Oman, December 19-21.
• De Bakker, F. G. A., Groenewegen, P., & Den Hond, F. (2005). A bibliometric analysis of 30 years of research and theory on corporate social responsibility and corporate social performance. Business & Society, 44(3), 283-317.
• Draffan, E. A., Leon, M., James, A., Aljaloud, S., & Wald, M. (2018). Completion, Comments and Repurposing a Digital Accessibility MOOC. In Volume 10896 (pp. 138-145).
• Ifenthaler, D., Hofhues, S., Egloffstein, M., & Helbig, Ch. (2021). Digital Transformation of Learning Organization. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55878-9
• Kolotouchkina, O., Barroso, C. L., & Sánchez, J. L. M. (2022). Smart cities, the digital divide, and people with disabilities. Cities, 123.
• Kuc-Czarnecka, M. (2020). COVID-19 and digital deprivation in Poland. Oeconomia Copernicana, 11(3), 415-431.
• Kulkarni, M. (2019). Digital accessibility: Challenges and opportunities. IIMB Management Review, 31(1), 91-98. Lazar, J. (2022). Managing digital accessibility at universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Universal Access in the Information Society, 21(3), 749-765.
• Lewthwaite, S., & James, A. (2020). Accessible at last?: What do new European digital accessibility laws mean for disabled people in the UK? Disability & Society, 35(8), 1360-1365.
• Noev, N., Todorov, T., Bogdanova, G., & Sabev, N. (2021). About Semantic Knowledge for Accessibility. In Digital Presentation and Preservation of Cultural and Scientific Heritage, 11, 325-330.
• Normand, C. L., Lussier-Desrochers, D., ... Romero, A. A. (2016). Conceptual Model of Factors Leading to the Digital Exclusion of People with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Annual Review of Chemotherapy and Telemedicine, 14, 23-29.
• O'Reilly, F. (2020). Digital Accessibility as a Core Competency for E-Resources Librarians. Serials Review, 46(2), 114-124.
• Pellegrini, F., Anjos, M., Florentin, F., Ribeiro, B., Correia, W., & Quintino, J. (2020). How to Prioritize Accessibility in Agile Projects. In 10th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics / AHFE International Conferences on Usability and User Experience, and Human Factors and Assistive Technology (Advances in Usability and User Experience 972, pp. 271-280).
• Rajsp, A., Kous, K., Kuhar, S., Sumak, B., & Sorgo, A. (2019). Preliminary review of jobs, skills and competencies for implementation of Digital Accessibility. In 30th Central European Conference on Information and Intelligent Systems (CECIIS) (pp. 93-99). Central European Conference on Information and Intelligent Systems.
• Ringenson, T., Arnfalk, P., Kramers, A., & Sopjani, L. (2018). Indicators for Promising Accessibility and Mobility Services. Sustainability, 10(8).
• Sanderson, N. C., Kessel, S., & Chen, W. Q. (2022). What do faculty members know about universal design and digital accessibility? A qualitative study in computer science and engineering disciplines. Universal Access In The Information Society, 21(2), 351-365.
• Sieben-Schneider, J. A., & Hamilton-Brodie, V. A. (2016). Doing the Right Thing: One University's Approach to Digital Accessibility. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 29(3), 221-230.
• Silva, J., Gonçalves, R., & Pereira, A. (2016). Accessibility Not on Demand - An Impaired Situation. In Proceedings of the 11th International Joint Conference on Software Technologies - ICSOFT-EA (Vol. 1, pp. 272-275).
• Skinner, C. (2018). Digital Human: The Fourth Revolution of Humanity Includes Everyone (1st ed.). Wiley. Tranos, E., Reggiani, A., & Nijkamp, P. (2013). Accessibility of cities in the digital economy. Cities, 30, 59-67. Van Lanen, R. J., van Beek, R., & Kosian, M. C. (2022). A different view on (world) heritage: The need for multi-perspective data analyses in historical landscape studies - The example of Scotland (NL). Journal of Cultural Heritage, 53, 190-205.