Assessing the Accessibility and Inclusiveness of E-Learning Systems for Visually Impaired Students in Selected Ugandan Universities: A Review

E-learning has become an essential component of higher education, offering scalable and flexible delivery of academic content. However, for students with visual impairments, particularly in low-resource settings such as Uganda, these digital platforms often remain inaccessible and exclusionary. This systematic literature review investigates the accessibility and usability of e-learning systems for visually impaired students in selected Ugandan universities. Drawing on empirical and theoretical studies, the review identifies significant barriers, including the absence of institutional accessibility policies, low compliance with global standards, infrastructural limitations, and a lack of user-centered design practices. It also reveals a critical gap in integrating usability considerations into platform design, resulting in technically accessible but functionally unusable systems for visually impaired learners. The study proposes a framework grounded in Universal Design for Learning and participatory development, emphasizing policy alignment, capacity building, infrastructure investment, and usability-centered evaluation. The findings aim to inform policy reform and institutional practice to promote equitable access to digital education.