Verification Strategies and Independence: Cash Reader Use Among Students with Visual Impairment

Abstract

Students with visual impairment face persistent difficulties identifying rupiah banknote denominations because their distinguishing features primarily rely on vision, tactile codes deteriorate through circulation, and personal folding strategies are ineffective when receiving change from strangers. This study examined the Cash Reader application as assistive technology for transaction activities and its contribution to learning independence. A qualitative descriptive design involved five totally blind students in grades X and XI at SLB Negeri A Citeureup Cimahi, representing all students who met the inclusion criteria and were selected purposively. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews addressing learning capability, application use, and constraints, then analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s interactive model. Validity was supported through verbatim quotations with participant codes, explicit boundaries for findings not confirmed by every participant, and an auditable trail linking raw statements, categories, and conclusions. Findings showed that participants used the application situationally during real transactions through a controlled, non-continuous pattern and learned to operate it through peer networks rather than formal instruction. Its use supported self-regulated learning through self-regulation, metacognition, and problem solving, while strengthening confidence in everyday transactions. However, critical engagement with the application’s output varied among participants. Constraints included limited detection accuracy, dependence risk, and sensitivity to lighting conditions. Importantly, inaccuracies encouraged participants to develop personal verification strategies. Schools should therefore explicitly teach verification within daily living skills instruction, preserve foundational banknote-recognition abilities, and position assistive applications as complementary tools rather than complete substitutes for independent denomination-identification skills under diverse environmental and everyday transactional circumstances.