The extent to which children and young people with disabilities are involved in the design of assistive technology : a scoping review

Background: Assistive Technologies (AT) are often abandoned. As technology is an expanding and vast field, it should be utilised optimally for vulnerable populations. Research shows that to address this, there is an increasing need to involve end-users in the design process of AT. This study aimed to investigate the extent of research available pertaining to the involvement of children and young people with disabilities in the design of ATs and further analysed the extent of their involvement. Methods: A scoping review of the literature was therefore conducted. Limitations included a risk of publication bias on English articles, and accessibility from 2007 to 2020. Results: The results revealed that minimal research was available that actively involved children with disabilities in a Participatory Design (PD) framework in the field of AT development including Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Children and young people’s levels of involvement were mainly at a symbolic level in terms of the type of participation. This research highlights the need for intensified efforts towards increasing the participation and engagement of the children and young people as they voice their opinions, which could then be considered by the decision-makers. Conclusions: The findings shed light on the disparity in the research which may hinder the effective implementation of ATs. Future research is needed to establish optimal methods of involvement of children and young people with disabilities in AT design. Keywords: assistive technology, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), children with disabilities, the extent of involvement, involvement, participatory designMini Dissertation (MAAC)--University of Pretoria, 2021.Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC)MAACUnrestricte

Can design documentaries disrupt design for disability?

This paper shows how design documentaries can motivate new perspectives for design and disability. We critically consider the ways in which design documentaries can foreground children's lived experiences and priorities, in cases where it is not always possible to involve children early on in the design process. By presenting a design case for supporting communication that involves children with severe speech and physical impairments and their social peers, we discuss how this narrative method can evoke designer empathy and guide new interpretations. Our findings show that design documentaries can convey to designers rich and multifaceted accounts of children's communication experiences. Although this is found to be generative, we also identify a tension with a bodily impairment understanding of disability. Drawing on reflections from our case study, we propose new methodological implications for embedding design documentaries in the design process of technologies for disability

Developing an Inclusive Education Game Using a Design Science Research Gestalt Method

As business firms seek a diverse talent pool to attain a competitive advantage, the need for inclusive education has become even more apparent across academic domains. An essential way to impart inclusive education today includes digital tools such as educational games. In this study, we apply the design science research (DSR) Gestalt methodology to develop an inclusive educational game that would advance learning for both male and female engineering students. We also assess the game’s efficacy in achieving performance improvements using a survey-based experimental design. Results demonstrate that the game resulted in greater student performance compared to traditional round-table discussions. Additionally, the game had a greater positive impact on female students’ performance compared to male students. The study shows that one can apply the DSR gestalt method to develop gender-inclusive educational games

In Pursuit of Inclusive and Diverse Digital Futures : Exploring the Potential of Design Fiction in Education of Children

2020 marks the beginning of a new era as the pandemic catapulted us into new digital and virtual ways of everyday life. As the world changes, we reimagine empowering, equitable, accessible, diverse, and inclusive digital futures, through a series of projects and workshops with a diverse set of participants - children in schools and Child Computer Interaction researchers. We conducted one long-term project with two schools in Finland and two one-day workshops with an international set of participants. Through an analysis of participants’ experiences and outcomes in the project and workshops, we build a case for diversity and inclusion through design fiction in the context of children’s education. In addition, through an analysis of the process we as researchers took for developing the project and workshops, we showcase the support of diversity and inclusion in design fiction.publishedVersionPeer reviewe