An Overview of Self-Adaptive Technologies Within Virtual Reality Training

This overview presents the current state-of-the-art of self-adaptive technologies within virtual reality (VR) training. Virtual reality training and assessment is increasingly used for five key areas: medical, industrial & commercial training, serious games, rehabilitation and remote training such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Adaptation can be applied to five core technologies of VR including haptic devices, stereo graphics, adaptive content, assessment and autonomous agents. Automation of VR training can contribute to automation of actual procedures including remote and robotic assisted surgery which reduces injury and improves accuracy of the procedure. Automated haptic interaction can enable tele-presence and virtual artefact tactile interaction from either remote or simulated environments. Automation, machine learning and data driven features play an important role in providing trainee-specific individual adaptive training content. Data from trainee assessment can form an input to autonomous systems for customised training and automated difficulty levels to match individual requirements. Self-adaptive technology has been developed previously within individual technologies of VR training. One of the conclusions of this research is that while it does not exist, an enhanced portable framework is needed and it would be beneficial to combine automation of core technologies, producing a reusable automation framework for VR training

New technologies for inclusive education

Considerable changes on the methods of communication, as well as on the knowledge building and social interactions, are a result of innovations linked to the use of the mass media, of digital tools for information processing and on the massive diffusion of the Internet. One of the most significant technological innovations of the last few years is undeniably Internet, established thanks to the Web around the beginning of the nineties. Numerous authors have investigated the changes resulting from technological evolution and the intertwining that is generated between technological innovation and knowledge production processes is of particular relevance. A lot of research also highlights the advantages related to the use of new technologies in teaching. The features of the new technologies allow, therefore, the activation of numerous perceptual and sensory channels that can help improve the learning experience. In this regard, Teatino considers: “the new horizons opened by multimedia represent the synthesis of the characteristics on which the mechanism of motivation is triggered: novelty, attractiveness, functionality and feasibility are qualitative factors that stimulate cognitive processes” (Teatino, 2010). The fundamental aspect of multimedia communication is certainly the dynamism and multisensory involvement that digital devices are capable of conveying by allowing the creation of rich and stimulating learning environments within the teaching context. Moreover, it should be stressed how important technological innovations are for students with disabilities or with specific learning impairment. In particular, the use of assistive technologies is fundamental for pupils with disabilities: these technologies represent a very important link between the “functioning” of students and their participation in school activities, allowing to overcome those barriers (not just physical) that limit their full inclusion. In this paper we intend to analyze the main characteristics of assistive technologies and, in general, of new technologies for the purpose of school inclusion, starting from the premise that it is essential to guarantee disabled students the full development of their potential to achieve their educational success.In this work we intend to reflect on the possible methodologies and on the multiple uses of new technologies in the creation of inclusive learning paths

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

Explaining Accessibility: Possible Variables in Users’ Abilities, Tasks, and Contexts in IT Artefact Use

The interconnection between the two information technology (IT) artefact qualities, accessibility and usability, is challenging to define. Efforts to design and develop accessible IT artefacts should encompass the broadest range of user abilities in identified tasks and contexts. We lack sufficient research on information systems and human-computer interactions that presents a comprehensive model to explain what variables these key components of accessibility contain and how they interconnect. To address this gap in the literature, I draw on theories beyond human-computer interactions, tasks, and contexts to posit the influence of human abilities on IT use by referring to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework that the World Health Organization developed. In this paper, I theoretically describe accessibility, its components, and their relationships in the IT use context based on which I present an accessibility model. Furthermore, I argue that accessibility is a moderating variable between system features and usability. Therefore, accessibility is a major determinant of user acceptance

How a Diverse Research Ecosystem Has Generated New Rehabilitation Technologies: Review of NIDILRR’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers

Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role in improving the quality of life for people with a disability, yet widespread and highly challenging needs remain. Within the US, a major effort aimed at the creation and evaluation of rehabilitation technology has been the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. As envisioned at their conception by a panel of the National Academy of Science in 1970, these centers were intended to take a “total approach to rehabilitation”, combining medicine, engineering, and related science, to improve the quality of life of individuals with a disability. Here, we review the scope, achievements, and ongoing projects of an unbiased sample of 19 currently active or recently terminated RERCs. Specifically, for each center, we briefly explain the needs it targets, summarize key historical advances, identify emerging innovations, and consider future directions. Our assessment from this review is that the RERC program indeed involves a multidisciplinary approach, with 36 professional fields involved, although 70% of research and development staff are in engineering fields, 23% in clinical fields, and only 7% in basic science fields; significantly, 11% of the professional staff have a disability related to their research. We observe that the RERC program has substantially diversified the scope of its work since the 1970’s, addressing more types of disabilities using more technologies, and, in particular, often now focusing on information technologies. RERC work also now often views users as integrated into an interdependent society through technologies that both people with and without disabilities co-use (such as the internet, wireless communication, and architecture). In addition, RERC research has evolved to view users as able at improving outcomes through learning, exercise, and plasticity (rather than being static), which can be optimally timed. We provide examples of rehabilitation technology innovation produced by the RERCs that illustrate this increasingly diversifying scope and evolving perspective. We conclude by discussing growth opportunities and possible future directions of the RERC program

Social Accessibility in Multiplayer Games: Theory and Praxis

In recent years, we have seen growing efforts towards facilitating the accessibility of games to people with disabilities. When it comes to multiplayer games, however, such efforts require not only facilitating the technical accessibility of the game (e.g., accessibility features) but also social inclusion in the game, what we refer to as social accessibility. Accessibility of multiplayer games is, hence, complex and multifaceted. While some advances have been made in terms of technical accessibility, much work is needed to facilitate social accessibility. This study had two goals 1) to propose a definition for social accessibility in multiplayer games, and 2) to present practical examples of how social accessibility can be facilitated in multiplayer games since these aspects were not showcased in the reviewed literature. The study suggests that social accessibility in multiplayer games is a combination of inclusive game design, in-game features, and social guidelines that aim to foster inclusive social structures, and multimodality in communications amongst players, while gaming or socially interacting with aspects of game culture. The study presents various in-game-features that could be used to facilitate social accessibility, such as pausing the game, co-piloting, and individualizable settings.Peer reviewe

Digital participation and digital education for people with profound and multiple disabilities and complex communication needs

“Digitalisation” is the buzzword of many societal as well as social changes. Participation in society is increasingly realized digitally, which is why it is important to be involved in these processes and to participate in the digital world. The UN CRPD also assigns an important role to (digital) technology as a prerequisite for inclusion and participation. Universal design, accessibility, assistive technology, and reasonable accommodation should help to avoid exclusion for people with disabilities. People with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD), who often have complex communication needs (CCN) in addition to severe cognitive impairments, have fundamentally limited opportunities for participation. These are also visible in the context of digitalisation. At the same time, digital media also offer specific opportunities, particularly for people with PIMD and CCN. Among other things through the combined use of assistive technologies, digital media can significantly facilitate their daily lives. The present paper examines the significance, requirements and challenges as well as the potentials of digital participation and digital education in the lives of adults with PIMD and CCN and presents considerations for the design of digital education for adults. Finally, a conceptual framework for digital education for people with PIMD is presented

Investigando Natural User Interfaces (NUIs) : tecnologias e interação em contexto de acessibilidade

Orientador: Maria Cecília Calani BaranauskasTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de ComputaçãoResumo: Natural User Interfaces (NUIs) representam um novo paradigma de interação, com a promessa de ser mais intuitivo e fácil de usar do que seu antecessor, que utiliza mouse e teclado. Em um contexto no qual as tecnologias estão cada vez mais invisíveis e pervasivas, não só a quantidade mas também a diversidade de pessoas que participam deste contexto é crescente. Nesse caso, é preciso estudar como esse novo paradigma de interação de fato consegue ser acessível a todas as pessoas que podem utilizá-lo no dia-a-dia. Ademais, é preciso também caracterizar o paradigma em si, para entender o que o torna, de fato, natural. Portanto, nesta tese apresentamos o caminho que percorremos em busca dessas duas respostas: como caracterizar NUIs, no atual contexto tecnológico, e como tornar NUIs acessíveis para todos. Para tanto, primeiro apresentamos uma revisão sistemática de literatura com o estado da arte. Depois, mostramos um conjunto de heurísticas para o design e a avaliação de NUIs, que foram aplicadas em estudos de caso práticos. Em seguida, estruturamos as ideias desta pesquisa dentro dos artefatos da Semiótica Organizacional, e obtivemos esclarecimentos sobre como fazer o design de NUIs com Acessibilidade, seja por meio de Design Universal, seja para propor Tecnologias Assistivas. Depois, apresentamos três estudos de caso com sistemas NUI cujo design foi feito por nós. A partir desses estudos de caso, expandimos nosso referencial teórico e conseguimos, por fim, encontrar três elementos que resumem a nossa caracterização de NUI: diferenças, affordances e enaçãoAbstract: Natural User Interfaces (NUIs) represent a new interaction paradigm, with the promise of being more intuitive and easy to use than its predecessor, that utilizes mouse and keyboard. In a context where technology is becoming each time more invisible and pervasive, not only the amount but also the diversity of people who participate in this context is increasing. In this case, it must be studied how this new interaction paradigm can, in fact, be accessible to all the people who may use it on their daily routine. Furthermore, it is also necessary to characterize the paradigm itself, to understand what makes it, in fact, natural. Therefore, in this thesis we present the path we took in search of these two answers: how to characterize NUIs in the current technological context, and how to make NUIs accessible to all. To do so, first we present a systematic literature review with the state of the art. Then, we show a set of heuristics for the design and evaluation of NUIs, which were applied in practical study cases. Afterwards, we structure the ideas of this research into the Organizational Semiotics artifacts, and we obtain insights into how to design NUIs with Accessibility, be it through Universal Design, be it to propose Assistive Technologies. Then, we present three case studies with NUI systems which we designed. From these case studies, we expanded our theoretical references were able to, finally, find three elements that sum up our characterization of NUI: differences, affordances and enactionDoutoradoCiência da ComputaçãoDoutora em Ciência da Computação160911/2015-0CAPESCNP