Overcoming barriers and increasing independence: service robots for elderly and disabled people

This paper discusses the potential for service robots to overcome barriers and increase independence of elderly and disabled people. It includes a brief overview of the existing uses of service robots by disabled and elderly people and advances in technology which will make new uses possible and provides suggestions for some of these new applications. The paper also considers the design and other conditions to be met for user acceptance. It also discusses the complementarity of assistive service robots and personal assistance and considers the types of applications and users for which service robots are and are not suitable

Working collaboratively on the digital global frontier

An international online collaborative learning experience was designed and implemented in preservice teacher education classes at the University of Calgary, Canada and the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. The project was designed to give preservice teachers an opportunity to live the experience of being online collaborators investigating real world teaching issues of diversity and inclusivity. Qualitative research was conducted to examine the complexity of the online collaborative experiences of participants. Redmond and Lock’s (2006) flexible online collaborative learning framework was used to explain the design and the implementation of the project. Henri’s (1992) content analysis model for computer-mediated communication was used for the online asynchronous postings and a constant comparative method of data analysis was used in the construction of themes. From the findings, the authors propose recommendations for designing and facilitating collaborative learning on the digital global frontier

Futuristic Smart Solutions for People of Determination in Schools and Universities

In this project, future smart solutions for people of determination in schools and universities were discussed. The background was presented on the topic, as the issue of integrating people of determination in schools and then integrating them into society still takes a wide range of societal, family, and institutional attention, and it undoubtedly deserves much attention that befits this dear group in our society. The literature has shown the existence of previous studies and applications similar to those proposed in the project, which sought within the framework of this advanced vision to enable people of determination to provide quality services that meet their healthcare and rehabilitation requirements, and to provide an educational and educational system that ensures their full integration into society, and ensures their access to the same opportunities of education as their peers in various educational institutions, qualifying them to obtain employment opportunities appropriate to their potential (Augusto, Kramer, Alegre, Covaci, & Santokhee, 2018). The methods related for gathering information and data collection for this study will include a three-step approach wherein the first step is to design a set of structured open-ended questions that are answered from previous experience, knowledge gathered during field visits to schools and universities that the researchers (we) undertook of during the graduation years. The second step involves situation analyses of the general map of a public school in UAE followed by a design of a new map that contains the layout of a smart center for people of determination and is to be placed within the school premises along with a budget plan for the new ICT lab specifically for the people of determination. Then the third step is the analysis of data using SPSS. The result of this project will show the level of awareness of the UAE educational institutions and its staff in using Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the gap that exists in the UAE education process in the information technology context. It will represent the real situation that the people of determination live in their academic life, this attempt to enhance it. The importance of ICT lies in its ability to open a wide range of services, transform existing services, and create greater demand for access to information and knowledge, particularly in underserved and excluded populations, such as persons with disabilities. The ICT opportunity for persons with disabilities can be better assessed by analyzing how each type of access technology contributes to the different dimensions involved in the social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities (Lawrence,2004). The main benefit that this project would generate is to increase the teachers’ and principals’ awareness of the new technologies, devices. Such as e-Braille, smart elevators programmed with face ID, and virtual assistants (Blindness students). Robots to enhance communication for people with autism. The application between the guardian of the people of determination and the teacher to follow up everything related to behavior, degree, and development. A smart wheelchair that contains emergency buttons connected to the nurse and administration. Methods that can be used in the educational process will direct the people of determination and the normal students as well. These questions provide several suggestions to be used in the educational institution. Without conducting this project, the educational institutions, principals, and teachers will not know the state of the art in modern methods and tools that can be indulged in used to enhance its education system remains lagging behind the other countries if they don’t think of improving their systems using these suggestions and ideas that we generated from our literature review

Speaking for ourselves: autism and barriers to early intervention services in Cape Town

There is limited knowledge about autism as a disability in Africa: thus far, most autism research studies have been limited to families in high-income western countries, resulting in a gap in research regarding studies from low-income countries. Despite their vulnerability, people with disabilities have been largely unnoticed as a goal of development work despite disability’s economic impact on families and communities, and the associated discrimination, stigmatisation and exclusion. Education has been identified as an essential building block of human and economic development, yet children with disabilities face unequal barriers in accessing educational services and schooling. Focusing on early intervention services is vital for the growth and development of children with disabilities, as early human development services and programmes for young children and families play a critical role in alleviating poverty and achieving social and economic equity. The aim of this study was to identify the major barriers to accessing early intervention services for autistic individuals in Cape Town and achieving well-being. I drew on Sen’s capability approach to inform my theoretical framework. I used an embedded mixed methods design, with a quantitative questionnaire playing a supportive secondary role in this qualitative study, which included in-depth interviews and some documentary research. The sample consisted of ten participants: five parents of autistic children, and five autistic adults. Qualitative data for this study was analysed using thematic analysis, informed by Miles and Huberman’s (1994) process of first and second-level coding. The quantitative data for descriptive statistics was recorded and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). This study brought six themes into focus, namely services, financial constraints, practitioners, home environment, stigma, and lack of support services. A variety of recommendations were highlighted by the participants, including an adaptation of services; developing better trained practitioners in autism-specific strategies; making increased parent-training and support services available; together with creating a better system to help support, monitor and guide families and autistic individuals in navigating the field of services

Young children's understanding of disabilities: the influence of development, context and cognition

Throughout Europe, educational support for children with disabilities has moved towards a model of inclusive education. Such policy changes mean that for all children there will be an increased likelihood of working with and encountering children with differing disabilities and difficulties. Previous research had indicated that children had poorly differentiated views of developmental differences. The present study investigated children?s representations of different disabilities. Seventy-nine 8-9 and 10-11 year old Greek children from an urban school and a rural school completed an attitudes toward school inclusion rating scale and a semi-structured interview. Responses to the attitude scale provided generally positive views of educational inclusion. However, children were less positive about activities that might directly reflect upon themselves. Children?s responses in the interviews indicated that they were developing rich representations of differences and diversities. Children had the greatest understanding of sensory and physical disabilities, followed by learning disabilities. There was limited knowledge of dyslexia and hyperactivity and no child was familiar with the term autism. Both groups of children identified a range of developmental difficulties, with older children being more aware of specific learning disabilities, their origin and impact. Results are discussed in terms of children?s developing knowledge systems and the implications for educational practices

Recent Developments in Smart Healthcare

Medicine is undergoing a sector-wide transformation thanks to the advances in computing and networking technologies. Healthcare is changing from reactive and hospital-centered to preventive and personalized, from disease focused to well-being centered. In essence, the healthcare systems, as well as fundamental medicine research, are becoming smarter. We anticipate significant improvements in areas ranging from molecular genomics and proteomics to decision support for healthcare professionals through big data analytics, to support behavior changes through technology-enabled self-management, and social and motivational support. Furthermore, with smart technologies, healthcare delivery could also be made more efficient, higher quality, and lower cost. In this special issue, we received a total 45 submissions and accepted 19 outstanding papers that roughly span across several interesting topics on smart healthcare, including public health, health information technology (Health IT), and smart medicine