Q & A on Customized Employment: Assistive Technology as a Workplace Support

[Excerpt] Despite the promise of assistive technology, many people with significant physical disabilities remain in facility-based employment programs. Underutilization of AT to facilitate competitive employment is related to a number of critical issues. This includes lack of information on available technology; lack of coordination across services; lack of training on how to use devices for users, families, and professionals; and lack of coordination in the evaluation and selection, as well as lack of funding of assistive technology alternatives. This fact sheet will provide some general information about assistive technology and provide resources that the reader can access for more information

Assistive Technology at Work

[Excerpt] Although an immediate transition into an institution of higher learning is ideal for some students who relied on assistive technology in high school, many make the decision to enter the workforce after graduation. It is estimated that about 85 percent of students with learning disabilities (LD) transition directly from school to work.1 Furthermore, statistics addressing employment among people with disabilities indicate that the workplace consists of approximately 18.6 million people with disabilities, ranging in age from 16 to 64. This represents about 56% of all people with disabilities in this age category.2 Given the vast number people with disabilities in the workplace, the potential for assistive technology (AT) to increase productivity is great

Policy and Practice Brief: Funding of Assistive Technology to Make Work a Reality

This brief provides a definition of assistive technology and a discussion of funding sources for assistive technology including: public schools; state vocational rehabilitation agencies; Medicaid; Medicare; and, SSA’s Plan for Achieving Self Support. Eligibility is reviewed for each along with other protections and rights

Towards solutions for assistive technology

Introduction What is assistive technology? The agreed World Health Organisation definition is "Assistive technology can be defined as “any piece of equipment, or product, whether it is acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities” (WHO, 2011) The array of possible assistive technology products and solutions reflects the diversity of the needs of people with disabilities – ranging from digital technologies that can support social engagement, communication, employment, learning, memory, planning and safe guarding services through to products and devices that support mobility and personal care requirements. Typically as the complexities of assistive technology solutions increase, so do the costs and potential risks (if not appropriately set up or maintained). This document is primarily focused on the Assistive Technology solutions derived from aids and equipment. Home and vehicle modifications and prosthetics have not yet been explored in the same level of detail and will be subject of further work. Proposed approach The proposed assistive technology service approach has been developed in line with the strategic goals of the NDIA. It is one aspect of a broader strategic approach the NDIA has to using technologies to enhance its engagement and management of relationships, services and supports with suppliers, providers, participants and the Australian community. The NDIA’s goal is to use technology in its various forms to ensure that services, supports, and communications between all stakeholders are as streamlined as possible and services are timely and effective. This document outlines the elements of a proposed service delivery approach for individuals to access assistive technology solutions and is based on the three key objectives outlined above

Policy and Practice Brief: Funding of Assistive Technology to Make Work a Reality, Part II; Using the Americans with Disabilities Act to Fund AT

This article is a continuation of “Funding Assistive Technology to Make Work a Reality” (Policy and Practice Brief #3). This brief reviews the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with a particular emphasis on how the ADA can be used to ensure that a person with a disability has access to needed assistive technology to do their job, or to ensure the individual has access to the job site

Interdependence as a Frame for Assistive Technology Research and Design

In this paper, we describe interdependence for assistive technology design, a frame developed to complement the traditional focus on independence in the Assistive Technology field. Interdependence emphasizes collaborative access and people with disabilities' important and often understated contribution in these efforts. We lay the foundation of this frame with literature from the academic discipline of Disability Studies and popular media contributed by contemporary disability justice activists. Then, drawing on cases from our own work, we show how the interdependence frame (1) synthesizes findings from a growing body of research in the Assistive Technology field and (2) helps us orient to additional technology design opportunities. We position interdependence as one possible orientation to, not a prescription for, research and design practice--one that opens new design possibilities and affirms our commitment to equal access for people with disabilities

Wonders never cease

Describes an assistive technology project for visually impaired children in Malawi

Psychological principles of successful aging technologies: A mini-review

Based on resource-oriented conceptions of successful life-span development, we propose three principles for evaluating assistive technology: (a) net resource release; (b) person specificity, and (c) proximal versus distal frames of evaluation. We discuss how these general principles can aid the design and evaluation of assistive technology in adulthood and old age, and propose two technological strategies, one targeting sensorimotor and the other cognitive functioning. The sensorimotor strategy aims at releasing cognitive resources such as attention and working memory by reducing the cognitive demands of sensory or sensorimotor aspects of performance. The cognitive strategy attempts to provide adaptive and individualized cuing structures orienting the individual in time and space by providing prompts that connect properties of the environment to the individual's action goals. We argue that intelligent assistive technology continuously adjusts the balance between `environmental support' and `self-initiated processing' in person-specific and aging-sensitive ways, leading to enhanced allocation of cognitive resources. Furthermore, intelligent assistive technology may foster the generation of formerly latent cognitive resources by activating developmental reserves (plasticity). We conclude that `lifespan technology', if co-constructed by behavioral scientists, engineers, and aging individuals, offers great promise for improving both the transition from middle adulthood to old age and the degree of autonomy in old age in present and future generations. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

Assistive technology as cognitive support in everyday life for persons with dementia or stroke

The overall aim of this thesis was to expand the knowledge base for a better understanding of how persons diagnosed with dementia or stroke become users of assistive technology for cognitive support in everyday life. In Study I, identified difficulties in everyday life related to cognition were matched with a specific type of modifiable context-aware assistive technology with the aim of identifying what types of tasks the assistive technology could support. The findings showed that the assistive technology in focus was judged to be able to initiate the performance of specific tasks and to inform about upcoming events, to support the completion of an already initiated task or to remind the user in a specific location or after specific actions. It was judged as less supportive in the area of communication, handling electronics and doing more complex activities with many steps. In Study II, four persons who had experienced a stroke had one type of modifiable context-aware assistive technology, with individual customisations, installed in their homes for a six-month period. The participants were interviewed with the aim of examining how the assistive technology influenced their everyday lives. The findings showed how routines developed with support from the assistive technology influenced the participants towards increased control of their everyday life, created daily structure and supported them in regaining social contacts. The spouses cooperated in the use of the assistive technology and were alleviated from responsibilities to some extent. In Study III, ten persons, who had an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, were followed on their way towards becoming users of assistive technology which was individually chosen to match their needs, desires and goals. The participants were interviewed to acquire descriptions of how they become users of the assistive technology and to examine how they experienced the use of the assistive technology. Four significant junctures were identified at which decisions influencing whether the person became a user of the assistive technology or not were made. The junctures were related to how the initial decision was made, how routines were adjusted to the assistive technology, whether the users trusted the assistive technology and whether the participants felt an increased sense of capacity when using it. As users, the participants perceived how time and effort were saved, how worries and stress decreased and how their sense of safety increased, which enabled them to perform their valued activities. In Study IV, experiences from the assistive technology interventions presented in the previous studies were examined with the aim of identifying features in the assistive technology that affected the usability and usefulness of it. The findings identified eight themes, including features that promoted or impeded the task performance and goal achievement, that is, the usability and usefulness of the assistive technology. They were related to the use during task performance, the preparation and customisation of the assistive technology, and the impact of faulty assistive technology. The findings in the thesis provide new knowledge about how a person, who experiences cognitive impairments due to a stroke or a dementia disease in the early stage, becomes a user of assistive technology. These findings can be of use in the provision of assistive technology for cognitive support and for future research. It was apparent that to become a user of the assistive technology, it was of great importance that the task intended to be supported by the assistive technology is connected to a valued goal that the potential user has a desire to achieve, and moreover that the assistive technology can enable the person to achieve that goal, not only to perform the task in target. In the findings, for some persons to become users of assistive technology the significant others were identified as being of great importance. Features in the assistive technology that promote usability and usefulness were identified. The usefulness of the assistive technology was shown to be closely related to the matter of trust and sense of safety. The findings implied the importance of having a user-centred perspective, also concerning the social and physical context, when planning for the provision of assistive technology to the potential user

Assistive technology for students with disabilities: Resources and challenges encountered by teachers

Assistive technology may be a solution for students with disabilities who are struggling to achieve academic growth; however, the consideration for assistive technology process is not prevalent in schools. The purpose of this qualitative study was to take an in-depth look at the processes and factors that teachers of students with disabilities used in considering, adopting, and utilizing assistive technology to meet the needs of their students. Three teachers in one rural school shared the resources and challenges they encountered in the assistive technology process. Furthermore, using Rogers\u27s Diffusion of Innovation Theory and Davis\u27s Technology Acceptance Model as theoretical frameworks, this study looked at the factors that influenced the assistive technology process for these teachers. Five themes emerged from the data analysis. These themes were diversity in shared assistive technology experiences, IEP team guides the assistive technology process, reliance and resources, academic and student independence benefits, and limited awareness of assistive technology as a significant barrier. Implications from this study were this lack of a systematic and uniformed process might limit in the teachers\u27 exploration of possible assistive technology supports; and teachers without knowledge, time, and communication channels might slow the adoption process of assistive technology