The effects of time-altered speech on the auditory discrimination ability of aphasics

This chapter presents information on aphasic auditory abilities, with specific reference to the following areas: (1) time-altered speech; (2) auditory sequencing ability of aphasics; (3) auditory discrimination ability of aphasics; and, (4) auditory perceptual disturbances cause by lesions in the left temporal lobe. Information will also be presented on the role of distinctive features in speech perception. Finally, the statement of the problem will be posed

Mobile Health Apps and Needs of People with Disabilities: A National Survey

This report summarizes data from a national survey on the experiences, needs and potential solutions for mHealth technology by people with physical, cognitive, sensory and emotional disabilities. Convenience sampling was used to draw a sample of 377 adults with disabilities. Data were collected from February to August 2017. The survey was conducted by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Community Living, Health and Function (LiveWell RERC). The survey instrument includes items on user experiences and needs for a wide range of mHealth solutions. This paper focuses on mHealth apps: 1) types of health/wellness mobile apps currently used by people with disabilities; 2) satisfaction levels with the use of health/wellness apps; 3) ease/difficulty in finding usable and effective health/wellness apps; 4) interest in an online repository of information/reviews of mHealth apps; 5) specific problems or challenges using health/wellness apps; and 6) 'wish list' for health/wellness apps that currently do not exist.33rd Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference Scientific/Research Proceedings, San Diego, 2018Journal on Technology and Persons with Disabilities 6: 149-161.2330-421

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

The effects of time-altered speech on the auditory discrimination ability of aphasics

This chapter presents information on aphasic auditory abilities, with specific reference to the following areas: (1) time-altered speech; (2) auditory sequencing ability of aphasics; (3) auditory discrimination ability of aphasics; and, (4) auditory perceptual disturbances cause by lesions in the left temporal lobe. Information will also be presented on the role of distinctive features in speech perception. Finally, the statement of the problem will be posed