Assistive Technologies to Support Communication with Neuro-motor Disabled Patients

2019 ◽  
pp. 29-60
Author(s):  
Cristian Rotariu ◽  
Radu Gabriel Bozomitu ◽  
Hariton Costin
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Disabled Patients

Mental Retardation and Learning Integrating Skills

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annamaria Murdaca ◽  
Francesca Cuzzocrea ◽  
Patrizia Oliva ◽  
Rosalba Larcan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Retardation ◽  
Social Life ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Cognitive Styles ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Precision Teaching ◽  
Training Phase ◽  
Disabled Patients

Studies have highlighted the importance of using new technologies during the planning of educational and didactic paths to develop skills and functions in disabled patients (Bruschi, 2001). Assistive technologies represent real opportunities of e-participation to social life (Calvani, 2011; Chiappetta Caiola, 2009), which also works as scaffolding to promote developing processes (Cooke & Husey, 2002). The authors’ contribution examines the importance of technologies in supporting subjects with mental retardation. It shows the usability of many inputs that offer disabled patients the possibility to exercise cognitive styles, their own characteristics and their own autonomies to increase motivation and self esteem. The aims of this research are a) verify the effectiveness of didactic software based on Precision Teaching method; b) verify gender differences. For this study 40 children have been selected (20 boys and 20 girls) with and without mental retardation. The research consisted of 3 phases: pre-training phase, training phase and post-training phase. Results show learning improvements in each group; in spite of students’ difficulties, the use of Precision Teaching has reduced significantly the initial cognitive gap, which refers to the number of correct responses (accuracy) and to time of response (fluency) relative to the learning of how to use money.

Pedagogical-Didactic Training for an Inclusive Didactics

2014 ◽  
pp. 63-91
Author(s):  
Murdaca Anna Maria ◽  
Cuzzocrea Francesca ◽  
Oliva Patrizia ◽  
Larcan Rosalba
Keyword(s):  
Mental Retardation ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Educational Software ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Cognitive Styles ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Precision Teaching ◽  
Students With Special Needs ◽  
Disabled Patients

In recent years, focused studies have highlighted increasingly the importance of using new technologies during the planning of educational and didactic paths to develop skills and functions in disabled patients. They deal with assistive technologies that represent real opportunities of e-participation and social life. They also work as scaffolding in order to promote developing processes for an inclusive didactics. This chapter moves in such direction: about the importance of technologies in mental retardation. This importance turns around the usability of many inputs, which can offer to disabled patients the possibility to exercise their cognitive styles, their own characteristics, and their own autonomies to increase motivation and self-esteem. A didactic application of educational software, based on Precision Teaching method, is proposed in order to: a) verify the effectiveness of this didactic software on learning of integrative skills and b) verify gender differences. For this study, 40 children were selected (20 boys and 20 girls) with and without mental retardation. Results show learning improvements in each group; in spite of students' difficulties, the use of Precision Teaching seems to have reduced significantly the initial cognitive gap, which refers to the number of correct responses (accuracy) and to response time (fluency) relative to the learning of how to use money. Finally, new perspectives of its pedagogical and rehabilitative application for students with special needs are also discussed.

University of Zululand Library and Inclusive Education: Responding to the Needs of Students with Disabilities

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy Eneya ◽  
Dennis N. Ocholla ◽  
Bertha Janneke Mostert
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Equal Access ◽  
Disability Policy ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Education Agenda ◽  
The University

This paper investigates the University of Zululand Library’s response to the university’s inclusive education agenda with respect to the accessibility of library services to students with disabilities. This was a qualitative study within the interpretive paradigm that used Michael Oliver’s social model of disability as an underpinning theory. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from students with disabilities and library staff. In addition, physical inspection of the library building was also conducted. Data analysis was done by thematic analysis. The study reveals that the University of Zululand Library services are not inclusive. Students with disabilities struggle to access library services. They faced such challenges as inaccessibility of library services, unavailability of resources in alternative formats and assistive technologies, and the lack of a disability policy. The study also found that the library faced the following challenges in providing services for students with disabilities: limited funding, a lack of staff awareness and training, the lack of a disability policy and a lack of collaboration. Formulating regulations to enforce the implementation of disability policy and legislation, developing institutional disability policies, and providing assistive technologies are critical in ensuring the accessibility of library services to students with disabilities at the University of Zululand. Unless students with disabilities have equal access to information, the university’s inclusive education agenda will remain a distant dream. Access to academic library services is critical to the full participation of students with disabilities in education. Likewise, inclusive university education can only be realised when students with disabilities have equal access to information. This aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities, which promote equal access to services and facilities to persons with disabilities. This paper raises awareness for both library staff and university management about the current status of library facilities and services with respect to accessibility for students with disabilities and how to address inclusiveness in library service provision.

Involving people with dementia and their informal caregivers in the development process of assistive technology: Description and evaluation of a user-centered design (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris A.G.M. Geerts ◽  
Liselore J.A.E Snaphaan ◽  
Inge M.B. Bongers
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
User Centered Design ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
User Centered

BACKGROUND Despite the potential value of assistive technology to support people with dementia (PWD) in everyday activities, use of these technologies is still limited. To ensure that assistive technologies better address the specific needs and daily context of PWD and their informal caregivers, it is particularly important to involve them in all different phases of assistive technology development. The literature rarely describes the involvement of PWD throughout the development process of assistive technologies, which makes it difficult to further reflect on and improve active involvement of PWD. OBJECTIVE This two-part study aimed to gather insights on the user-centered design (UCD) applied in the development process of the alpha prototype of the serious game PLAYTIME by describing the methods and procedures of the UCD as well as evaluating the UCD from the perspective of all involved stakeholders. METHODS The first three phases of the user-driven Living Lab of Innovate Dementia 2.0 were applied to directly involve PWD and their informal caregivers through qualitative research methods, including focus groups and a context-field study, in the development of the alpha prototype of PLAYTIME from exploration to design to testing. After the testing phase, a total number of 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with PWD, their informal caregivers and the project members of PLAYTIME to evaluate the applied UCD from the perspective of all involved stakeholders. The interviews addressed five of the principles for successful UCD and the appropriateness of the different methods used in the focus groups and context-field study. RESULTS Results of the interviews focused, amongst others, on the level of involvement of PWD and their informal caregivers in the development process, the input provided by PWD and their informal caregivers, the value of early prototyping, continuous iterations of design solutions and in-context testing, the role of dementia care professionals in the multidisciplinary project team, and the appropriateness of open- and closed-ended questions for obtaining input from PWD and their informal caregivers. CONCLUSIONS The description and evaluation of the UCD applied in the development process of the alpha prototype of PLAYTIME resulted in several insights on the relevance of UCD for all involved stakeholders as well as how PWD can be involved in the subsequent phases of usable and meaningful assistive technology development.

Remote Monitoring of Physiological Parameters used in Ambient Assistive Technologies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Danie Achirei ◽  
Otilia Zvoristeanu ◽  
Adrian Alexandrescu ◽  
Nicolae Alexandru Botezatu ◽  
Andrei Stan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Monitoring ◽  
Physiological Parameters ◽  
Assistive Technologies

scholarly journals Eliminating the gap between the use of assistive technologies and the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in leisure activities

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 146045822110050
Author(s):  
Ioanna Dratsiou ◽  
Maria Metaxa ◽  
Evangelia Romanopoulou ◽  
Foteini Dolianiti ◽  
Dimitris Spachos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Global Satisfaction ◽  
Constructive Learning ◽  
Formal Caregivers ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
And Performance

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and Assistive Technologies (AT) can support people with Down Syndrome (PDS) and Intellectual Disabilities (PID) in increasing their self-confidence and independence, enhancing skills, and competences, participating in leisure activities. For families of PDS/PID, professionals, non-formal caregivers and volunteers, the challenge is to appreciate the benefits of ICT Tools in promoting inclusion. The aim of this study is to present the interdisciplinary and multidimensional scope of the DS Leisure project aiming at promoting the inclusion of PDS/PID through innovative ICT tools and their participation in inclusive leisure activities. Particularly, 24 individuals were asked to assess the global satisfaction and performance of PDS/PID, as well as the exploitation of ICT tools. Findings suggested that PDS/PID specific social, decision-making, and communication skills were significantly improved after their participation in the Experiential Activity and the e-Training platform was positively rated and considered a constructive learning experience.

scholarly journals Inertial Measurement Unit Sensors in Assistive Technologies for Visually Impaired People, a Review

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4767
Author(s):  
Karla Miriam Reyes Leiva ◽  
Milagros Jaén-Vargas ◽  
Benito Codina ◽  
José Javier Serrano Olmedo
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Measurement Unit ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Biomechanical Analysis ◽  
Measurement Unit ◽  
Inertial Measurement ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Application Fields

A diverse array of assistive technologies have been developed to help Visually Impaired People (VIP) face many basic daily autonomy challenges. Inertial measurement unit sensors, on the other hand, have been used for navigation, guidance, and localization but especially for full body motion tracking due to their low cost and miniaturization, which have allowed the estimation of kinematic parameters and biomechanical analysis for different field of applications. The aim of this work was to present a comprehensive approach of assistive technologies for VIP that include inertial sensors as input, producing results on the comprehension of technical characteristics of the inertial sensors, the methodologies applied, and their specific role in each developed system. The results show that there are just a few inertial sensor-based systems. However, these sensors provide essential information when combined with optical sensors and radio signals for navigation and special application fields. The discussion includes new avenues of research, missing elements, and usability analysis, since a limitation evidenced in the selected articles is the lack of user-centered designs. Finally, regarding application fields, it has been highlighted that a gap exists in the literature regarding aids for rehabilitation and biomechanical analysis of VIP. Most of the findings are focused on navigation and obstacle detection, and this should be considered for future applications.

scholarly journals Signal Processing for Neurorehabilitation and Assistive Technologies [From the Guest Editors]

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-7
Author(s):  
Dario Farina ◽  
Arash Mohammadi ◽  
Tulay Adali ◽  
Nitish V. Thakor ◽  
Konstantinos N. Plataniotis
Keyword(s):  
Signal Processing ◽  
Assistive Technologies
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