Assistive Technology and the Barrier-free City: A Case Study from Germany

Urban Studies ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Neumann ◽  
Christoph Uhlenkueken
Author(s):  
Monica Jamali-Phiri ◽  
Juba Alyce Kafumba ◽  
Malcolm MacLachlan ◽  
Emma M. Smith ◽  
Ikenna D. Ebuenyi ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
pp. 016264342091833
Author(s):  
Beth A. Jones ◽  
Maria Peterson-Ahmad ◽  
Melanie Fields ◽  
Nichole Williams

Understanding how to appropriately choose, implement, and utilize assistive technology (AT) for students on an individualized education program (IEP) is imperative to success within a school setting and has been shown to improve with preservice teachers’ (PST) training. This study investigated the impact that a training session in which PST were exposed to a variety of AT devices/software in one university’s AT lab and given direct instruction in the Student Environment Tasks Tools (SETT) framework for selecting appropriate AT by working through a training case study would have on PST knowledge of AT and its selection. Sixty-eight PST participated in this study, and the results demonstrate that the training increased their ability to name specific AT items on a presurvey ( M = 3.56, SD = 14.88) compared to the postsurvey ( M = 9.57, SD = 25.14). The increase of number of devices and software named pre- and postsurvey was significantly greater than chance, t(67) = −7.64, p < .01). Most notably, participants could name the components of SETT on the postsurvey (94.12%) and apply the SETT framework to a hypothetical student, improving the quality and quantity of recommendations for the student. This study provides further evidence for inclusion of AT in teacher preparation programs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-99
Author(s):  
Femke D. Vennik ◽  
Samantha A. Adams ◽  
Kim Putters

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve the general operationalization of an “active patient,” by examining the specific activities and skills expected of active patients. Design/methodology/approach – Expected activities and necessary skills were studied through a qualitative case study into the development and use of an assistive technology (i.e. web site) aimed at stimulating active patient-ship. Interviews, observations and document analysis were used to capture and explore designers’ inscribing practices and their consequences regarding expected competences and activities of patients using the web site. Findings – Designers inscribed two “co-design roles” that active patients were expected to perform on the web site (co-designing their own healthcare and co-designing the healthcare of peers), for which at least eight different competencies were needed. The absence of skills or facilities to apply these skills resulted in incomplete use, a different use than intended by designers and non-use of the web site. Practical implications – Technological choices and inscribing processes determine who is able or facilitated to become active and who is not. Due to inscribed co-design roles, it also influences the extent to which already active peers are able to perform health-related activities. Different users with different conditions should be taken into account in the design as specific group characteristics can influence level of individual activity. Originality/value – This study is, as far as the authors know, the first that examines the “active patient” concept by studying an assistive technology and using scripting literature, resulting in an improved understanding of what it means to become “active” in terms of skills and activities.


Transport ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Matuška

This paper deals with accessibility of rail transportation as a system. Presented methods bring ways of rail infrastructure and train accessibility evaluation. Applied two-stage model enables evaluation of departure halls accessibility. The level of train accessibility is defined by coefficients of time and direction non-uniformity. While opportunities for barrier-free travelling are relatively balanced in monitored regions, coefficients show a time imbalance in the results. Opportunity to travel barrier-free (according to the non-uniformity coefficients) shows that there are fluctuations at weekends and on weekdays. These are not of crucial importance. However, the train services are barrier-free particularly for travelling on long distances, whilst suburban and regional ones are still mostly inaccessible for wheelchairs, which is not very favourable. Since 2010 the accessibility level has improved in this area in the Czech Republic. Comparison with neighbouring countries showed strong and weak points of guaranteed barrier-free services in each country.


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