scholarly journals Evaluating limiting factors for people with disabilities using mobility assistive technologies to enjoy National Parks: Comparative findings between Canada and Spain 

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aguilar Carrasco María José ◽  
Gielen Eric ◽  
Vallés Planells María Concepción ◽  
Galiana Galán Francisco ◽  
Riutort Mayol Gabriel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Limiting Factors

scholarly journals A Survey on the Influence of CYBATHLON on the Development and Acceptance of Advanced Assistive Technologies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Thomas Meyer ◽  
Selina Weber ◽  
Lukas Jäger ◽  
Roland Sigrist ◽  
Roger Gassert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
User Centered Design ◽  
User Centered

Abstract Background: Advanced assistive technologies (AAT) aim to exploit the vast potential of technological developments made in the past decades to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. Combining complex robotic technologies with the unique needs of people with disabilities requires a strong focus on user-centered design to ensure that the AAT appropriately addresses the daily life struggles of target users. The CYBATHLON aims to promote this mindset by empowering the AAT target users (“pilots”) to compete on race tracks that represent daily life obstacles. The objective of this work was to investigate the influence of the CYABTHALON on AAT technology development, acceptance, and user involvement (i.e., application of user-centered design).Methods: With an online survey targetting the pilots and technical leads of teams preparing for the CYBATHLON 2020 Global Edition, we investigated to what extent the pilots were involved in device development and how this influences the perceived daily life usability of the showcased AAT. Furthermore, the effects of user-centered design variables on the individual race performances were analyzed.Results: A total of 81 responses from 35 pilots and 46 technical leads were collected in the two weeks prior to the event. Of all teams partaking in the included disciplines of the CYBATHLON 2020 Global Edition, 81.8% (36 of 44) were included in the study. User-centered design appeared to be a prevalent practice among the teams, as 85.7% of all pilots reported a certain level of involvement. However, only 25.5% of the pilots reported daily life usage, despite QUEST usability scores of both respondent groups showing moderate to high satisfaction with the respected AAT across all investigated disciplines. An explorative linear mixed model indicated that daily life usage (p < 0.05) and prolonged user involvement (e.g. more than 2 years, p < 0.001) have a significant positive effect on the race performance at the competition.Conclusions: We conclude that the CYBATHLON positively fullfills its conceptual goals of promoting active participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in the design and evaluation of AAT, thereby stimulating the development of promising novel technological solutions. Also, our data could underline the value of the competition as a benchmark, highlighting remaining usability limitations or technology adoption hurdles.

AsTeRICS

2014 ◽  
pp. 154-179
Author(s):  
Klaus Miesenberger ◽  
Gerhard Nussbaum ◽  
Roland Ossmann
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Sensor Technology ◽  
Motor Disabilities ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Modern Information ◽  
Easy Integration ◽  
Efficient Software

The authors outline the potential of sensor technology for people with disabilities and those people with motor disabilities in general. First the authors describe how people with disabilities interact with the environment using specialized Assistive Technologies (AT) to interface modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) via the standardized Human-Computer Interface (HCI). The authors discuss the state-of-the-art and emerging sensor technology and how it enhances the potential of AT facilitated interaction with ICT/HCI regarding two domains: a) Sensor technology embedded in the environment providing flexible and adaptable means of interaction and b) sensor technology for better, more flexible and efficient application of skills of people with disabilities as AT solutions. Based on this analysis the authors advocate for changing AT practice in terms of assessment and service provision, but also R&D to recognize the extended potential provided by sensor technology to exploit presently unused or neglected skills of users. The authors underline the need to make AT solutions more flexible, adaptable, and affordable. the authors argue, in view of the potential of sensor technology, that there is an increasing need for an efficient software framework allowing an easy integration of sensor technology into AT solutions or even individual AT service provision. Finally the authors present the AsTeRICS framework as an example of an extendable AT construction set for an open source and crowed sourcing approach for a more user-centered, easy, fast, and economic implementation of sensor based or sensor enhanced AT solutions.

Human Performance

2014 ◽  
pp. 267-273
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
The Future ◽  
Performance Issues ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

This chapter looks into horizontal issues in ICT advances and discusses how the factor of human performance could help in increasing the impact of eAccessibility and assistive technologies in the future. More specifically, it revisits some of the ideas presented in earlier chapters looking at them from a different angle. The one of maximizing the audience and target group for assistive technologies through the increase in human performance, issues related with exoskeletons for working environments and dual use of assistive technology, sports as a motivator, aesthetics and fashion of prosthetics are discussed from this same perspective. Human performance could be a critical factor for the future of assistive technologies, and today's people with disabilities could become tomorrow's people with super-abilities and leaders in human performance issues.

The Internet of Things and Assistive Technologies for People with Disabilities

2017 ◽  
pp. 32-65
Author(s):  
Hwa Lee
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Iot Applications ◽  
Recent Emergence ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
The Internet Of Things

With the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the past two decades have seen a proliferation of Assistive Technology (AT) and its enabling impact on the lives of people with disabilities in the areas of accessing information, communication, and daily living activities. Due to recent emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), the fields of rehabilitation, healthcare, and education are challenged to incorporate the IoT applications into current AT services. While IoT applications continue to be developed and integrated into AT, they are still at a primitive stage where clear guidelines are yet to be developed and benefits are yet to be substantiated to ensure the quality of lives of people with disabilities. This chapter provides an overview of the IoT and AT integrated applications based on the building blocks of the IoT, along with recent trends and issues relevant to accessing technology for people with disabilities.

scholarly journals O contato com o esporte paralímpico como um meio para a mudança de percepção de crianças em relação às pessoas com deficiência (Contact with Paralympic sport as a means to change children's perception of people with disabilities)

Retos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 396-405
Author(s):  
Doralice Lange de Souza ◽  
Jackeline Colere ◽  
Yasmin Vicente Vieira
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Indirect Contact ◽  
Paralympic Sport ◽  
Sporting Activities

  O objetivo deste estudo, de cunho qualitativo e exploratório, foi o de verificar se o contato indireto com pessoas com deficiência (PCD), através de materiais midiáticos relacionados ao esporte paralímpico, pode mudar a percepção de crianças a respeito destas pessoas. Entrevistamos 18 crianças de 6 a 12 anos, sendo que 13 foram entrevistadas em um grupo focal e 5 individualmente. Primeiramente solicitamos que as crianças escrevessem em um papel as primeiras cinco palavras que viessem à sua mente quando ouviam a expressão “pessoa com deficiência”. Em seguida conduzimos uma entrevista semiestruturada visando explorar com mais profundidade o que elas haviam escrito. Depois, mostramos dois vídeos que continham imagens de PCD realizando com sucesso atividades cotidianas, profissionais, artísticas, e principalmente, esportivas. Na sequência, repetimos a dinâmica das cinco palavras e realizamos uma nova entrevista a fim de verificar se houveram mudanças na percepção das crianças. Antes dos vídeos, todos os entrevistados, exceto dois, manifestaram uma visão focada nas deficiências e/ou nas tecnologias assistivas utilizadas pelas PCD. Eles expressaram uma percepção baseada em três estigmas usualmente associadas com estas pessoas: de que elas são “deficientes”, “incapazes” e “coitadinhas”. Depois dos vídeos, todos expressaram um entendimento mais positivo a respeito das PCD, com um foco maior nas capacidades do que as supostas limitações delas. Este estudo indica que produções tais como os que mostramos às crianças podem ser utilizados como recursos pedagógicos para problematizar preconceitos e estigmas normalmente relacionados às PCD, promovendo uma percepção mais positiva das mesmas.   Abstrat. The objective of this study, of a qualitative and exploratory nature, was to verify whether an indirect contact with people with disabilities (PWD), through media materials related to Paralympic sport, can change children's perception of these people. We interviewed 18 children from six to 12 years old, 13 of whom were interviewed in a focus group and 5 individually. First, we asked the children to write on a sheet of paper the first five words that came to mind when they heard the expression “person with a disability”. Aftwerwards, we conducted a semi-structured interview in order to explore more deeply what they had written. Subsequently, we showed two videos that contained images of PWD successfully carrying out daily, professional, artistic, and mainly, sporting activities. Then, we repeated the five words dynamicand conducted a new interview in order to check if there were changes in the children's perception. Before the videos, all interviewees, except for two, expressed a vision focused on the deficiencies and / or assistive technologies used by PWD. They also expressed a perception based on three stigmas usually associated with these people: that they are "disabled", "incapable" and "poor things". After the videos, all of them expressed a more positive understanding of PWD, with a greater focus on their capabilities than on their supposed limitations. This study indicates that materials such as the ones we showed children can be used as pedagogical resources to problematize prejudices and stigmas normally related to PWD, so that we can promote a more positive perception of them.

scholarly journals A Computer Mouse Using Blowing Sensors Intended for People with Disabilities

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (21) ◽  
pp. 4638
Author(s):  
Hsin-Chuan Chen ◽  
Chiou-Jye Huang ◽  
Wei-Ru Tsai ◽  
Che-Lin Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Pulse Width ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Identification Rate ◽  
Computer Mouse

The computer is an important medium that allows people to connect to the internet. However, people with disabilities are unable to use a computer mouse and thus cannot enjoy internet benefits. Nowadays, there are various types of assistive technologies for controlling a computer mouse, but they all have some operational inconveniences. In this paper, we propose an innovative blowing-controlled mouse assistive tool to replace the conventional hand-controlled mouse. Its main contribution is that it uses microphones to induce small signals through the principle of airflow vibration, and it then converts the received signal into the corresponding pulse width. The co-design of software programming enables various mouse functions to be implemented by the identification of the blowing pulse width of multiple microphones. The proposed tool is evaluated experimentally, and the experimental results show that the average identification rate of the proposed mouse is over 85%. Additionally, compared with the other mouse assistive tools, the proposed mouse has the benefits of low cost and humanized operation. Therefore, the proposed blowing control method can not only improve the life quality of people with disabilities but also overcome the disadvantages of existing assistive tools.

Robotic Exoskeletons and Social, Companion, and Service Robots

2014 ◽  
pp. 34-48
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Emerging Technology ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Transfer Of Knowledge ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Future ◽  
Social Companion

Robotics is an emerging technology presenting great opportunities for the future of eAccessbility and Assistive Technologies. This is why this chapter aims to present the current state of the art in the domain together with the potential that robotics holds for the future. More specifically, it presents recent efforts on social and companion robotics and the dangers and current challenges we are facing in that area, such as autonomy, security, the risk of seclusion for people being taken care of by robots, etc. Furthermore, this chapter is also discussing the developments in another area of robotics dealing with robotic exoskeletons. Exoskeletons are now being used in specific working environments and could in the future become a useful technology of people with disabilities. Some first examples are presented, and the chapter discusses issues such as the potential transfer of knowledge and expertise from other applications and the use of assistive technologies for helping caretakers instead of the actual persons in need.

scholarly journals Spotlight on Siblings: Considering Social Context in Home Modification Practice

Societies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Moller ◽  
Schneider ◽  
Steel
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Home Modification ◽  
Modification Process

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) recognizes the role of Assistive Technologies (AT) in enabling independent living and inclusion of people with disabilities. Research into the provision of AT and disability services in general has highlighted the importance of social context and its influence on individual outcomes. However, there is little recognition of sibling roles, relationships and rights in the guidance available for practitioners. This paper explores the socio-technical context of home modification practice and the importance of involving siblings. The international context and concepts behind AT provision, including home modifications, and issues emerging from practice in Australia’s new National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) are discussed. Based on extensive practical experience and peer review, the “5 S’s for Siblings” is presented as a practice approach for involving siblings in the home modification process. Policy and practice implications are presented, including communication strategies for working in partnership with individuals and their families, and alignment with national standards and human rights principles. Involving siblings in the home modification process recognizes the important role they play in the lives of people with disabilities, both now and in the future.

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