Assistive Technology to Promote Participation in Sport for People with Disabilities

Participation in sports is a fundamental right for persons with disabilities and is facilitated by the use of specialized Assistive Technology (AT). However, little is known about the role every-day AT plays in promoting sport participation. This study explores how the 50 priority assistive products on the World Health Organization’s Assistive Products List can promote participation in sports, using a mixed-methods online survey with AT users, caregivers, and coaches (n=96). We used a thematic analysis for qualitative responses describing the use of assistive products in facilitating sport participation. Results suggest every-day assistive products are required for participation in sport for persons with disabilities. We present a conceptual model of assistive product use for sport participation. We found persons with disability participate in a range of sports, contributing to community engagement. Access to every-day assistive products is therefore integral to achieving rights of persons with disabilities for participation in sport.

ASDesign: A User-Centered Method for the Design of Assistive Technology That Helps Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Be More Independent in Their Daily Routines

COVID-19 has posed new physical and mental challenges for the population worldwide, establishing social and structural changes in the labor market that could be maintained and implemented permanently. This new reality will require new strategies to improve family and work conciliation, which is especially challenging for families with children suffering from psychological pathologies such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These changes have led to more frequent and intense behavioral problems, causing stress, anxiety, and confusion for these children and their families. Thus, the need to have tools that help parents reconcile work with the care of these children, who have low autonomy, is reinforced. This work develops a method for the design of assistive technology and smart products to support children with ASD in following a routine and managing tasks autonomously. In this way, the article analyzes the design problem including the needs and preferences of children with ASD and their parents during confinement in terms of dependence and adaptability; develops a design method for interactive and smart products focused on children with ASD in confinement situations; and validates this method in a case study, in which a robot is developed that makes it easier for children with ASD to follow a routine.

Gamified Virtual Environment and Interaction Design for Activities of Daily Living Training

Ludic games and gamification processes can extend functional skills in players as they integrate different intelligences and stimulate the cognitive, perceptual, and motor activities. Play can facilitate the work of occupational therapist since provides better cooperation of the patient, besides helping in its development, increasing its behavioral repertoire, mainly in the accomplishment of activities of daily living. This chapter addresses these issues, discussing the design of a gamified virtual environment that helps occupational therapists to develop the potential of children and adolescents with mild, moderate, and severe neuropsychomotor disorder. For that, the authors present an investigation of the use of a gamified virtual environment and interaction devices in the training of activities of daily living. As result, they note that games as assistive technology can encourage the integration of education, rehabilitation, and habilitation of people in situations of vulnerability and social risk, providing access and inclusion through playful and challenging activities.

Technological Solutions for Helping Adaptive Responding of Children with Severe to Profound Developmental Disabilities

This article provides the reader with a literature overview of the newest empirical evidences available on the use of assistive technology-based programs for teaching and improving adaptive responding of children with severe to profound developmental disabilities. Four main categories of studies were selected, regarding (a) the technology for promoting independent access to positive stimulation, (b) the combination between microswitch and VOCA aimed at asking for social contact with a caregiver, (c) the cluster technology for increasing an adaptive response, and simultaneously reducing a challenging behavior, (d) the technology for requesting and choosing desired item or the access to the literacy. Overall, 26 studies were reviewed, and 75 participants were involved. The outcomes were largely positive, although few failures occurred. Psychological and Rehabilitative implications of the findings for both research and clinical practices were critically discussed

Assistive Technologies and Design for People With Autism Spectrum Disorders

This chapter has the aim to provide a concise overview of which assistive technology tools can be used to implement interventions for people with autism spectrum disorders and what developers and designers must take into account when they want to approach to the development of these technologies. Four areas of intervention have been identified: (1) treatment of phobias, (2) social interactions, (3) academic skills, (4) job performance. Ten contributions have been reviewed for a total of 216 participants. Positive results and limits of various studies have been identified. In each session a specific technology will be analyzed, and some general guidelines will be provided. Some suggestions will be emphasized for future research.

Assistive Technology Interventions and Equity Within Literacy Instruction

This study examines ways to provide assistive technology interventions within literacy courses for adolescents and young adults with disabilities. Instead of separating students from their peers during reading and writing assignments, literacy teachers who implement assistive technology can support equitable access to school curricula and technology-based learning resources. Unresolved questions about teacher training and accessibility led to the problem statement: What technology resources have special education service providers found useful during literacy instruction for students with support needs? Research reporting findings from intervention studies and/or interviews with educators showed differences between activity systems in secondary and post-secondary environments. Teachers' beliefs and expectations about student characteristics and the need for individual assistance could contribute to inequities in access to literacy instruction. The thematic analysis revealed practices within literacy classes that can decrease or maintain inequities for students with support needs.

Assistive Technology and Best Practices

The purpose of this chapter is to provide knowledge for classroom teachers on the assistive technology tools that are available for students with learning disabilities. A secondary focus is to identify the best practices commonly used by classroom teachers when teaching students with disabilities. Various technology tools and best practices are discussed. A survey was distributed to elementary and secondary classroom teachers seeking input on the assistive technology tools and best practices used in the classroom. Further discussion of the assistive technology tools and best practices provide content for the practicing teacher to enhance his/her teaching skills when teaching students with learning disabilities.