Systems and Complexity

Past efforts in e-Access, e-assistive, and e-inclusive technologies have largely focused on “parts of a problem.” That is to say, they have identified key tasks in day-to-day living and working or key elements in the experience of those with disability care and focused on the development of independent solutions for these specific tasks. Although this approach has yielded many successes, it may be time to stand back and take a look at the bigger picture. To the extent that systems have been discussed, the focus has been on technological systems. Typically, these systems are engineered systems that link otherwise weakly linked groups, such as doctors and carers with those cared for and their families or friends. In this chapter, the authors would like the reader to stand back and explore systems from a broader perspective, in particular from the human systems point of view.

Health and Human Services

Persons with disabilities and the elderly present an increased need for health and human services such as care taking, remote monitoring for hospital care, etc. Moreover, people's perceptions of the notion of disability and especially of cognitive impairments and disorders are beginning to change. The increase in people in need of health services because of ageing is another important factor making this aspect of life one of the most important aspects for independent and assisted living, which the second section discusses. This section focuses on issues that technologies and applications in the area have to face in the next years such as cost, human factors, privacy, the quality of services, etc. in order for people with disabilities and the elderly to benefit from them.

Advanced Prosthetics, Neuroprosthetics, and Artificial Limbs

An area of research that is very close to invasive BCI presented earlier is the area of neuroprosthetics. This involves the use of invasive BCI systems aiming to control prosthetic devices (i.e. an artificial hand) or help in rehabilitation of human senses such as seeing and hearing. The most well-known advances in neuroprosthetics are in the area of seeing, the case of the artificial retina, the case of cochlear implants for hearing, and the use of thought-controlled artificial limbs. Building upon knowledge and developments presented in the previous chapters about BCI and robotics, this chapter combines these technologies and discusses advances and challenges to be met in the areas of advanced prosthetics, neuroprosthetics, and artificial limbs.

BCI, BNCI, and BMI

Brain Computer Interaction and Interfaces is another emerging technology that is presenting interesting potential for people with disabilities in their interaction with computers and machines in general. Combined with robotic arms, it can lead to prosthetic arms that can be handled though the brain like a natural hand. Apart from that, brain-computer interfaces can be used for a variety of other control operations over computers and machines in general and also for detecting the emotional state of a person. People with disabilities (and not only them) could use them to interact with a range of machines from traditional PCs to smart wheelchairs that will be able not only to accept commands but understand their emotions too. Therefore, this chapter is devoted to presenting recent efforts in the area and discussing issues and challenges that lie ahead in the domain of BCI so that the reader can get an overview of this new exciting technology.

Training, Teaching, and Learning

We are constantly being educated, learning, and getting training for new skills. People with disabilities and the elderly are no exception to this rule. Moreover, they might need additional training and education on how to use assistive technologies and how to cope with the everyday aspects of overcoming their problems. This chapter focuses on education and training and presents technologies, policies, challenges, and opportunities that lie ahead for accessibility in education and training. It presents the different aspects and the different potential solutions based on the level of education trying to cover this need throughout the lifespan of a person. Finally, it finishes by discussing common problems and issues in research for accessible and inclusive education in order to provide useful suggestions and lessons to be had for the future.

Keyboards, Screens, and Mice

This chapter deals generally with the developments in various interaction technologies. Interaction paradigms have shifted in the past from command line interfaces to graphical user interfaces exploiting heavily metaphors from the real to the digital world. Today, the traditional paradigm of interaction with a computer using a mouse, a keyboard, and a screen starts again to shift into new emerging paradigms employing a variety of technologies such as speech and gesture recognition. The functionality of a PC is now being transferred into devices such as mobile and wearable devices, exposing the need for new ways of interacting with devices. This chapter discusses how emerging interaction technologies can affect the eAccessibility domain by presenting opportunities, challenges, and dangers that lie ahead.

Sensors, Networks, and Clouds

This chapter presents an overview of the latest developments in sensor technologies and discusses issues, challenges, and potentials that sensors present for eAccessibility technologies. Going a step further, it also presents the challenges and potential that network technologies bring in combination with sensors. Given the developments in sensors and networks, it then proceeds to present the developments in the level of cloud technologies and semantics and how all these connected together are now starting to form what we today call the Internet and Web of Things. Starting from the low level of sensors, this chapter aims to zoom out to the bigger picture of Web of Things, Big Data, and Semantic technologies in order to help the reader understand the interconnection in the technologies and the potentials that all of them together present for the future.

Innovation

This is the third chapter looking at the bigger picture of eAccessibility and inclusion technologies. In this chapter, issues dealing with innovation and how this can be boosted in the next years are discussed. More specifically, this chapter discusses how the organization of research and innovation can affect future innovation, how open innovation-led users, living labs, and DIY can have an impact on how innovative solutions are achieved in the future. It also discussed the effect of platforms in boosting innovation in specific areas give the recent lessons from mobile and how prizes and competitions can help even more in that direction. Finally, it looks into issues of business model innovation and emerging market models of innovation while also looking at how design plays a role and how new financing techniques such as crowdfunding can have an impact on future developments.

Consumer and Lifestyle

Consuming is an important aspect of our lives. It is part of our lifestyle. People with disabilities and the elderly, however, face problems in everyday transactions in shops, ATMs, vending machines, etc. This chapter focuses on presenting the potential technological applications and suggested policies that might help to overcome many of those problems. Issues and technologies related with the shopping experience, consuming services, using ATMs and vending machines, and also related lifestyle trends that might affect accessibility are presented and analyzed in order to provide the reader with the big picture on how accessibility solutions could become mainstream and used by greater audiences.

Employment, Employability, and Entrepreneurship

Employment and employability are some of the most important problems that people with disabilities face throughout their lives. Employers are often afraid or unaware of the abilities that people with disabilities might have for a specific position, and they misjudge and mistreat them. Such perceptions need to change, and new technologies and trends in the work environment such as the Bring Your Own Device can help in improving conditions for people with disabilities. Moreover, the need for more inclusion and assistive technologies in work environments is now becoming more evident by the ageing population that is still employed due to the increase of retirement age in many countries. This chapter discusses those issues and how technology together with relevant policies can help in decreasing unemployment rates for people with disabilities.