Foundations of
Assistive Technology:
Week 1
Damian Gordon
What’s it about?
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This module aims to develop the student’s
ability to understand the issues associated
with innovation in AT-based problem solving
and enhance key transferable
communication skills.
What’s it about?
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On completion of the module the student will
have gained experience with a range of AT
devices that will help them solve problems in
the field of AT
Learning Outcomes
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Describe the social and legal imperatives
with regard to Assistive Technology
Appreciate the environmental constraints of
people with disability
Describe the various technologies and
specialised interfaces to assist people with
disability
Learning Outcomes
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Show an awareness of various disabilities
that impact the Human Computer Interface
Explain the accessibility of software
Implement software interfaces with
improved accessibility
Design and develop inclusive Web sites
Assessment
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Continuous assessment will comprise 40% of
the marks for this module. An end of module
examination will comprise the remaining
60%.
Syllabus
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Disability Awareness
–
Overview of different conditions. Analysis of
requirements imposed by these conditions.
Social, Legal and Economic Models of Disability,
Service Delivery Models.
Syllabus
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Technical Overview
–
Relevant Technologies. Product Review. Software
Support Systems. Hardware Overview.
Specialized Interfaces. Augmentative Alternative
Communication: Switch Access: Voice
Recognition: Text to Speech Computer Vision,
Environmental Control and Independent Living
Syllabus
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Specialized Interface design
–
Analysis of Requirements. Technical Constraints.
Design Issues. Design For All. Challenging the
HCI user Model.
Syllabus
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Inclusive IT
–
Access issues, Matching Person and
Technologies, Frameworks,
Syllabus
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The Education Paradigm
–
Connecting to Learn, Education and Technology,
Learning Styles, Individual Education Plans
Background
Disability is both a common personal
experience and a global phenomenon, with
widespread economic, cultural and political
implications for society as a whole.
Estimates suggest that there are around 50
million disabled people in the EU and 500
million worldwide. Estimated at 18% of the
whole population by 2020.
Disability Theory
Focus on the social exclusion and oppression
of disabled people. The barriers are
embedded in policies and practices based on
the individualistic, medicalised approach to
disability. The removal of such obstacles by
changing the way society is organised
(Barnes, 1998)
“Rights not Charity”
Politicisation of Disability
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In the 1970’s, disabled individuals and groups began
to self-organise to resist exclusion form employment
and enforced poverty. Also publication of sociological
texts, e.g.:
The Sociology of Physical Disability and
Rehabilitation – Gary Albrecht (editor) 1976,
The Meaning of Disability – Mildred Blaxter (1976).
None of the studies attempted to question its
ideological underpinnings: what has been called the
“individual”, “medical” or “personal tragedy” model of
disability.
Disability Movements
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American Independent Living Movement
Swedish Self Advocacy Movement
Union of the Physically Impaired Against
Segregation, UK (UPIAS)
Liberation Network of People with
Disabilities, UK
Who else?
Challenging the Authority of the
Medical Definition of Disability
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Medical model – disability is a physical or mental
impairment or a biological deficit” or “flaw” that limits
what disabled people can do. This means that the
“flaw” segregates those labelled form social
participation.
ABNORMALITY OR MALADAPTION
Confinement, denial of human rights and oppressive
practices of care (Barnes, 1990)
Social Model of Disability
A key turning point in the development of the social model of
disability in Britain was the definition developed at a meeting of the
Union of the Physically Impaired Segregation (UPIAS) in 1976:
Disability is something imposed on top of our impairment by the way
we are unnecessarily isolated and excluded from full participation in
society.
Impairment is a lacking part or all of a limb, organ or mechanism of
the body; and disability as the disadvantage or restriction of activity
caused by a contemporary social organisation which takes no or
little account of people who have physical impairments……(1976:
14)
Social Model of Disability
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A focus on economic, environmental and cultural
barriers encountered by people viewed by others as
having some form of impairment. These include
inaccessible:
Education
Working Environments
Information and Communication Systems
Inadequate Disability benefits,
Inaccessible transport, etc………
Inclusion in works of
Pieter Bruegel (1520 – 69)
The Battle between Carnival
and Lent depicts many of the
human elements of the
medieval social order. This
painting gives us a view of
the European feudal
landscape with gambolling
figures, lame beggars set
unremarkably within the
larger, symbolic mise-enscene (Gleeson 1999: 62)
The Cripples
International Classification of
Functioning, Disability and Health, or
ICIDH (WHO 1980)
A new paradigm (an example or conceptual
framework) of disability, offering what it calls
"a framework for understanding the
dimensions of disablement and functioning at
three different levels: body, person and
society."
ICIDH Terminology
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Impairment – Any temporary or permanent loss or abnormality of a
body structure or function, whether physiological or psychological.
Disability – A restriction or inability to perform an activity in the manner
or within the range considered normal for a human being, mostly
resulting from impairment.
Handicap - This is a result of an impairment or disability that limits or
prevents the fulfilment of one or several roles regarded as normal,
depending on age, sex, and social and cultural factors.
www.who.int/icidh
Example
A child who has lost an eye following an
accident will be impaired but may not be
disabled, and will be able to participate
fully in school and family activities. If a
career as an airline pilot, police officer or
professional tennis player had been
anticipated, then this may be seen as a
personal disadvantage or handicap.
Modifications to Classification
Impairment
Disability
Handicap
Impairment
Activity
Participation
WHO 2001
What is Assistive Technology?

“Any product, instrument,
equipment or technical
system used by a disabled
or elderly person, made
specially or existing on the
market, aimed to prevent,
compensate, relieve or
neutralise the deficiency, the
inability or the handicap.”
International ISO-9999
Standard
Finding the Right Fit
Assistive technology or Enabling Technology
is sometimes referred to as "work-around"
technology. The "fit" of technology solutions
with the individual's circumstances must be
carefully judged - low technology solutions
are often more effective and easily integrated
into a person's lifestyle.
Design for All
Design for All (DfA) – design practices will have to change
as a result of new challenges to meet the ever growing needs
of an aging population. There is also a need for sustainable
development that is more inclusive for diverse user groups.
DfA methods and tools should be part of the professional
toolkit of all designers. This toolkit should include
understanding of the cross-cultural nature to ensure that
environments, products or services designed for people
support inclusion of all citizens to society See EU eAccessibility
[http://www.e-accessibility.org].
AT is a Very Broad Area
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Daily Living aids,
Mobility Aids,
Vocational Technology,
Environmental Technology
(ECU)
Recreational Technology,
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Communication
Technology (AAC)
Seating and positioning
aids,
Transportation
Technology (POW)
Characteristics of AT
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Low to high tech,
Hard or soft tech,
Minimal to maximal,
Augment or replace,
General or specific,
Commercial or custom
Low Tech to High Tech
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“low-tech" - non-electronic devices, such as widened pencil
grips, velcro fasteners, or book holders.
"medium-tech" devices are more complicated but are used by
those with some degree of independent functioning. e.g.
adaptive computer peripherals - tracker balls, joy sticks,
keyboards, etc.
"high-tech" devices are more sophisticated communication
and environmental control systems. Considerable specialist
support and training is necessary.
Members of a Dream AT team
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AT User (Client)
Family/ caregiver
The Funder
The AT Advisor
The Supplier
The Engineer
Others depending on context
Personal Characteristics when considering
the introduction of AT
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Physical,
Cognitive,
Cultural,
Experience,
Age,
Gender
Belbin’s Team Roles
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In Meredith Belbin's 1981 book Management
Teams she suggested nine types of person in
a team.
Team Building Challenge
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Try a "concept combination" - take two concepts or
objects and combine them in some novel way.
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As a team, the point is just to see what you can
come up with - What can you come up with from the
combination of a chair and a microwave? Perhaps
an easy-chair that has a cooler and microwave and
television built in. Or microwaveable "couch
potatoes" ; a potato snack in the shape of a couch.