What is Assistive Technology: Difference between revisions
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== Introduction == | == Introduction == | ||
[[Category:Assistive Technology Content Development Project]] | [[Category:Assistive Technology Content Development Project]] | ||
Assistive technology (AT) refers to "[[Assistive Devices|assistive products]] and related systems and services developed for people to maintain or improve functioning and thereby promote well-being".<ref name=":2">Matter R, Harniss M, Oderud T, Borg J, Eide AH. Assistive technology in resource-limited environments: a scoping review. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. 2017 Feb 17;12(2):105-14.</ref><ref name=":4">Tangcharoensathien V, Witthayapipopsakul W, Viriyathorn S, Patcharanarumol W. [https://www.who-seajph.org/article.asp?issn=2224-3151;year=2018;volume=7;issue=2;spage=84;epage=89;aulast=Tangcharoensathien Improving access to assistive technologies: challenges and solutions in low-and middle-income countries]. WHO South-East Asia journal of public health. 2018 Jul 1;7(2):84.</ref> It allows people with disabilities to live independent, healthy and productive | Assistive technology (AT) refers to "[[Assistive Devices|assistive products]] and related systems and services developed for people to maintain or improve functioning and thereby promote well-being".<ref name=":2">Matter R, Harniss M, Oderud T, Borg J, Eide AH. Assistive technology in resource-limited environments: a scoping review. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. 2017 Feb 17;12(2):105-14.</ref><ref name=":4">Tangcharoensathien V, Witthayapipopsakul W, Viriyathorn S, Patcharanarumol W. [https://www.who-seajph.org/article.asp?issn=2224-3151;year=2018;volume=7;issue=2;spage=84;epage=89;aulast=Tangcharoensathien Improving access to assistive technologies: challenges and solutions in low-and middle-income countries]. WHO South-East Asia journal of public health. 2018 Jul 1;7(2):84.</ref> It allows people with disabilities to live independent, healthy and productive lives participating in education, work and social activities.<ref name=":6">Smith, R.O., Scherer, M.J., Cooper, R., Bell, D., Hobbs, D.A., Pettersson, C., Seymour, N., Borg, J., Johnson, M.J., Lane, J.P. and Sujatha, S., 2018. [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17483107.2018.1473895?needAccess=true Assistive technology products: a position paper from the first global research, innovation, and education on assistive technology (GREAT) summit.] ''Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology'', ''13''(5), pp.473-485.</ref> <ref name=":1">de Witte, L., Steel, E., Gupta, S., Ramos, V.D. and Roentgen, U., 2018. [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17483107.2018.1470264 Assistive technology provision: towards an international framework for assuring availability and accessibility of affordable high-quality assistive technology]. ''Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology'', ''13''(5), pp.467-472.</ref> AT reduces the burden on care-givers and the need for formal health and support services. Without AT, people with disabilities are often caught in a cycle of exclusion, isolation and poverty, which further increases disability and morbidity.<ref name=":2" /> | ||
Assistive technology is a human right as identified by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The UNCRPD was ratified by 157 countries to establish the availability of high-quality, | Assistive technology is a human right as identified by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The UNCRPD was ratified by 157 countries to establish the availability of high-quality, affordable assistive products as a right ensuring equal opportunities.<ref>Khasnabis C, Mirza Z, MacLachlan M. Opening the GATE to inclusion for people with disabilities. The Lancet. 2015 Dec 5.</ref> | ||
=== Needs === | === Needs === | ||
One billion people worldwide need assistive technology to lead healthy, productive and dignified lives. Although AT can be used throughout the lifespan, the need is greatest for the elderly, people living with chronic conditions and people with disabilities.<ref name=":5">Assistive technology factsheet. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018 (<nowiki>https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/assistive-technology</nowiki>, accessed 24 may 2021). </ref> <ref name=":1" /> Of those persons living with a disability, 1 in 10 are children.<ref>Banozic A, Shi G, Ke S. [https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpos.2022.859272/full The role of Assistive Technology in advancing Sustainable Development Goals.] Frontiers in Political Science.:24.</ref> As the world’s population ages and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases increases, the need for AT will continue to rise.<ref name=":5" /> Those who require AT must be able to [[Access to Assistive Technology|access]] it in order to participate in education, work, and family and community life. [[Access to Assistive Technology|Accessing AT]] in low-resource countries can be difficult because of issues with affordability, availability and acceptability.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":4" /> <br> | |||
{{#ev:youtube|NHNV0jpC8sY}} | {{#ev:youtube|NHNV0jpC8sY}} | ||
=== Types of AT === | === Types of AT === | ||
Assistive technologies include any product, piece of equipment or item used to maintain, improve or increase the functional ability of people with disabilities.<ref name=":4" /> Assistive products can be made, modified or bought.<ref name=":3">Mather, D. Intro to Assistive Technology Course. Physioplus Course. 2022</ref> Assistive devices range from simple, low-technology devices (e.g. canes), to complex, high-technology devices (e.g. | Assistive technologies include any product, piece of equipment or item used to maintain, improve or increase the functional ability of people with disabilities.<ref name=":4" /> Assistive products can be made, modified or bought.<ref name=":3">Mather, D. Intro to Assistive Technology Course. Physioplus Course. 2022</ref> Assistive devices range from simple, low-technology devices (e.g. canes), to complex, high-technology devices (e.g. motorised wheelchairs).<ref name=":0" /> The video above by the World Health Organization demonstrates the benefits of assistive technology.<br> | ||
==== Categories ==== | ==== Categories ==== | ||
Because there is a wide variety of assistive devices, it is useful to group them in different categories.<ref name=":0">Khasnabis C, Heinicke Motsch K, Achu K, et al., editors. Community-Based Rehabilitation: CBR Guidelines. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2010. Assistive devices. Available from: | Because there is a wide variety of assistive devices, it is useful to group them in different categories.<ref name=":0">Khasnabis C, Heinicke Motsch K, Achu K, et al., editors. Community-Based Rehabilitation: CBR Guidelines. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2010. Assistive devices. Available from:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310951 | ||
</ref> Some products will fit into more than one category.<ref name=":3" /> | </ref> Some products will fit into more than one category.<ref name=":3" /> | ||
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#* Assist with: mobility | #* Assist with: mobility | ||
#* Devices: crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, ramps, and grab bars | #* Devices: crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, ramps, and grab bars | ||
# [[Assistive Technology: Vision Products|Seeing/Vision Products]]: | # [[Assistive Technology: Vision Products|Seeing / Vision Products]]: | ||
#* Assist with: low vision or blindness range | #* Assist with: low vision or blindness range | ||
#* Devices: reading glasses, magnifiers, audio players, talking and / or touching watches / books, braille systems | #* Devices: reading glasses, magnifiers, audio players, talking and / or touching watches / books, braille systems | ||
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# [[Assistive Technology: Communication Products|Communication Products]]: | # [[Assistive Technology: Communication Products|Communication Products]]: | ||
#* Assist with: augmentative and alternative communication<ref name=":0" /> | #* Assist with: augmentative and alternative communication<ref name=":0" /> | ||
#* Devices include: communication boards, books, and | #* Devices include: communication boards, books, and cards | ||
# [[Assistive Technology: Cognition Products|Cognition Products]]: | # [[Assistive Technology: Cognition Products|Cognition Products]]: | ||
#* Assist with: cognition<ref name=":0" /> | #* Assist with: cognition<ref name=":0" /> | ||
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== Priority Assistive Product List == | == Priority Assistive Product List == | ||
The World Health Organization created the Priority Assistive Products List (APL) to improve access to assistive products. This list | The World Health Organization created the Priority Assistive Products List (APL) to improve access to assistive products. This list includes 50 priority assistive products based on widespread need and impact of the user's life. The APL includes both high-tech and low-tech products to assist with mobility, communication, cognition, personal care, vision, hearing and environment. The list is not restrictive; the aim is to provide member states with a model from which to develop their own national priority assistive products list according to national need and available resources.<ref>Boot FH, Owuor J, Dinsmore J, MacLachlan M. [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jir.12532 Access to assistive technology for people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review to identify barriers and facilitators]. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. 2018 Oct;62(10):900-21.</ref> <ref>World Health Organization: Priority Assistive Products List. 2016. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/207694/WHO_EMP_PHI_2016.01_eng.pdf. </ref> | ||
The following list by the World Health Organization <ref name=":0" /> details the 50 priority products. Please note that it should not be considered restrictive:<ref>Rohwerder B. Assistive technologies in developing countries</ref> | The following list by the World Health Organization<ref name=":0" /> details the 50 priority products. Please note that it should not be considered restrictive:<ref>Rohwerder B. Assistive technologies in developing countries</ref> | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
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|} | |} | ||
=== Provision of | === Provision of Assistive Technology === | ||
There are four steps required for the provision of assistive technology: | There are four steps required for the provision of assistive technology: | ||
# Select | |||
# Fit | |||
# Teach | |||
# Follow-up | |||
All four processes help to ensure that AT is used effectively. The first step involves choosing the product that will benefit the user's needs. This process is done in collaboration with the patient and caregiver to understand their needs and how they will be using the product within their environment. The fitting process provides an opportunity to adjust and modify the product to the individual. Teaching involves explaining, demonstrating and practising with the AT. Lastly, follow-up is important to determine if the assistive device is still meeting the user's needs and if any maintenance or repairs are required.<ref>World Health Organization. Training in Assistive Products Modules. 2020. Available from: | |||
https://www.gate-tap.org/all-modules/</ref> The following video by the World Health Organization explains these four steps in more detail: | https://www.gate-tap.org/all-modules/</ref> The following video by the World Health Organization explains these four steps in more detail: | ||
Revision as of 11:50, 3 August 2022
Welcome to Assistive Technology in Rehabilitation Content Development Project. Please do not edit unless you are involved in this project, but please come back in the near future to check out new information!! If you would like to get involved in this project and earn accreditation for your contributions, please get in touch!
Original Editors - Habibu Salisu Badamasi
Top Contributors - Robin Tacchetti, Habibu Salisu Badamasi, Naomi O'Reilly, Jess Bell, Ewa Jaraczewska, Kim Jackson and Stacy Schiurring
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Assistive technology (AT) refers to "assistive products and related systems and services developed for people to maintain or improve functioning and thereby promote well-being".[1][2] It allows people with disabilities to live independent, healthy and productive lives participating in education, work and social activities.[3] [4] AT reduces the burden on care-givers and the need for formal health and support services. Without AT, people with disabilities are often caught in a cycle of exclusion, isolation and poverty, which further increases disability and morbidity.[1]
Assistive technology is a human right as identified by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The UNCRPD was ratified by 157 countries to establish the availability of high-quality, affordable assistive products as a right ensuring equal opportunities.[5]
Needs[edit | edit source]
One billion people worldwide need assistive technology to lead healthy, productive and dignified lives. Although AT can be used throughout the lifespan, the need is greatest for the elderly, people living with chronic conditions and people with disabilities.[6] [4] Of those persons living with a disability, 1 in 10 are children.[7] As the world’s population ages and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases increases, the need for AT will continue to rise.[6] Those who require AT must be able to access it in order to participate in education, work, and family and community life. Accessing AT in low-resource countries can be difficult because of issues with affordability, availability and acceptability.[6][2]
Types of AT[edit | edit source]
Assistive technologies include any product, piece of equipment or item used to maintain, improve or increase the functional ability of people with disabilities.[2] Assistive products can be made, modified or bought.[8] Assistive devices range from simple, low-technology devices (e.g. canes), to complex, high-technology devices (e.g. motorised wheelchairs).[9] The video above by the World Health Organization demonstrates the benefits of assistive technology.
Categories[edit | edit source]
Because there is a wide variety of assistive devices, it is useful to group them in different categories.[9] Some products will fit into more than one category.[8]
- Mobility Products:
- Assist with: mobility
- Devices: crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, ramps, and grab bars
- Seeing / Vision Products:
- Assist with: low vision or blindness range
- Devices: reading glasses, magnifiers, audio players, talking and / or touching watches / books, braille systems
- Hearing Products:
- Assist with: hearing loss and communication[9]
- Devices include: hearing aids and alarm signalers that use light, sound, and vibration
- Communication Products:
- Assist with: augmentative and alternative communication[9]
- Devices include: communication boards, books, and cards
- Cognition Products:
- Assist with: cognition[9]
- Devices: pill organisers and whiteboards to remember things
- Self-care and Environment Products:
- Assist: people with physical impairments who have difficulty with functional activities
- Devices: toilet and shower chairs, absorbent cloths
Priority Assistive Product List[edit | edit source]
The World Health Organization created the Priority Assistive Products List (APL) to improve access to assistive products. This list includes 50 priority assistive products based on widespread need and impact of the user's life. The APL includes both high-tech and low-tech products to assist with mobility, communication, cognition, personal care, vision, hearing and environment. The list is not restrictive; the aim is to provide member states with a model from which to develop their own national priority assistive products list according to national need and available resources.[10] [11]
The following list by the World Health Organization[9] details the 50 priority products. Please note that it should not be considered restrictive:[12]
| Priority Assistive Product List | |||||
| 1 | Alarm signallers with light / sound / vibration | 18 | Hearing loops / FM systems | 35 | Screen readers |
| 2 | Audioplayers with DAISY capability | 19 | Incontinence products, absorbent | 36 | Simplified mobile phones |
| 3 | Braille displays (note takers) | 20 | Keyboard and mouse emulation software | 37 | Spectacles; low vision, short distance, long distance, filters and protection |
| 4 | Braille writing equipment / braillers | 21 | Magnifiers, digital hand-held | 38 | Standing frames, adjustable |
| 5 | Canes / sticks | 22 | Magnifiers, optical | 39 | Therapeutic footwear; diabetic, neuropathic, orthopaedic |
| 6 | Chairs for shower / bath / toilet | 23 | Orthoses, lower limb | 40 | Time management products |
| 7 | Closed captioning displays | 24 | Orthoses, spina | 41 | Travel aids, portable |
| 8 | Club foot braces | 25 | Orthoses, upper limb | 42 | Tricycles |
| 9 | Communication boards / books / cards | 26 | Personal digital assistant (PDA) | 43 | Video communication devices |
| 10 | Communication software | 27 | Personal emergency alarm systems | 44 | Walking frames / walkers |
| 11 | Crutches, axillary / elbow | 28 | Pill organisers | 45 | Watches, talking / touching |
| 12 | Deafblind communicators | 29 | Pressure relief cushions | 46 | Wheelchairs, manual for active use |
| 13 | Fall detectors | 30 | Pressure relief mattresses | 47 | Wheelchairs, manual assistant-controlled |
| 14 | Gesture to voice technology | 31 | Prostheses, lower limb | 48 | Wheelchairs, manual with postural support |
| 15 | Global positioning system (GPS) locators | 32 | Ramps, portable | 49 | Wheelchairs, electrically powered |
| 16 | Hand rails / grab bars | 33 | Recorders | 50 | White canes |
| 17 | Hearing aids (digital) and batteries | 34 | Rollators | ||
Provision of Assistive Technology[edit | edit source]
There are four steps required for the provision of assistive technology:
- Select
- Fit
- Teach
- Follow-up
All four processes help to ensure that AT is used effectively. The first step involves choosing the product that will benefit the user's needs. This process is done in collaboration with the patient and caregiver to understand their needs and how they will be using the product within their environment. The fitting process provides an opportunity to adjust and modify the product to the individual. Teaching involves explaining, demonstrating and practising with the AT. Lastly, follow-up is important to determine if the assistive device is still meeting the user's needs and if any maintenance or repairs are required.[13] The following video by the World Health Organization explains these four steps in more detail:
Resources[edit | edit source]
- World Health Organization: Priority Assistive Products List
- World Health Organization: Assistive Technology
References [edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Matter R, Harniss M, Oderud T, Borg J, Eide AH. Assistive technology in resource-limited environments: a scoping review. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. 2017 Feb 17;12(2):105-14.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Tangcharoensathien V, Witthayapipopsakul W, Viriyathorn S, Patcharanarumol W. Improving access to assistive technologies: challenges and solutions in low-and middle-income countries. WHO South-East Asia journal of public health. 2018 Jul 1;7(2):84.
- ↑ Smith, R.O., Scherer, M.J., Cooper, R., Bell, D., Hobbs, D.A., Pettersson, C., Seymour, N., Borg, J., Johnson, M.J., Lane, J.P. and Sujatha, S., 2018. Assistive technology products: a position paper from the first global research, innovation, and education on assistive technology (GREAT) summit. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 13(5), pp.473-485.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 de Witte, L., Steel, E., Gupta, S., Ramos, V.D. and Roentgen, U., 2018. Assistive technology provision: towards an international framework for assuring availability and accessibility of affordable high-quality assistive technology. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 13(5), pp.467-472.
- ↑ Khasnabis C, Mirza Z, MacLachlan M. Opening the GATE to inclusion for people with disabilities. The Lancet. 2015 Dec 5.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Assistive technology factsheet. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018 (https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/assistive-technology, accessed 24 may 2021).
- ↑ Banozic A, Shi G, Ke S. The role of Assistive Technology in advancing Sustainable Development Goals. Frontiers in Political Science.:24.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Mather, D. Intro to Assistive Technology Course. Physioplus Course. 2022
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Khasnabis C, Heinicke Motsch K, Achu K, et al., editors. Community-Based Rehabilitation: CBR Guidelines. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2010. Assistive devices. Available from:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310951
- ↑ Boot FH, Owuor J, Dinsmore J, MacLachlan M. Access to assistive technology for people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review to identify barriers and facilitators. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. 2018 Oct;62(10):900-21.
- ↑ World Health Organization: Priority Assistive Products List. 2016. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/207694/WHO_EMP_PHI_2016.01_eng.pdf.
- ↑ Rohwerder B. Assistive technologies in developing countries
- ↑ World Health Organization. Training in Assistive Products Modules. 2020. Available from: https://www.gate-tap.org/all-modules/
