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Empowering individuals with do-it-yourself assistive technology
Abstract
Assistive Technologies empower individuals to accomplish tasks they might not be able to do otherwise. Unfortunately, a large percentage of Assistive Technology devices that are purchased (35% or more) end up unused or abandoned [7,10], leaving many people with Assistive Technology that is inappropriate for their needs. Low acceptance rates of Assistive Technology occur for many reasons, but common factors include 1) lack of considering user opinion in selection, 2) ease in obtaining devices, 3) poor device performance, and 4) changes in user needs and priorities [7]. We are working to help more people gain access to the Assistive Technology they need by empowering non-engineers to "Do-It-Yourself" (DIY) and create, modify, or build. This paper illustrates that it is possible to custom-build Assistive Technology, and argues why empowering users to make their own Assistive Technology can improve the adoption process (and subsequently adoption rates). We discuss DIY experiences and impressions from individuals who have either built Assistive Technology before, or rely on it. We found that increased control over design elements, passion, and cost motivated individuals to make their own Assistive Technology instead of buying it. We discuss how a new generation of rapid prototyping tools and online communities can empower more individuals. We synthesize our findings into design recommendations to help promote future DIY-AT success.
... Several previous projects have studied the possibilities and challenges of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and Do-For-Others (DFO) assistive technologies (DIY-ATs) for different populations with disabilities. These approaches have been shown to open up possibilities for people with disabilities and their caregivers, teachers, and therapists to design and fabricate their own technologies, a process that may lead to feelings of empowerment, as well as increased investment in the end product and resulting gains in quality of life [17,18,31,37,40]. Despite these possibilities, research has also identified challenges in ensuring DIY-ATs are safe and usable, especially when they are created without consultation with therapists or people with disabilities themselves [17,18]. ...
... These approaches have been shown to open up possibilities for people with disabilities and their caregivers, teachers, and therapists to design and fabricate their own technologies, a process that may lead to feelings of empowerment, as well as increased investment in the end product and resulting gains in quality of life [17,18,31,37,40]. Despite these possibilities, research has also identified challenges in ensuring DIY-ATs are safe and usable, especially when they are created without consultation with therapists or people with disabilities themselves [17,18]. We briefly summarize previous related work in this section. ...
... They warned against developing or deploying solutions without first securing multiple stakeholder buy-in and without first building local technical and social capacity, identifying both as important to the sustainability of a decentralized technology deployment and maintenance plan over time (as also identified in previous research [15,16]). The challenge of putting in the time and effort to troubleshoot DIY-Ats has been noted in previous research and identified as a barrier to technology uptake and a factor in its abandonment [17,18]. ...
People with disabilities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) have limited access to digital assistive technologies (ATs). Most ATs in LMICs are manufactured elsewhere and are expensive and difficult to maintain. Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technologies (DIY-ATs) designed, customized, and repaired by non-technical users offer exciting directions in these contexts. We have been exploring the possibilities and challenges of DIY-ATs in Western Kenya, using community-engaged workshops in rural and urban special education schools for the past three years. We present findings from a concluding-stage research activity: a multiple stakeholder focus group where teachers, disability advocates, and representatives from the local government and technology innovation hubs, discussed the possibilities and challenges of addressing disability issues through DIY-ATs in this context. Participants identified opportunities for DIY-ATs for social inclusion, disability assessment, and inclusive education, and shared concerns about their sustainability, safety, and contextual relevance.
... Such assistive devices may include a wide range of tools for activities of daily living, such as pencil and cutlery grips, glass or cup holders, extensions for toys or game consoles, prostheses, and orthoses. Several benefits of such DiY assistive devices have been discussed in the literature [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], including a better fit between products and clients' needs and wishes, customization opportunities, lower production costs, and improved access to assistive technology. ...
... Quite a few studies have looked specifically into the potential value that 3D printing has to offer in this respect. These studies seem to consistently show positive reactions among care professionals regarding the potential benefit of DiY technologies (e.g., [2,6,[9][10][11][12]. On the other hand, the same studies have also identified several potential barriers for the adoption of such technologies, which include lack of time [1,3,5,7,10], lack of awareness of the opportunities of digital fabrication technologies [14], lack of confidence in one's own abilities to design and print DiY assistive devices [1,3,7,10,11,13,14], low ease of use of 3D printing technology [1,3,10,11], and concerns about the quality of DiY assistive devices [3,6,7]. ...
Do-it-yourself (DiY) assistive technology gained attention in accessibility literature recently, especially in relation to the rise of digital fabrication technologies, such as 3D printing. Previously, small-scale studies showed that care professionals generally respond positively towards the idea of creating DiY assistive devices for their clients. However, several barriers and concerns may hinder care professionals’ actual adoption of digital fabrication technologies. To better understand occupational therapists’ willingness to adopt 3D printing, we have conducted an exploratory survey study ( N = 119 ) based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Confirming previous studies, occupational therapists in this study showed generally positive attitudes towards adopting 3D printing technology. Factors that may affect their intentions to use 3D printing technology include expectations regarding job performance, effort, social influence, and facilitating conditions, as well as one’s tendency to adopt novel technologies. Furthermore, occupational therapists will likely experience difficulties when first using 3D printing technology, despite their overall positive expectations of the ease of use. Therefore, we recommend that further research should focus on training, but especially on effective ways to support occupational therapists on the job, for instance, by facilitating collaborations with 3D printing experts.
... The most promising aspect of AM is its ability to empower professionals by enabling them to produce and customize their own material while also involving their students or clients in the design process (Brule et al., 2016;Giraud et al., 2017;Giraud & Jouffrais, 2016;Hurst & Tobias, 2011). AM thereby can create new material and assistive devices that meet the unique demands and needs of their clients. ...
... AM thereby can create new material and assistive devices that meet the unique demands and needs of their clients. Studies found in this review suggest that taking their ideas into consideration when producing assistive devices and material with AM is found to be more motivating, interesting and engaging, all factors that are known to increase assistive technologies' adoption rate (Bailey et al., 2015;Brule et al., 2016;Hurst & Kane, 2013;Hurst & Tobias, 2011;Phillips & Zhao, 1993). Furthermore, as AM's affordable and automatic process can contribute to ease professional's workload and thus decrease exhaustion (Brule et al., 2016;Giraud et al., 2017;Giraud & Jouffrais, 2016), AM shows potential for rapid adoption by professionals and by individuals with deafblindness. ...
Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is a promising tool to produce assistive technology. For instance, individuals with deafblindness (concurrent vision and hearing loss) could benefit from tactile AM-based products as touch may be their main gateway to access information. This study thus aimed to synthesize evidence on the current and potential practices involving AM in the context of deafblindness rehabilitation and to inform healthcare professionals and family caregivers on how AM can improve functioning and quality of life. A comprehensive literature search of ten databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Global Health, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC, Web of Science, Engineering Village, and Scopus) was performed to identify sources focusing on the use of AM toward rehabilitation goals of individuals with deafblindness. Nine of 1,397 studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings reveal that AM can counter barriers to full accessibility by enabling professionals to produce customized adapted material and communication devices, thus assisting individuals with deafblindness in communication, mobility, and learning. However, this review highlights a need for more AM research, resources, and training: interdisciplinary collaborations with AM specialists thus appear essential in improving rehabilitation services with AM.
... Despite the benefits of AT in improving the everyday functioning of individuals with disabilities [30], disuse and abandonment of off-the-shelf AT has long been a problem due to either a failure to adequately meet users' needs or the lack of fit between technology and end-user [13,20,26]. To try to overcome these problems, occupational therapists (OTs), as prescribers of AT, often need to modify, refine, or repurpose existing off-the-shelf AT to better meet the specific needs and abilities of their clients [11,15,17,27]. ...
... Therefore, we focused on traditional patient-clinician relationships and expanded the knowledge further upon the point of care at clinics or patients' homes. Our findings complement previous valuable insights into Do-it-for-Others (DFO)-Assistive Technology (AT) in healthcare [4,5,16,20], and further expand the knowledge by exploring the process of AT 'adaptation, ' a common approach among OT practitioners [1,17] to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject, and propose a design guideline and requirements for future clinical computer-aided design (CAD) tools to support AT adaptations. ...
... Making, DIY, and hacking are seen as having great potential for wide-ranging social good, from democratizing technology [52] to increasing access to assistive technology [31]. In turn, makerspaces are increasingly seen not only in independent, private organizations [63], but in settings involving wider segments of the community, such as schools and libraries [1,29,44]. ...
... In HCI research, a number of projects seek to balance the making landscape, which has traditionally catered to able-bodied men [18]. Some research focuses on people with disabilities, creating assistive devices [31,38] and accessible personalized art pieces [25]. Other work pushes back on the idea that people with disabilities must be brought into making, arguing that researchers have neglected the sophisticated design practices in which individuals are already engaging [8]. ...
Makerspaces are being introduced in a wide variety of settings, including community settings such as schools and libraries. Older adults are one group for whom making agendas are being pursued, with envisioned outcomes such as supporting agency and well-being. However, research on making and DIY with older adults typically study individuals who are already engaged in making practices or bring individuals in to a technology environment that has already been created. In this paper, we study the older adult-driven formation of a makerspace in an independent living community. Through an ethnographically-informed approach, we studied the ways that individuals considered appropriate allocation of resources towards a makerspace, scoped activities, evaluated goals, and made trade-ofs. Our analysis is centered around describing the way that this makerspace formed as well as three ways that individuals made sense of the makerspace as the planning unfolded: the openness of a space that promises to cater to interests of the population; the promise of a makerspace to involve more residents in technology, but the need to obscure the technology to make it appealing; and a valuation of the return on investment for limited fnancial and space resources. Our discussion contributes to supporting and studying early adoption of technology by older adults, complicates visions of "making for all," and presents considerations regarding the often under-specifed community of a makerspace.
... Readings Introduction (Freire, 1978) Making, Accessibility and Design (Blikstein, 2013;Dougherty, 2013;R. Ladner, 2014;Levitt, 2017;Papert & Harel, 1991) Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity in Making (Blikstein & Worsley, 2016;Hurst & Kane, 2013;Martin, 2015;Vossoughi et al., 2016) Multimodal Sensors, Actuators and Virtual Reality (Hamidi et al., 2019;Leong et al., 2015;Worsley et al., 2018) Making and DIY + Making, Dementia and Older Adults (Hurst & Tobias, 2011;Lazar et al., 2017;Wobbrock et al., 2011) Making and Visual Impairment: Making for people who are blind Shinohara, Bennett et al., 2018;A. Stangl & Yeh, 2015) Making and Wheelchairs (Bigham & Carrington, 2018;Carrington et al., 2016;Carrington et al., 2015) Innovations for assisting users with Motor Impairments (Mott et al., 2018;Mott et al., 2016) Inclusive Games Ringland et al., 2017;Ringland et al., 2016) technological, political, economic, social, and cultural factors summarized in Alper (2017). ...
... One implication to draw from this paper is the opportunities presented by using making as a context for learning about accessibility. Prior work has heavily focused on web accessibility and designing human-computer interfaces that allow people with disabilities to participate as consumers of technology (Hurst & Tobias, 2011;Ko & Ladner, 2016;R. Ladner, 2014; R.E. ...
Background and Context: Making is celebrated for bringing exciting tools and learning opportunities to non-traditional designers. However, people with disabilities may find themselves excluded from many making activities and makerspaces. This exclusion is present in making and computer science more broadly.
Objective: We describe a university course that helps broaden their awareness of accessibility in computing and promote accessible making solutions. The course engages students in critical examination of making and allows them to instantiate their learning by designing accessible interfaces and experiences. We study the design of the course and its impacts on students.
Method: We use techniques from grounded theory to analyze data from surveys, projects, and case studies to elucidate the need and the impact of this experience.
Findings: The course filled an important need for students and people with disabilities. By applying a critical disability lens to making, participants developed expansive views of making, both in terms of what “counts” as making and who can participate in it.
Implications: Courses on accessibility address important societal and individual needs that are currently not met by CS curricula. Courses that address these needs should include critical discussions of the domain in question and involve various types of community partnerships. Including these course elements can expand the course’s impact, lead to better project designs, and change perceptions of what is valuable in computing experiences.
... It is not surprising as prototyping has become more popular within the community with increased availability of 3D printing technology (Ludwig et al., 2014). 3D printing technology became widely available in the second decade of the 21st century and empowered accessibility communities to create Do-It-Yourself (DIY) assistive technologies (Hurst and Tobias, 2011). Accessibility communities have been widely successful in designing DIY artefacts with a wide variety of prototypes, including upper limb prosthetics (Hofmann et al., 2016), customised thumb splints (Hofmann et al., 2019), wheelchair transfer boards (Hofmann et al., 2019), and tactile 3D printed objects to support special education for visually impaired (Buehler et al., 2014). ...
... 3 Firms can seize new opportunities also thanks to the changing attitudes and abilities in the consumers' population. As an excellent example consider assistive technologies and tools used to help overcoming disabilities: recent developments in 3D printing, web-community based collaboration, and userfriendly fabrication tools (Hurst and Tobias [2011]), make self-customization feasible for self-personalization of assistive technologies, like wheelchairs, head pointers for painting, and other devices. Firms can also let customers produce spare parts as in the case of Teenage Technology, a Swedish firm, which sends buyers a link for downloading 3D model of spare parts that they can 3D-print (Walter-Herrmann and Büching [2014]), saving on transportation costs as well as on inventories (see also Khajavi et al. [2014] for a comprehensive study). ...
Among the many consequences for production processes, new technologies, including 3D‐printing and web‐based co‐design, provide end‐users with increasingly effective means to locally reshape and co‐produce products to fit their needs, decentralizing part of the production process. But do firms have an incentive to design goods that are self‐customizable or rather to retain centralized production? Is users' surplus increased when self‐customization is an available option? We analyze a duopoly where firms can offer a standard version only, or a menu with two product/price options: a standard and a customizable version. Different from firm‐based customization, customizing consumers pay the same price to the firm, who cannot price discriminate among them. We find that both firms' introducing a self‐customizable product can be an equilibrium, with an increase in profits, consumers' surplus, and welfare. However, there also arise situations in which one firm only produces standardized goods. The equilibrium configuration depends upon the cost of self‐customization and the distribution of consumers.
... However, research focusing on high-tech intervention, such as 3-D printing, cites that enthusiasm toward do-it-yourself (DIY) assistive technology wanes once other factors are realized, such as cost of hardware and steep learning curve to mastery (Slegers et al., 2020). DIY assistive technology that is low-cost and low-tech may have promising utility by increasing access to AE for individuals when traditional, off-the-shelf AE is cost-prohibitive (Alve & Bontje, 2019;Mettler et al., 2020;Moraiti et al., 2015) difficult to obtain (Hurst & Tobias, 2011), or to simply address the millions of older adults in need (McGarry & Falvey, 2021). The AE fabricated by students in this course was low or nocost and used materials the students may already have had on hand. ...
... Other methods to AT adaptation include using rapid prototyping to create more durable and custom-designed components (Buehler et al., 2015;Hofmann et al., 2016). AT experts' practices overlap with the maker culture (Buehler et al., 2014;Hurst and Tobias, 2011;Parry-Hill et al., 2017). However, AT adaptation processes follow a more rigorous clinical process that requires assessing the liability of outcomes against PwIDs' abilities, physical/cognitive limitations, and complex psychological/social needs. ...
Occupational therapists modify mass-produced and universally-designed assistive technologies (ATs) to fulfill the specific needs of people with disabilities. We interviewed ten occupational therapists with experience in modifying ATs in order to understand adaptation processes. Our findings reveal the reasoning behind adaptation, common ATs that require adaptation, as well as the collaborative nature of adaptation. We propose a new framework called Adaptable Universal Design (AUD) that blends Universal Design with the need to adapt ATs in order to fulfill unique and specific user needs.
... The increasing availability of 3D printers has increased the potential for rapid 3D printing for assistive technology artifacts [20,38]. [31] shows that it is feasible for blind users to do 3D printing of models by themselves and [23] list organizations that use 3D printing tools to serve people with disabilities. ...
We present PaperPal, a wearable smartphone assistant which blind people can use to fill out paper forms independently. Unique features of PaperPal include: a novel 3D-printed attachment that transforms a conventional smartphone into a wearable device with adjustable camera angle; capability to work on both flat stationary tables and portable clipboards; real-time video tracking of pen and paper which is coupled to an interface that generates real-time audio read outs of the form's text content and instructions to guide the user to the form fields; and support for filling out these fields without signature guides. The paper primarily focuses on an essential aspect of PaperPal, namely an accessible design of the wearable elements of PaperPal and the design, implementation and evaluation of a novel user interface for the filling of paper forms by blind people. PaperPal distinguishes itself from a recent work on smartphone-based assistant for blind people for filling paper forms that requires the smartphone and the paper to be placed on a stationary desk, needs the signature guide for form filling, and has no audio read outs of the form's text content. PaperPal, whose design was informed by a separate wizard-of-oz study with blind participants, was evaluated with 8 blind users. Results indicate that they can fill out form fields at the correct locations with an accuracy reaching 96.7%.
... In the case of technology-mediated social participation, which most often involves active seniors, the process takes the form of the Living Lab; in the design of assistive technology, citizen involvement is less widespread and follows a top-down path with the risk of achieving low rates of acceptance or even rejection (Hurst & Tobias, 2011). Both forms characterise the smart city. ...
Contemporary cities, particularly those in Western societies, are interested in a diffused demographic ageing, and a growing share of older residents is facing the challenges of rapid social, cultural, and technological development. Such processes have a double-sided effect; on the one hand, it represents a potential widening of the digital and cultural gap, utterly reproducing marginalisation and social exclusion for older generations, especially the frailest and secluded elderly profiles, but on the other hand, it provides an opportunity for the new generation of older adults, which is characterised by a higher demand of social participation and self-expression. In this sense, applying technology to the lives of older people becomes an issue for contemporary smart cities that must find and provide potential solutions for assistive technology (e.g., through robotics and telecare services in the area of risk management and assessment), while also recognising the new needs regarding social inclusion and participation of the arising smarter and resourceful baby boomer generation who are more demanding in terms of expression of personal identities and interested in new opportunities for active citizenship and social participation, all of which can be supported by new technologies. From such a perspective, the chapter aims to describe the main issues of how contemporary urban contexts, which are often characterised by difficulties of the ageing in place, can employ new technologies to improve the social participation and inclusion of older residents. It also proposes possible recommendations for how to apply new technological solutions among older users.KeywordsAgeingInequalitiesTechnologySocial inclusionParticipationSmart cities
... Participation on activities made a huge difference in integration (15), with the attention on disappointment and abandonment. (16,17,18) ...
The perspective of our review evaluated the interaction of cerebral palsy with eye-gaze interaction, the main tool of assistive technology, supporting communication and personal development for degrees of disability that involve motor impairment. Purpose: Bringing in the main field, alternative possibilities from the literature for better integration of the disabled. Methods: Systematic review. Results: We revealed the substantial impact of assistive technology on cerebral palsy patients, grade of integration, easing caregiver's dedication, the devotion of training and the companionship being vital to reduce the level of abandonment. Conclusion: Primordial eye-gaze interaction initiated the idea of infrared eye-trackers for better solutions in the field of communication, personal interaction with others, personal development and even employment. The eye-tracking industry has its popularity cost-depending, for the present, being in the range of expensive for disabled people. For cerebral palsy, eye-gaze has little steps, but with a crucial impact on quality of life. INTRODUCTION Cerebral palsy according to an accepted report in 2007 is the most common cause of childhood "permanent disorder, of the development of movement and posture, causing activity limitation, that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fatal or infant brain."(1) It is not a disease in the traditional sense, but describes a clinical aspect of children who share the aspects non-progressive brain injury, lesion acquired ante-, perinatal or in the early postnatal, on the infant's brain. Affection causing limitation in activities, because of the motor disorders, accompanied by disturbances of communication, coordination, sensation, perception, cognition, behaviour, epilepsy, musculoskeletal and respiratory problems. All these factors and distribution classify cerebral palsy as a functional disability. Reaching the needs of disabled people especially those with cerebral palsy is not a resource-full domain. It involves however several outstanding technologies but with a high-cost making it hard to get. So the situation is challenging.(2) The management main goals in of cerebral palsy are enhancing children's neurological development to maximize their mobility, reducing spasticity, hypertonia, speech therapy for better communication, physiotherapy for scoliosis and respiratory deficiencies because of musculoskeletal problems and other co-morbidities. In the multidisciplinary part we must take action and consider the rapid evolution of technology, especially assistive technology. Tools like wheelchairs/electric wheelchairs, AAC technology, Text-to-speech devices, were highlighted in our review, the actual resources in the literature.
... Though this tension of impact and maintenance is unresolvable with this project, we found that empowering Mark by making the design open and by keeping clear documentation is a starting point to ensure that end-users know what to ask for when seeking technical support. Future work may look at how existing online communities developing Do-it-Yourself AT [20] can continue maintaining and expanding motion-based AAC solutions. ...
... At the same time, there is a wider recognition that involvement of PWD in policy and the design of interactive systems ensures more appropriate outcomes for this group, and moreover, outcomes that are likely to be acceptable to them (with DIY / Bespoke AT being perhaps the defining example of this within the AT community (Hurst & Tobias 2011;Ellis et al 2020)). What's more, we also notice that respected user-led disabled persons organisations could serve as a trusted third party, who put into practice fair AI for PWD going forward: for instance, they could be involved on behalf of individuals in the context of Data Protection Impact Assessments (as discussed above). ...
This article examines the concept of 'AI fairness' for people with disabilities from the perspective of data protection and equality law. This examination demonstrates that there is a need for a distinctive approach to AI fairness that is fundamentally different to that used for other protected characteristics, due to the different ways in which discrimination and data protection law applies in respect of Disability. We articulate this new agenda for AI fairness for people with disabilities, explaining how combining data protection and equality law creates new opportunities for disabled people's organisations and assistive technology researchers alike to shape the use of AI, as well as to challenge potential harmful uses.
... The risks involved in making for health varies across communities. In patient-caregiver communities, makers rely on their peers to innovate for technology based solutions with an intent to do good [5,24,39,54]. Patients, typically the end-users, ultimately accept the burden of risk for device failures and the related safety consequences [9]. ...
... The scientific literature contains studies on low-cost AT, such as AT for mobility [18][19][20][21], AT for computer access [22,23], AT for educational activities [24], audio prescription [25], AT for blind people, e.g., creating graphics [26], wheelchair accessories [27], gloves for hand therapy [28], and, in recent years, 3D printers for making prostheses [29,30] and orthoses [31], which are increasingly widely used. The do-it-yourself movement has also influenced disabled people and their relatives to make their own low-cost AT [32,33] and users gather to share ideas at events such as the low-cost gatherings in Spain [34] or on websites like Thingiverse [35] or even Pinterest [36]. ...
People with acquired brain injury (ABI) face limitations when performing activities of daily living, including sexuality. Despite the common use among this group of assistive technology to compensate for or neutralize the limitations deriving from their condition, there is very little literature on outcome measures in assistive technology for sexual functioning. The aim of this study was to explore the psychosocial impact of the use of low-cost assistive technology in people with ABI. The sample was made up of 18 users: 15 men and 3 women diagnosed with ABI. The PLISSIT model was used, as well as the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Device Scale—PIADS as an assessment tool. Three types of low-cost assistive technology were developed: seat cushions, bed equipment, and back supports. All three types of AT obtained positive scores on the PIADS total scale and its three subscales: competence, adaptability, and self-esteem. Although the results of this study are positive, more research into outcome measures for products to improve sexual functioning in people with ABI is required.
... Researchers have developed E-Textile workshops for people with visual impairments (Giles, Keynes, Keynes, Petre, & Keynes, 2018) and people with intellectual disabilities (Gotfrid & Shinohara, 2018). Others have designed maker tools and toolkits that address hearing or vision impairments (Hurst, 2011;Hurst & Kane, 2013). Alper, Hourcade and Gilutz (2012) extended popular guidelines for designing construction kits for children (Shinohara, Bennett, Wobbrock, & Pratt, 2017) to address the needs of makers with diverse abilities. ...
Making and the ”maker movement” have been growing in popularity as a progressive educational approach. However, researchers have leveled critiques of making as being exclusionary towards people with disabilities. In this paper, we present results from the iterative design, implementation and evaluation of Inclusive Making, an undergraduate and graduate level course on accessibility in making. Students in the course went through a ten-week process, culminating in the design of accessibility solutions to include communities with disabilities in making. Using qualitative methods, we chronicle students’ design products, processes and learning in relation to the course iterations. Results show that when students worked with external stakeholders, their designs and learning improved. Moreover, designing for neurodiverse children required students to grapple with existing literature about making in education. We discuss insights from our work regarding the need for more accessibility research in making, and the potential of university students to promote accessible making by engaging with external stakeholders.
... Indeed, such autonomous solutions do not leave a sufficient amount of control to the user, which is however necessary to keep soliciting remaining functions and thus prevent loss of function. In addition, doing a task by oneself instead of having it done by a robot it has been shown empowering [15]. There also exist semi-autonomous solutions such as shared control or guidance systems [6,9] that are more suited to user needs as they give a sufficient amount of control to the user. ...
Autonomy and the ability to maintain social activities can be challenging for people with disabilities experiencing reduced mobility. In the case of disabilities that impact mobility, power wheelchairs can help such people retain or regain autonomy. Nonetheless, driving a power wheelchair is a complex task that requires a combination of cognitive, visual and visuo-spatial abilities. In practice, people need to pass prior ability tests and driving training before being prescribed a power wheelchair by their therapist. Still, conventional training in occupational therapy can be insufficient for some people with severe cognitive and/or visio-spatial functions. As such, these people are often prevented from obtaining a power wheelchair prescription from their therapist due to safety concerns. In this context, driving simulators might be efficient and promising tools to provide alternative, adaptive, flexible, and safe training. In previous work, we proposed a Virtual Reality (VR) driving simula-integrating vestibular feedback to simulate wheelchair motion sensations. The performance and acceptability of a VR simulator rely on satisfying user Quality of Experience (QoE). Therefore, our simulator is designed to give the user a high Sense of Presence (SoP) and low Cyber-sickness. This paper presents a pilot study assessing the impact of the vestibular feedback provided on user QoE. Participants were asked to perform a driving task whilst in the simulator under two conditions: with and without vestibular feedback. User QoE is assessed through subjective questionnaires measuring user SoP and cyber-sickness. The results show that vestibular feedback activation increases SoP and decreases cyber-sickness. This study constitutes a mandatory step before clinical trials and, as such, only enrolled people without disabilities.
Introduction-
Assistive technology refers to any devices to maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence to facilitate participation and to enhance overall wellbeing. Access to assistive technology serves as the gateway to access to education, employment, social inclusion and other opportunities to participate in civic life. Assistive technology devices range from simple as in a walking stick, to complex as in speech aids. Of the many solutions that are available in the world, several are available in India, but few of high quality or easily affordable by the masses. Assistive technologies can aid in removing many of the barriers that students with disabilities face in today’s classroom.
In India, there is a dearth of data on the unmet demand for assistive technology. Access to assistive technology in individual countries can be difficult to estimate, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' reports on assistive technology only provide the number of people with disabilities who have access to it, not the total number of people with disabilities who require it. Furthermore, despite the fact that there is a significant and rising demand for assistive technology in low and middle-income countries, there is a scarcity of research in these areas, preventing the creation of evidence-based policy and practise
Purpose
This study aimed to investigate the teachers’ readiness (in term of awareness and competence) toward assistive technology (AT) working in Inclusive and Special schools in Bihar State and learning experiences of Differently abled students regarding assistive technology they were using.
Design/Methodology/Approach
This study followed a descriptive survey method within the mixed methods research design and the selected approach consisted of a mixture of quantitative (e.g. questionnaire surveys) and qualitative (e.g. interviews) methods. A survey was distributed among 196 special teachers from 21 districts out of 38 of Bihar State were selected with the help of multistage random sampling. Total 292 Differently abled students from three disabilities i.e. visual impairment, hearing impairment and orthopaedic handicapped were selected from 82 schools of inclusive and special nature. Collected data were analysed descriptively and inferentially. Semi structured group interviews were held for learning experiences of Differently abled students.
Findings
In almost every school, the devices were determined to be woefully inadequate. These schools were operating with a limited supply of assistive items and a low level of implementation. Teachers were also impeded from efficiently using assistive technology devices when educating students with special needs due to a variety of issues, including a lack of training, competency, and devices, among others. The majority of schools and institutions used low-tech or mid-tech assistive devices. Only a few schools and institutions had high-tech assistance gadgets.
There was no discernible difference in teachers' awareness of assistive technology in inclusive and special schools. Similarly, no significant differences in awareness of using assistive technologies were identified in this study among teachers with various educational qualifications.
Between teachers in inclusive and special schools, there was a substantial difference in their ability to use assistive technologies. Teachers at special schools were found to be more skilled in the use of assistive technology. Similarly, there was a considerable disparity in the ability to use assistive technologies among teachers with various special education qualifications. Teachers with a master's degree in special education were shown to be more adept at employing assistive technology than their peers. Teachers' awareness of AT was not up to par, but they had a generally positive attitude toward it, according to the findings.
Students with various abilities had a variety of learning experiences using the assistive tools they were utilising. The majority of the pupils stated that high-tech assistive technologies were prohibitively pricey for them. Students had access to assistive technology both in the classroom and at home. Almost all of the pupils were enthusiastic about assistive technology. Assistive technology, according to differently abled pupils, offers them with different learning experiences in the classroom. Some respondents, on the other hand, expressed their opposition to utilising assistive technology because they deemed them taboo, and this formed their identity. They also stated that as a result of their use of assistive devices, others have shown sympathy and sadness for them.
Implications
The study has a high research value not only because there are few previous studies on this topic, but also because it contributes to the development of the inclusive education concept in India by enhancing the use of AT to make the process more effective and efficient in terms of facilitating differently abled students. The study can also serve as a resource for academic planners in the country, providing information on the current state of people and material resources and allowing them to take appropriate actions to make the best use of such resources.
The popularity of 3D printed assistive technology has led to the emergence of new ecosystems of care, where multiple stakeholders (makers, clinicians, and recipients with disabilities) work toward creating new upper limb prosthetic devices. However, despite the increasing growth, we currently know little about the differences between these care ecosystems. Medical regulations and the prevailing culture have greatly impacted how ecosystems are structured and stakeholders work together, including whether clinicians and makers collaborate. To better understand these care ecosystems, we interviewed a range of stakeholders from multiple countries, including Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, France, India, Mexico, and the U.S. Our broad analysis allowed us to uncover different working examples of how multiple stakeholders collaborate within these care ecosystems and the main challenges they face. Through our study, we were able to uncover that ecosystems with multi-stakeholder collaborations exist (something prior work had not seen), and these ecosystems showed increased success and impact. We also identified some of the key follow-up practices to reduce device abandonment. Of particular importance are to have ecosystems put in place follow-up practices that integrate formal agreements and compensations for participation (which do not need to be just monetary). We identified that these features helped to ensure multi-stakeholder involvement and ecosystem sustainability. We finished the article with socio-technical recommendations to create vibrant care ecosystems that include multiple stakeholders in the production of 3D printed assistive devices.
The design and evaluation of accessibility technology is a core component of the computer science landscape, aiming to ensure that digital innovations are accessible to all. One of the most prominent and long-lasting areas of accessibility research focuses on motor impairments—deficiencies that affect the ability to move, manipulate objects, and interact with the physical world. In this survey article, we present an extensive overview of the past two decades of research into accessibility for people with motor impairments. Following a structured selection process, we analyzed the study details as reported in 177 relevant papers. Based on this analysis, we critically assess user representation, measurement instruments, and existing barriers that exist in accessibility research. Finally, we discuss future directions for accessibility research within the computer science domain.
Disabled People deal with a series of barriers that limit their inclusion, empowerment, well-being, and role in society with a special emphasis in low and medium-income countries. One of these barriers is concerning the accessibility and affordability of assistive technologies (ATs) that help to enhance the quality of life of these persons. In this context, this systematic literature review (SLR) analyzes and describes how free and open-source hardware (OSHW) and open software (OSS) are employed in the design, development, and deployment of low-cost ATs. In the SLR process, different ATs were analyzed for disabilities such as visual, mobility, upper body, prostheses, hearing & speaking, daily living, and participation in society. The ATs were designed with diverse OSHW and OSS technologies such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, NVidia Jetson, OpenCV, YOLO, MobileNet, EEG and EMG signal conditioning devices, actuators, and sensors such as ultrasonic, LiDar, or flex. 809 studies were collected and analyzed from the database Web of Science, GitHub, and the specialized journals in OSHW
HardwareX
and the
Journal of Open Hardware
during the years 2013-2022. In the first part of the SLR, the bibliometric trends and topic clusters regarding the selected studies are described. Secondly, the ATs identified with open source technologies, e.g., sensor-based or computer vision-based, are described along with a complete state-of-art about these based on each disability recognized. Finally, the issues and challenges to this approach are explored including technical factors, documentation, government policies, and the inclusion of disabled people in open source co-creation. The purpose of this study is to inform practitioners, designers, or stakeholders about low-cost (frugal) ATs with OSHW and OSS, and thus promote their development, accessibility, and affordability, contributing to benefit the community of disabled people.
We present an ethnographic study of a maker community that conducted safety-driven medical making to deliver over 80,000 devices for use at medical facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this, the community had to balance their clinical value of safety with the maker value of broadened participation in design and production. We analyse their struggles and achievement through the artifacts they produced and the labors of key facilitators between diverse community members. Based on this analysis we provide insights into how medical maker communities, which are necessarily risk-averse and safety-oriented, can still support makers' grassroots efforts to care for their communities. Based on these findings, we recommend that design tools enable adaptation to a wider set of domains, rather than exclusively presenting information relevant to manufacturing. Further, we call for future work on the portability of designs across different types of printers which could enable broader participation in future maker efforts at this scale.
This article examines the concept of ‘AI fairness’ for people with disabilities from the perspective of data protection and equality law. This examination demonstrates that there is a need for a distinctive approach to AI fairness that is fundamentally different to that used for other protected characteristics, due to the different ways in which discrimination and data protection law applies in respect of Disability. We articulate this new agenda for AI fairness for people with disabilities, explaining how combining data protection and equality law creates new opportunities for disabled people's organisations and assistive technology researchers alike to shape the use of AI, as well as to challenge potential harmful uses.
Designing socially assistive robots (SARs) for educational purposes can be a challenging task for developers. Developers need to identify the combination of a particular set of features to include in the design of a SAR. Participatory design approaches can be a promising solution since stakeholders can suggest, through their involvement, the requirements that could meet their needs and expectations. Still, such approaches for designing a SAR for education are scattered and bewildering, focusing on aspects of the robot such as the role or the appearance. The current study aimed to map stakeholders’ requirements regarding the design of a SAR exploited for educational purposes as well as to provide a set of guiding design principles for developers. A qualitative focus group discussion took place, and the participants were 127 (65 were female) stakeholders from five European countries, representing various affiliations in the field of education. A deductive qualitative content analysis approach revealed 121 themes of analysis, which fitted into 11 theory-driven categories regarding the use of the SARs in the class settings, their appearance, and their voice commands. Additionally, 46 themes of analysis were classified under five new categories following an inductive approach. The results of the deductive and inductive content analysis were further exploited in two Two-Step Cluster Analyses. The analyses revealed five tentative combinations of the dimensions exploited for the design of a SAR sketched by education stakeholders. The findings of the current study are discussed, providing pivotal guiding principles for the developers of SARs for education.
New assistive technology (AT) is at our disposal for improving the everyday life of people in need. Yet, the current way how AT is produced and provisioned is hindering certain marginalised groups in the population, particularly elderly people, to get access to it. To expedite time-to-market, reduce costs, and increase accessibility to otherwise unattainable AT, we explore if do-it-yourself (DIY) could be a feasible and desirable alternative to commercial applications. We provide answers to the following research questions: (1) For whom does the DIY approach work in the context of assistive technology? (2) Under which circumstances do DIY work? and (3) How can researchers make DIY a satisfying experience? The evidence we collected during the “iCare” project suggests that DIY attracts both, elderly people with a need-based motive and a hedonic motive. It also shows that a participatory approach and an early engagement with potential users, their family members, and informal caregivers is beneficial for improving design and use-related aspects of the AT and the DIY intervention.
While assistive technology is often suggested as a way to increase, maintain, or improve functional ability for individuals with disabilities within physical activity (PA) settings, cost and availability of such items are often noted as barriers. In recent years, 3D printing has become available to the general public through the adoption of 3D printers in schools, libraries, and universities. Through individual design and rapid prototyping, 3D printing can support physical educators in accommodating student need for assistive technology through a multitude of modification possibilities. This article will highlight the capacity for 3D printed assistive technology within educational settings, and will illustrate how teachers, APE specialists, and other related service personnel can utilize this technology to support student success in PE and PA settings. This article will also assist practitioners with locating, uploading, and utilizing existing collections of 3D assistive technology models from open-source websites, such as Thingiverse.
Despite the promise of the maker movement as empowering individuals and democratizing design, people with disabilities still face many barriers to participation. Recent work has highlighted the inaccessible nature of making and introduced more accessible maker technologies, practices, and workspaces. One less explored area of accessible making involves supporting more traditional forms of craftwork, such as weaving and fiber arts. The present study reports an analysis of existing practices at a weaving studio within a residential community for people with vision impairments and explores the creation of an audio-enhanced loom to support this practice. Our iterative design process began with 60 hours of field observations at the weaving studio, complemented by 15 interviews with residents and instructors at the community. These insights informed the design of Melodie, an interactive floor loom that senses and provides audio feedback during weaving. Our design exploration of Melodie revealed four scenarios of use among this community: promoting learning among novice weavers, raising awareness of system state, enhancing the aesthetics of weaving, and supporting artistic performance. We identify recommendations for designing audio-enhanced technologies that promote accessible crafting and reflect on the role of technology in predominantly manual craftwork.
This paper examines software piracy in the Global South from an accessibility lens, using the bio-technical metaphor of the 'cyborg.' Drawing on qualitative interviews with people with visual impairment (VI) from India and Peru, the paper interrogates the intimate relationships that users have with assistive technologies (ATs). It outlines the effectiveness of ATs in allowing users to actively control and shape their own lives and identities, and describes the various modalities that regulate the human body, technology, and human body-technology linkages. The paper argues that software piracy, when looked through the lens of the 'cyborg,' is an act of self-making that is motivated by a desire to gain autonomy and independence, i.e., it can be understood as a way to overcome the barriers that undermine access to the technological self. Further, software piracy allows a shift in the distribution of power from those who control and regulate the assistive technologies to the cyborgs themselves.
Numerous individuals with disabilities are dissatisfied with their assistive technology and discontinue its use (Phillips & Zhao, 1993). Abandonment rates of assistive technology range from eight percent to 75 percent (Tewey, Barnicle, & Perr, 1994). Factors associated with continuance/discontinuance of assistive technology among individuals who received assistive technology through Colorado agencies (funded under the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act) were investigated. The sample consisted of 115 individuals with disabilities who were provided with funding for 136 assistive technology devices. Independent variables (relative advantage, support, consumer involvement, trialability, changes in consumers, re-invention and compatibility) were examined to determine if they were associated with assistive technology device continuance/discontinuance. Analysis of the results suggests that relative advantage and consumer involvement have a significant influence in predicting discontinuance.
A surprisingly high percentage of assistive technology devices (35% or more) are purchased, but not successfully adopted. Through semi-structured interviews with a dozen families, we have come to understand the role technology plays in the lives of families who have a young adult with cognitive disabilities, and how families find, acquire, and use these technologies. This study addresses gaps in existing research and informs future efforts in assistive technology design. Design implications include the importance of simplicity not only in technology function but in configuration, documentation, maintenance, and upgrade or replacement; as well as the need for designers to use methods that consider the multiple individuals and stages involved in the technology adoption process. Author Keywords
Communicating the subtleties of a craft technique, like putting a zipper into a garment or throwing a clay pot, can be challenging even when working side by side. Yet How- To content—including text, images, animations, and videos—is available online for a wide variety of crafts. We interviewed people engaged in various crafts to investigate how online resources contributed to their craft practice. We found that participants sought creative inspiration as well as technical clarification online. In this domain, keyword search can be difficult, so supplemental strategies are used. Participants sought information iteratively, because they often needed to enact their knowledge in order to evaluate it. Our description of people learning how allows us to elaborate existing understandings of information-seeking behavior by considering how search originates and is evaluated in knowledge domains involving physical objects and physical processes.
The results from many research efforts on the use of assistive devices are reviewed and summarized. Further, conceptual and methodological issues related to the use and abandonment of assistive technologies are discussed. Overall, this review should be helpful to professionals making device recommendations, documenting the need for a device, and assessing short- and long-term device utilization. The available literature lends support to a model of matching person and technology that considers environments of device use, characteristics of the user's preferences and expectations, and device features and functions. To ensure that assistive technologies enhance users' quality of life, future emphases should focus on consumer involvement in the selection and evaluation of appropriate assistive technology, and ways to make technologies more widely available and affordable.
Technology abandonment may have serious repercussions for individuals with disabilities and for society. The purpose of this study was to determine how technology users decide to accept or reject assistive devices. Two hundred twenty-seven adults with various disabilities responded to a survey on device selection, acquisition, performance, and use. Results showed that 29.3% of all devices were completely abandoned. Mobility aids were more frequently abandoned than other categories of devices, and abandonment rates were highest during the first year and after 5 years of use. Four factors were significantly related to abandonment--lack of consideration of user opinion in selection, easy device procurement, poor device performance, and change in user needs or priorities. These findings suggest that technology-related policies and services need to emphasize consumer involvement and long-term needs of consumers to reduce device abandonment and enhance consumer satisfaction.
Occasional Papers in Science and Technology Policy provides a forum for invited authors to share research and offer thoughts on issues in this field. The Science and Technology Policy Institute developed the series at the request of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, part of the Executive Office of the President. A Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) chartered by Congress in 1991, the Science and Technology Policy Institute provides objective analyses on topics of interest to the Office of Science and Technology Policy and other Federal Government agencies, offices, and councils. The Institute is operated by the Institute for Defense Analyses, and its work for the Office of Science and Technology Policy is funded by the National Science Foundation. All papers published in this series reflect the views, opinions, and findings of the authors and do not represent the official positions of the Science and Technology Policy Institute, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Science Foundation, the Institute for Defense Analyses, or any institutions with which the authors are affiliated.
This paper presents a large-scale study of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) communities, cultures and projects. We focus on the adoption and appropriation of human-computer interaction and collaboration technologies and their role in motivating and sustaining communities of builders, crafters and makers. Our survey of over 2600 individuals across a range of DIY communities (Instructables, Dorkbot, Craftster, Ravelry, Etsy, and Adafruit) reveals a unique set of values, emphasizing open sharing, learning, and creativity over profit and social capital. We derive design implications to embed these values into other everyday practices, and hope that our work serves to engage CHI practitioners with DIY expert amateurs.
Innovation is rapidly becoming democratized. Users, aided by improvements in computer and communications technology, increasingly can develop their own new products and services. These innovating users—both individuals and firms—often freely share their innovations with others, creating user-innovation communities and a rich intellectual commons. In Democratizing Innovation, Eric von Hippel looks closely at this emerging system of user-centered innovation. He explains why and when users find it profitable to develop new products and services for themselves, and why it often pays users to reveal their innovations freely for the use of all. The trend toward democratized innovation can be seen in software and information products—most notably in the free and open-source software movement—but also in physical products. Von Hippel's many examples of user innovation in action range from surgical equipment to surfboards to software security features. He shows that product and service development is concentrated among "lead users," who are ahead on marketplace trends and whose innovations are often commercially attractive. Von Hippel argues that manufacturers should redesign their innovation processes and that they should systematically seek out innovations developed by users. He points to businesses—the custom semiconductor industry is one example—that have learned to assist user-innovators by providing them with toolkits for developing new products. User innovation has a positive impact on social welfare, and von Hippel proposes that government policies, including R&D subsidies and tax credits, should be realigned to eliminate biases against it. The goal of a democratized user-centered innovation system, says von Hippel, is well worth striving for. An electronic version of this book is available under a Creative Commons license.
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