Assistive Technology for People with Communication Disorders

This study aims to examine the relationship between self-advocacy skills, assistive technology use, and self-esteem among adults with physical disabilities. A cross-sectional design was employed, with data collected from 244 adults with physical disabilities. Participants completed validated self-report measures assessing self-esteem, self-advocacy skills, and assistive technology use. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to explore the relationships between the variables. A linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the extent to which self-advocacy skills and assistive technology use predict self-esteem. All analyses were performed using SPSS version 27. The results indicated significant positive correlations between self-esteem and both self-advocacy skills (r = .62, p < .01) and assistive technology use (r = .58, p < .01). Self-advocacy skills and assistive technology use were found to be significant predictors of self-esteem, accounting for 49% of the variance (R² = .49, F(2, 241) = 115.63, p < .001). The regression analysis revealed that self-advocacy skills (B = 0.34, β = .42, p < .001) and assistive technology use (B = 0.28, β = .36, p < .001) both positively influence self-esteem. The study concludes that self-advocacy skills and assistive technology use are crucial determinants of self-esteem in adults with physical disabilities. These findings highlight the importance of providing support and training in self-advocacy and access to appropriate assistive technology to enhance psychological well-being and autonomy in this population. Future research should explore these relationships longitudinally and across diverse disability groups.

To understand the role of early intervention (EI) practitioner confidence in the use and application of assistive technology (AT), a 24-item Assistive Technology Confidence Scale (ATCS) was developed and distributed to EI personnel. This article reports on the development and psychometric properties of the ATCS and the relation between scores on the ATCS, years of experience, education, and overall practitioner self-efficacy. Analyses revealed that the ATCS is a reliable measure of AT confidence in three service domains: application and use of AT, AT assessment, and accessing information about AT and AT resources. EI practitioners with more than 10 years of experience were more confident in AT service provision than EI practitioners with less experience. The ATCS was positively related to overall EI practitioner self-efficacy. Implications for the application of the ATCS for EI research and training are discussed.

Assistive technology (AT) helps make the curriculum accessible to students with visual impairments. Studies have shown that half of these students are using assistive technologies. The purpose of this study was to seek a better understanding of the various factors related to assistive technology use by students with visual impairments in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Through the use of the online survey provider, Survey Monkey™, an invitation to participate in the Assistive Technology Use by Students with Visual Impairments (ATSVI) survey was sent to a list of all TVIs teaching in Kentucky. Of 117 invited participants, 71% responded and 62% of the questionnaires met the criteria of inclusion. Demographic data were gathered on the TVIs, including years of experience, degrees obtained, caseload size, size and type of employing district (residential or non-residential) and the extent and areas of AT training. Teachers also provided data about their student AT use, including the extent of low and high-tech use according to the student's primary learning media. Additionally, TVIs provided AT funding source data. Significant correlation was not found between the size of employing district, years of teaching experience, level of education, specific areas of AT training and the extent of assistive technology use. Significant negative correlation was found between TVI caseload size and the extent of AT use. Significant positive correlation was found between the amount of overall AT training and the extent of AT use. Several conclusions were made from the study's results. To increase assistive technology use by students with visual impairments, 1) TVIs should be encouraged to seek more AT training and AT providers should consider developing more on-line training, 2) training should be developed in specific AT areas according to TVIs surveyed needs, 3) TVI caseload sizes need to be smaller, and 4) TVIs need to be familiar with the large array of funding sources available for AT.

Associations Between Insurance Provider and Assistive Technology Use for Computer and Electronic Devices 1 Year After Tetraplegia: Findings From the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems National Database

Population ageing, multi-morbidity and associated disability is shifting global demand for health and care services. Innovative solutions are required to meet the evolving needs of people with advanced disease, support independent functioning and quality of life. This scoping review aimed to map and examine evidence on the role of assistive technology in adults with advanced disease and those receiving palliative care. A systematic search of Medline, Embase, PsychINFO and Cinahl, was conducted from inception to 31st July 2024 for studies investigating use of assistive technologies in people with advanced disease or receiving palliative care. Titles and abstracts were independently screened before full texts retrieved for eligibility review, data extraction, synthesis and descriptive analysis. 23/811 screened papers met eligibility criteria. Participants included ALS/MND (n13/23); palliative care (n4/23); cancer (n2/23); dementia (n2/23); Parkinson’s (n1/23) and frailty (n1/23). Studies evaluated assistive technologies supporting ten functional domains; most frequently to support communication and information management (n13/23), least frequently orthoses and prosthesis, and domestic activities and participation in domestic life (n1/23). Outcomes of assistive technology use related to functioning, quality of life, dignity in end-of-life care and health service use. Implications for individual users, device design and delivery are discussed. This review highlights potential benefits of assistive technologies and gaps in research on their use for adults with advanced disease or receiving palliative care. Empirical evidence is limited and focuses on communication enhancing high-tech devices. Future research should explore assistive technology’s impact over time on health outcomes, alongside strategies to integrate provision in care.

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 include a new target for global health: SDG 3 aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” Dementia care of good quality is particularly important given the projected increase in the number of people living with the condition. A range of assistive technologies have been proposed to support dementia care. However, the World Health Organization estimated in 2017 that only one in 10 of the 1 billion or more people globally who could benefit from these technologies in some way actually has access to them. For people living with dementia, there has been little analysis of whether assistive technologies will support their human rights in ways that are consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The aim of this paper is to examine the relevant provisions of the convention and consider their implications for the use of assistive technologies in dementia care. Assistive technologies can clearly play an important role in supporting social engagement, decision-making and advance planning by people living with dementia. However, concerns exist that some of these technologies also have the potential to restrict freedom of movement and intrude into privacy. In conclusion, an analysis of the implications of assistive technologies for human rights laws is needed to ensure that technologies are used in ways that support human rights and help meet the health-related SDG 3.

The use of assistive technology in education has been shown to enhance academic performance, increase educational engagement, and improve both academic self-efficacy and the social and psychological well-being of students with disabilities. Despite these proven benefits, assistive technology is not always utilized systematically or effectively. Many educators report feeling insufficiently competent in using assistive technology in the classroom, with their knowledge often being limited. This study aimed to assess higher education teaching staff’s knowledge of the features of both assistive and mainstream technology (including devices, software, and apps), as well as their experience in using them. A total of 131 teaching staff members from Italy, Germany, Spain, and Greece participated in the study by completing a questionnaire that included items related to both types of technology. The results indicated that staff members were far more familiar with mainstream technology than with assistive technology, and their knowledge and experience with the latter were limited. Age and prior training emerged as significant predictors of both knowledge and use of assistive technology. Notably, the study highlighted specific types of assistive technology that were more familiar to higher education teaching staff.

Purpose Assistive technologies (AT) perform an important social role, interacting with cultural systems to produce or hinder accessibility to biosocial environments. This interaction profoundly shapes not only how an individual body can be experienced by users but also produce and hinder accessibility to biosocial environments. AT users have historically been viewed through a medical model, which deems them disabled by their impairments and by dominant ableist narratives. Therefore, this paper serves to provide an insight into the importance of ageing with and into AT. This paper aims to investigate polio survivors’ and diabetic amputees’ experiences of assistive technologies in order to better understand impacts upon narrative and identity. By applying an anthropological and sociological lens, a holistic view of the experiences of polio survivor and amputee AT users is developed. Method This paper draws on 16 in-depth interviews with polio survivors and diabetic amputees in the United States (US) and Australia, which were analysed using an experience-centered narrative approach. Both projects were approved by ethics boards. All participants provided written consent. Results Five themes were identified: a) disruption to biographies, which reflected AT impact on how narratives become altered; b) impacts to autonomy, which reflected the importance of regaining previous daily activities; c) re-engaging with community life, which highlighted how AT supported participation in valued activities; d) self-perceptions of assistive technologies, which act in opposition to external perspectives and challenge ableist narratives; and e) an intergenerational comparison of new and older AT users highlights the importance of temporalities. Conclusion This paper offers new perspectives on ageing with assistive technologies, with a focus on identity and narrative. The importance of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature that demonstrates the cultural implications that arise through embodiment and assistive technologies. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION The use of assistive technology can help individuals regain function, but the individual circumstances require consideration The use of assistive technology is a complex entanglement of bodies, environments, biographies, and imagined futures. The use of assistive technology can provide participants autonomy over their narratives and assist with maintaining their identities

BACKGROUND: Different types of assistive technologies can support participation for people with disability; nonetheless, technology can break with peoples self-image, sometimes resulting in technology abandonment. OBJECTIVE: This article focuses on how assistive activity technology can be used as symbolic expressions of identity among people with physical disability. METHODS: Qualitative, semistructured, in-depth interviews with people with physical disability using assistive activity technology. RESULTS: The use of assistive activity technology is most often voluntary and based on personal interest. The use of assistive activity technology affects how the informants experience themselves and their social surroundings, and how they act in social activities. Assistive activity technology provides people with disability the opportunity to show themselves from a positive perspective in recognisable and commonly valued activities in society. This phenomenon is changing how other people see and understand people with disability. CONCLUSIONS: Assistive activity technology has the potential to contribute as symbolic expressions of identity for people with physical disability. The technology contributes through positively changing how individuals experience themselves and how other people perceive them. A new finding is that assistive activity technology differs from other assistive technology because the choice of using assistive activity technology is normally based on individual preferences and interests.

Although assistive technologies have the potential to bridge the gap between personal capabilities and environmental demands, they may not always fully accommodate disability. This study examined the implications of change in the extent of accommodation provided by assistive technology for well-being in older adulthood. Data from 5 waves (2015-2019) of the National Health and Aging Trends Study provided information on disability and assistive technology use among older adults aged 65 and older in the United States (n = 7,057). An eight-level index that jointly characterized the spectrum of disability and assistive technology use was applied to 7 activities of daily living (ADLs). Fixed-effects panel model assessed within-person associations between well-being and the extent of assistive technology accommodation along different levels of the disability spectrum. At baseline, bathing (28.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 27.6, 29.8) and toileting (37.9%; 95% CI: 36.2, 39.6) were the 2 activities in which most older adults successfully accommodated their limitations with assistive technologies. Longitudinally, the level of support provided by assistive technology changed widely across activities and over time. Within-person analyses showed that for all ADLs except for eating, there was a significant decline in well-being when the adopted assistive technology no longer supported users' needs and successfully resolved their disabilities. Our findings highlight the utility of technology-based interventions and underscore the imperative that assistive technologies attend to the specific needs of older adults and support independence in everyday activities.

Technology is becoming more commonplace in our society. It is being used with young children in every setting to improve quality of life and increase educational opportunities. Many parents and service providers have not been adequately trained on how to use assistive technology with young children. Camp Gizmo was set up as a forum for parents, professionals, and college students to learn what assistive technology is available and how to use it to meet the needs of children. The camp gave parents an opportunity to try different technologies with their children. These children, their siblings and the children of camp organizers and attendees all had fan participating in traditional camp activities while their parents attended classes. Case studies were done with five families who attended camp. The families were followed through the camp process and then afterwards for four to six months to see whether use of assistive technology changed as a result of camp. This study also looked at the factors in the daily lives of families that increased or impeded assistive technology use. Finally, the parents were asked about their perception of the impact of assistive technology use on their families. All five families increased their use of assistive technology. Factors in addition to camp contributed to the increase, such as parents willingness to use technology and the support of professionals involved. When technology did not get used, the main barriers were system-related in terms of access to equipment. Lack of support from professionals was also a major barrier to use. The families did not view assistive technology as having an effect on their families' routines because they were able to incorporate its use into their daily routines. Recommendations made regarding practice changes included: increasing preservice and inservice training; providing comprehensive, team assessments; providing follow-up to assessments; and increasing availability of assistive technology. Policy recommendations included: streamlining the funding system, improving transition of equipment and helping parents advocate for their rights.

Assistive technologies and person-centred practices are emerging as essential strategies in Western healthcare programs to address the future care needs of people with dementia. Notably, the distinct roles of assistive technologies and healthcare personnel in implementing person-centred practices within nursing homes have received minimal attention. Thus, the present study aims to explore how healthcare personnel experiences the use of assistive technologies within nursing homes for the purpose of supporting person-centred practice. A qualitative approach was employed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 healthcare personnel from two nursing homes in Norway. A combination of deductive and inductive analysis was used and was guided by the affordance actualization theory. Use of assistive technologies in person-centred practice required a high degree of individual awareness, knowledge, judgement and actions, and depended on residents’ varying cognitive state and interests. The process of realizing potential benefits from assistive technologies was influenced by healthcare personnel's skills, interests, and attitudes, alongside workplace-related factors such as human resources, available technologies, daily routines, and technological fit with residents, and perceived functionality and usability of the assistive technologies. Our results suggest a need for better management practices regarding the information and training of healthcare personnel, assignment of responsibilities, and establishment of formal routines to enhance collective awareness and goal-directed actions in utilizing technology effectively in the two nursing homes. Additionally, assistive technologies in nursing homes should be better tailored to residents with dementia. We believe these insights can contribute to the development and implementation of assistive technologies for individuals with dementia and support technology-driven person-centred practices in nursing homes.Key messages• Fostering person-centred practices, through the use of assistive technologies, requires the establishment of person-centred cultures at both systemic and team levels.• It is essential to collaborate with healthcare personnel in the development of assistive technologies tailored for use in nursing homes and for individuals with dementia.

The benefits of assistive technology (AT) have been well established to positively support participation within disability. Clinicians have an important role in guiding clients to choose goal-centred AT. This study aims to explore (i) the frequency and types of AT prescribed by clinicians and (ii) real-world implementation of AT by clinicians, employing the ISO 9999 framework, and the challenges involved with AT prescription. An online survey was circulated to brain injury clinicians within New South Wales (NSW). Data were exported into IBM SPSS Statistics v.27 for analysis. Free text responses were analysed using a mixed-methods content analysis. A total of 31 AT products were reported 131 times by clinicians. The most frequently reported AT category was mainstream technology (n = 81), used amongst all professions. Using the ISO 9999 framework, the most reported class use of AT was “communication and information management” (n = 77/131). Challenges around AT implementation were funding acquisition, customizability of AT and time constraints with training. NSW clinicians have demonstrated varied use of AT to support cognitive, physical and communication functions. However, with the rapidly advancing nature of AT, there needs to be quicker approaches to generate high-quality evidence to support its use.

The study examined the extent to which teachers in self-contained and inclusive classrooms use assistive technology (AT) and how this relates to learners’ performance in reading comprehension and writing. It explored teachers’ perceptions of AT, the frequency of its use, and whether its integration had a measurable impact on students’ literacy outcomes. A pre-test–post-test design was employed to assess changes in learner performance, while correlation analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between AT utilization and literacy achievement. Findings revealed that teachers highly valued AT, recognizing its potential to enhance learning outcomes, promote student independence, and improve instructional effectiveness. Despite this, the overall frequency of AT use was moderate, with teachers relying more on low-tech tools such as visual schedules and screen magnifiers. In contrast, advanced technologies like text-to-speech software and adaptive keyboards were infrequently used. Learners’ post-test scores in reading comprehension and writing showed slight gains relative to pre-test results; however, t-test analyses indicated that these improvements were not statistically significant. Additionally, correlational analyses revealed weak, non-significant associations between the extent of AT use and learners’ literacy performance. The study concludes that while AT has significant potential to support inclusive education, its impact is limited by inconsistent usage and insufficient integration of diverse tools. To foster meaningful improvements in literacy outcomes, more systematic pedagogical integration, ongoing teacher training, and institutional support are necessary to optimize the use of assistive technology.

Introduction: Participation in education is the right of every child, regardless of disability. An Assistive Technology and InclusionProgramme, implemented at a special school, has provided learners with motor impairments with an alternative to typical writing andother classroom activities in which they cannot participate. This study aimed to describe how learners with motor impairments useassistive technology to participate in classroom activities at a special school in South Africa.Methods: A quantitative, descriptive study was conducted with 34 learners enrolled in this programme. The children were observedperforming a pre-determined activity using assistive technology. An observational checklist was compiled from the literature and relevantschool activities. Video recordings of each learner's performance were used to score the checklist.Results: Activity performance was assessed according to the learner's ability to use assistive technology, their need for assistance,quality of performance and speed of performance. Most learners were able to perform all the activities with some verbal and physicalassistance, cutting and erasing required the most assistance but the ability to use the assistive technology (>90%) and quality ofperformance (>85%) achieved high scores. The median time to complete the activity varied from 5 to 66 seconds.Conclusion: This study yielded descriptive evidence on learners with motor impairments' successful use of assistive technology whenparticipating in school activities, and reinforced the importance of an occupational therapy Assistive Technology and Inclusion Programmein the classroom. Further context-based evidence is required to improve the expansion and sustainability of such programmes.Key words: Occupational therapy; assistive technology; motor impairments; school activities; participation; South African special schools