Assistive Technology has come of age. Legislation, attitudes, technologies and the way services are delivered have changed. This Module provides an in-depth study of current technologies, environments for service, partnerships for appropriate and successful matching of devices and individuals who need them, possible funding streams that pay for them, and the changing face of technology.
Current trends in the service delivery of Assistve Technology and a concentration on networking with fellow students will be covered. Informational resources will be also be discussed. Upon completion of this estimated 3 hour online Intro Module, participants will have obtained information regarding:
2. Who, What, When, Where and Why of Assistive Technology Who uses Assistive Technology? - Persons with disabilities comprise the single largest minority group ever defined, eclipsing the elderly and black population (about 26 million and 28 million, respectively). Furthermore, the population is extremely heterogeneous. The definition and estimation of its size has been based on demographics research by census and survey that shows variation both in severity of disability and in identification of persons as having a disability, whether by self-assessment or assessment by others. The World Health Organization has developed definitions to describe the following: Impairment - Any loss or abnormality of psychological, physical or anatomical structure or function Disability - Results when an impairment leads to an inability to "perform an activity in a manner or within the range considered normal for a human being" Handicap - Results when an individual with a disability is unable to fulfill his or her normal roles. A handicap is not a characteristic of a person; it is a description of the relationship between the person and the environment What is Assistive Technology? - Assistive Technology can mean a device or service that can be used as a tool by a person with a disability to achieve or maintain function. Thus, you should always keep in mind that Assistive Technology does not only mean a "device" but ALSO a "service." Let's look at the federal definitions of the term "Assistive Technology." The following definitions are from Public Law, 100-407,(the Technology-related Assistance for Individual's with Disabilities Act, 1988) Assistive Technology Device - Is defined as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities." Assistive Technology Service - Means any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. This may include:
To further clarify the meaning of assistive technology, some researchers make a distinction between "high technology" and "low (sometimes called 'soft' ) technology." High technology usually refers to complex, electrical and electronic devices such as computers, augmentative communication boards and environmental control systems. Low technology generally refers to simpler interventions such as custom designed hand tools, workstation modifications and simple, easier to use, less expensive devices. Often, low technology involves the application of "ergonomics" or human factors in which the workplace or home is designed to fit the person instead of making the person fit into a fixed design. Often times when addressing the issue of technology, people tend to think of talking computers, robots, laser optics, and spy satellites; but not door levers, canes, telephone headsets, or job sharing. It is often assumed that bigger, newer, and more sophisticated means better. We tend to look to high technology solutions for every situation. However, low technology alternatives can be just as effective and more easily integrated into a person's lifestyle. Many times we, as professionals, have produced or recommended high tech equipment that can be totally useless for our consumers. To better illustrate this point, we would like to share the story of "George". George is a 21-year old man who had acquired a disability two years ago with the loss of both his arms. One day George went to a team of "Rehabilitation Engineers" to see how they could help him with his main goal -- to independently have a beer with his buddies at the local bar. The rehabilitation engineering team got together and designed two bio-mechanical arms for George. After all the customization, fabrication, funding, insurance, fitting, etc., the rehabilitation engineers strapped the new arms onto George and out they went to the local pub. George awkwardly lifted a pint using his "new arms," spilling most of the beer on the floor, on the guy next to him, and down his own shirt. Finally the glass reached his lips and he took a sip and toasted his "high-tech" arms with his friends. After a week, George realized that his new arms became more of a bother than help. He had to remember to recharge the batteries, have someone clean the exposed joints of the arm system, and in addition, he felt that the arms were too heavy, his shoulders hurt after a while and they really didn't fit right. He also realized that he had compensated for many things that he used to do with his arms through his own abilities. He decided not to use the arms after all this. However, he was still in the same predicament that he was a year ago he still wanted to independently go out to the local pub and have a beer with his friends. So then he went to an "assistive technology specialist." The AT specialist listened to his need, scratched her head, opened a drawer and pulled out a bendable straw. "Will this work?", she questioned. George grabbed the straw with his teeth and happily walked down to the local pub to meet his friends. When and Where Assistive Technology is Used - Assistive technology is used wherever and whenever it is needed, at home, at school, in the community, at work, at play. For some individuals one or two low-tech devices such as reachers or large button telephones are all that is required to help a person be independent. For others, assistive technology is a life long need, such as an individual using a ventilator, a wheelchair or a hearing aid. Why Assistive Technology is Useful - Although most of us use assistive technology without realizing it, people who have a physical impairment such as spinal cord injury; a sensory impairment such as blindness; or a cognitive impairment such as mental retardation or brain injury may be unable to accomplish everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing, driving, working, and enjoying recreational pursuits independently without using an appropriate assistive technology device. Assistive technology devices are valuable because they may assist a person to do a task independently, such as access a computer by voice; feel safe and secure in the home by being able to press an emergency alert button to summon help; adapted hand controls, enabling a person with mobility impairments to drive; augmentative communication devices enabling a person without speech to communicate. Common Myths and
Misconceptions about AT 3. Current Trends in AT It is important that we understand the changing nature of service delivery in all human service agencies, especially assistive technology. The way services are provided is influenced by legislation, funding streams, managed care and a changing philosophy and approach to serving individuals with disabilities. There are significant trends or changes in the way assistive technology devices and services have been delivered over the past ten years. These changes include a shift in attitude, legislative changes and the growth of the independent living movement, leading to greater access to equal employment opportunities and other goods and services. Please go to gph3_2001.html (gph3_2001.html_2001.html) to view a listing of relevant assistive technology service delivery settings. Use the "Back" button on your Internet browser to return to this section. Shift from Medical Model to Social Model - This has been identified as a paradigm shift from an individual defect paradigm (the patient, failure to perform, individual malfunction) to a technology/ecology paradigm (the fragmented system of resources, lack of access, lack of fit). Please go to IH3 (ih3_2001.html) for a chart developed by D. Susan Daniels describing the paradigm shift in Assistive Technology service delivery and how our thinking and policy has changed over the past few years. Use the "Back" button on your Internet browser to return to this section. Legislation - A number of pieces of legislation have helped to change and improve access to services for individuals with disabilities, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, (ADA) (P.L. 101-336). The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended (P.L. 99-506). The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) (P.L. 101-476), and the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act (P.L. 100-407) ***We will discuss these pieces of legislation further in Module 5 Systems Change - Systems change and advocacy activities mean efforts that result in laws, regulations, policies, practices, or organizational structures that promote consumer-responsive programs or entities that facilitate and increase access to, provision of, and funding for, assistive technology devices and services on a permanent basis in order to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve greater independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion within the community and the workforce. There are 10 steps that facilitate the process of systems change. While most of these will apply to your situation, some may not. However, think about all of them carefully as you consider your options for bringing about systems change. 1. Identify
problems While many people engage in systems-change activities to secure devices and services to meet their own goals, their successes often encourage them to work for more broad based systems change. True to the adage that "nothing breeds success like success," these people become effective models for other consumers and persuasive advocates with policy makers. In a period of scarce resources and competing demands for those resources, vigilant efforts at systems change are even more important to provide access to the assistive technology devices and services needed by consumers. Managed Care -Managed Care refers to the coordinated attempt to control health care costs through a variety of strategies and methodologies. The basic strategies and methodologies address utilization of services, the prices paid to providers, and the price paid by the user. Managed Care strategies include risk management, utilization management, prior authorization, concurrent review, limitation of benefits, peer practice review, service coordination, channeling, bundling, and prevention and health promotion. IH5 (ih5_2001.html) Overview of Managed Care. -- This brief overview explains the rationale behind managed care. ***We will discuss
managed care further in Module 5. Universal Design - the term "Universal Design" was first used in the 1970s by architect Ronald Mace to refer to designing structures to avoid common barriers to people in wheelchairs. Stairs are replaced or supplemented with ramps, doorways must be wide enough to permit wheelchairs to pass through, and restrooms equipped with grab bars. Subsequently the term has been applied to the design of electronic products such as computers and consumer electronics. Here the term referred to the use of product features that would enhance the operation of the device by individuals with disabilities. Inclusion of such features during the design phase of a product increases its marketability to a larger population and avoids the often prohibitive cost of adapting the product to make it useable by people with disabilities. The appropriate product controls and informational displays are the features that most often can make a device useable by many people with disabilities. Selection of such components by product designers then becomes a demonstration of universal design. Go to the following link for more information on the principles of Universal Design (http://www.design.ncsu.edu:8120/cud/univ_design/princ_overview.htm) Professional Development and Endorsement of Qualifications for the AT Provider - With the advent of managed care, tighter school budgets and work efficacy, we are faced with shrinking resources and increased demands for documentation to prove that AT can make a difference. Converging with this issue was the need to define who we (providers of AT) were and why we should be acknowledged as "professionals" and reimbursed for our services. Two areas now represent this trend. The trend of defining and managing outcomes data and the professionalization of AT providers through credentialing/certificate of professionals and accreditation of programs providing AT services. Both of these areas are expanding; we can expect to see substantial growth in standards and benchmarks for AT, leading to useful and useable outcome measures. We can also expect more programs to be built on standards for accreditation and staffed by credential personnel. Future
Opportunities and Technology - There are many changes facing us as we
move into the 21st Century, including the role of government, the nature
of work, the global community and the advances in technology. *** We will discuss Future Trends further during the live presentation. 4. Consumerism in the Delivery of Assistive Technology Services People with disabilities are becoming empowered through the use of assistive technology at home, school, work, and in the community. Through the advent of the Independent Living model we have moved away from treating people with disabilities as "patients" towards working with them in equal partnerships, providing good customer services, that are appropriate and sensitive to their needs and reaching out to consumers in a culturally sensitive manner. Much of what we'll look at in this section you will recognize as just common sense--the best businesses have been using these tactics and approaches for many years. By applying these principles in the context of consumers with disabilities, we will get an opportunity for fresh insight into practical ways to achieve good service delivery. Who is our Consumer? Customer service is identifying and understanding our consumers, and tailoring our products and services to their needs. Identifying and developing methods to reach out to potential consumers is to identify and serve currently underserved populations. Understanding and accepting cultural as well as physical, sensory and mental diversity is critical to providing improved and appropriate services. It's unfortunate that the term "consumerism" implies that we've bought into that lowest-common-denominator view of our citizens. "Consumer" seems to say that our primary function in society is to consume; we're at the bottom of this particular food chain that extracts our hard-earned cash and sends it up the chain--a sort of "trickle-up theory." We don' t mean that kind of consumerism. We use "consumer" as a term of convenience. So, please understand that we mean people with disabilities--all kinds of disabilities, and all kinds of people--who use, or should be using assistive technology. The key point to remember is that these people--these consumers--are not just passive receivers of assistive technology; ideally, they participate actively in judgments and choices about assistive technology. So "consumerism," in our meaning of the word must include this active, participatory element. We can understand this better by looking at the model of service delivery to people with disabilities that was common until quite recently--indeed, is still far too prevalent. While the motivations were always good--altruistic in the best sense the outcomes were often not what was intended, particularly where assistive technology was concerned. When the technology didn't work, it was at best irrelevant (often expensively irrelevant) and at the worst downright dangerous, even lethal. Wrong model:
"doing for." Right model:
"doing with."
Jot your ideas down on a piece of scrap paper, or open up your notepad on your computer and see how great the list of "consumers" can be. Here are some examples:
Consumerism Defined The most successful businesses have been using consumerism for a long time. Asking their customers--consumers--what they want and then listening to the answers and responding! In this sense, consumerism is just good business. Successful organizations of all types have always used the principles of consumerism. Just because you're part of an agency or organization that doesn't deal in "hardware" doesn't mean that your "product"--your service--doesn't respond to the same principles of good business that Nordstrom uses so successfully. They are able to charge more for what they sell than Target because their service is impeccable and people are willing to pay for those intangibles that add quality to the overall product. The key element is paying attention to their customers. There's nothing magic about that. However, we've all had to deal with agencies for whom customer service was a totally foreign concept. No wonder people get angry, depressed and, yes, nasty when they are treated as if they were an inconvenience that the agency has to put up with. Their customers-- their reason for existence--are too often treated as an afterthought. When you're involved in direct service, the best practice whether or not it's the law--is to involve people with disabilities and their families in the service. This will depend on your service, your customers, and the conditions under which you provide the service. However, you will reap all kinds of dividends if you take creative approaches to getting your customers involved. And involved not in just an advisory capacity--although that is certainly important--but involved in all phases of your program: planning, implementation, follow-through, and evaluation. The misdirected, misapplied services mentioned before result from the "doing-for" mindset. The "doing-with" approach always works better--you don't waste time on services that are neither appropriate nor needed. Consumer Responsiveness We hear a lot about consumer responsiveness in relation to assistive technology services. This term was a key part of the Tech Act of 1988, but was not defined in the legislation. Congress purposely left it open so that state agencies and consumers could work together to clarify it. Much of the discussion reflects principles of the Independent Living movement that began in the early 1970s. The Independent Living philosophy espouses consumer control, self-determination, environmental adaptation (including universal design), community integration, access to support mechanisms, and freedom of choice. The philosophy that has emerged embodies these precepts:
Consumerism in the Business World One way to understand consumer responsiveness in assistive technology is to look at the role of consumerism in business--the marketplace we all deal with every day. For example, consider the reasons you patronize the same grocery store, department store, family doctor, or restaurant. According to Franklin, consumers want the four Big Cs:
Unfortunately, these features are not often found in typical assistive technology services. In their bestseller, In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies, Peters and Waterman identified eight distinguishing characteristics of excellent organizations in the United States. A strong customer orientation was one of the key attributes. Companies--like Disney, McDonald's, and IBM--have a very strong commitment to service, quality, and reliability. They use the following strategies to meet this commitment:
Again, these strategies are not common in assistive technology service delivery systems. How can we apply these concepts to assistive technology services to make them more consumer-responsive and, ultimately, more successful? The basic underlying principle of consumerism is to ask your customers what they want, what they need, then respond! Include your customers--ask, listen, and respond. Consumerism in Direct Service In direct service, include individuals with disabilities-- and family members as appropriate--as the most important members of the team involved in assistive technology services. Be sure to get participation in all phases of service provision: planning, implementation, follow-through, and evaluation of outcomes. Planning and Implementation The greatest impact can be realized when consumer involvement is integrated into the planning phase of any program. This is where all kinds of ideas are kicked around, and should be, before you commit to a course of action. It's in the planning stages of a program that you explore ideas. People with disabilities and their families have a lot of practical experience with what it means to live with a disability and cope with the system. Draw on that experience. Save yourselves the often tortuous process of finally arriving at the best answer by asking the people who have to deal with the problem every day. Here consumers can provide valuable "course corrections" that keep the service on track and keep it from straying into irrelevancies: getting too bogged down in procedural matters, for example. Incidentally, systems change is the underlying criterion of the Tech Act, and this can be a very fruitful area for exploring systems change. The idea is to make the system simpler, more efficient, more responsive, less bureaucratic, more humane-- in short, more civil. The single biggest complaint most consumers have of "the system"--whatever it is--is that it's just too complex to deal with. That's one of the reasons so many people who need services drop through the cracks: they just can't handle the complexity. Reducing the complexity, making the system more usable, is what systems change is all about. And consumerism is right at the center of systems change. Follow-through and Evaluation These areas mean delivering what you say and getting feedback. Keep your finger on the consumer pulse by keeping consumers involved at all levels. That includes administratively, as well. Some of the best advocates and board members are parents of children with disabilities. So, people with disabilities and parents can be among your most effective members of boards, task forces, and committees. And don't forget that people with disabilities can be among your most knowledgeable employees, too. If service organizations don't take the lead in affirmative action for people with disabilities--even though the concept of affirmative action is being attacked--who will? And don't just relegate them to the back room, they can be effective everywhere in the organization, sometimes among the most sympathetic customer-contact personnel. Here's something your experience probably bears out: Active involvement by consumers means that they develop more realistic expectations of how assistive technology can benefit them, and they learn an effective method of making technology decisions that can be applied to future purchases. In effect, they are higher on the learning curve, and, as they participate more in their own choices, their ability to make better and more informed choices improves. Terms are often used interchangeably in the context of consumer responsiveness. The RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America) Technical Assistance Project has clarified some of these terms. Each represents an approach to facilitating consumer responsiveness in services for people with disabilities. These terms are explained as they apply to individual services and to organizational policies. Consumer Participation - Including individuals with a disability as the most important member of the team working together to identify options for the consumer. Also, include individuals with a disability as members of a committee or advisory board and include them as witnesses at public forums. Consumer Involvement - Including individuals with disabilities in the development of policies and procedures for agencies. Consumer Driven - Development of activities or services that are in response to identified consumer needs. Consumer Directed - Programs and activities which are initiated, designed, and carried out by consumers. Consumer Control - The ability to make informed decisions and exercise personal preferences. Consumer Satisfaction - Achievement of desired outcomes expected from the selection of appropriate service options designed to meet specific individual needs. The benefits of a consumer-responsive approach are many. By including your customers in the development of policies and procedures, you are more likely to design programs that will enable service providers to meet the needs and wants of their individual customers. Assessing Consumer Satisfaction Assessing consumer satisfaction regularly is important to ensure that services are being provided in a way that is consumer responsive. This type of feedback not only measures consumer satisfaction, but also identifies areas of service that need improvement. How can satisfaction be measured? Consumer satisfaction is multidimensional--three major dimensions should be included in any customer survey [Fratelli, 1991; Budde, Petty, & Nelson, 1989; Gradel, 1991].
Surveys of consumer satisfaction are important, but they do have some shortcomings. Often, consumers will rate services high because they want to please the agency. Surveys must be done anonymously to allow respondents to be as honest as possible. Another problem is determining validity and reliability of survey instruments. Usually each organization designs a questionnaire to match its program without understanding how design can affect the answers. Since it is costly to determine validity and reliability, most organizations can't afford it [Budde, et al., 1989]. In spite of these limitations, such surveys need to be done to elicit consumer feedback. We recommend that you include a "comments" section. Consumers' own words are often very enlightening and help interpret numerical data. If your agency does not currently use such surveys, you can certainly apply these concepts to a self-evaluation of your own performance in these areas. Cultural Diversity A system that does not serve, or serve well, certain groups of people may not be considered consumer-responsive. Research has shown that ethnic and cultural minority groups in the US are disproportionately affected by disabilities, yet attention to the delivery of effective and efficient services to these populations has traditionally been neglected. While we may not have experiences working with people from different cultures, recognizing certain cultural universals will assist with providing quality services. Certain functions and structures are found in every extended culture: a family unit; marriage; parental roles; physiological needs; and, forms of self-expression that meet psychological and spiritual needs. When providing services, we must be aware how different cultures will view these universals. For example: family structure, roles and relations; health beliefs, particularly related to chronic illness and disability; religious beliefs and their interrelationship with health beliefs; drug usage patterns; and, styles of communication. Please click the links below to read two articles related to providing quality services to individuals from different cultures. The
principles of culturally effective programs, M1-1 Facilitating
Communication Among Members of Diverse Groups, M1-2 5. Disability Etiquette - Providing Quality Services to Customers with Disabilities Use Common Sense - "Do Unto Others with Disabilities as You Would Do Unto Others" When we discuss providing quality services to consumers with disabilities, it is important to treat these consumers the same way we would treat other able bodied people we encounter throughout the day. Often, people become uncomfortable in situations they are not familiar with and it is at this point that some of our actions may be seen as inappropriate or disrespectful to the person with a disability. The lists below describe some good common sense suggestions when interacting with individuals with various disabilities. It is important to remember that these suggestions are offered as a guide, not a "rule book". The situations described below may not offend all, so remember to ASK the person you are serving about their personal preferences. You will find many consumers will be more than happy to share their personal preference with you and it shows the person the respect that we are all entitled to. Serving Customers who are Blind or Visually Impaired:
Serving Customers who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing:
Serving Customers with Mobility Impairments:
Serving Customers with Speech Impairments:
Serving Customers with Cognitive Disabilities:
Important things to remember:
*This information was taken from Opening Doors to Ability, President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. Disability Etiquette - Terminology We must remember that the words we use when describing a consumer we are working with are as important as the actions taken, which were described above. We have all seen instances where a person with a disability may be described as "a handicapped man who suffers from Cerebral Palsy" This type of description is inappropriate and not necessarily accurate. Many people with Cerebral Palsy are not suffering, just the opposite, they are living very independent, fulfilling lives. We need to remember to put the person first, not the disability.An affirmative phrase for the man described above would be " a man with cerebral palsy". Another thing to remember is that people are not conditions, so don't label them with the name of their condition. A person shouldn't be referred to as, "the blind". Instead they should be referred to as, " the person who is blind". Again, this puts the person first, not the disability. It is important to remember when working with consumers that some people may have hidden disabilities that may not be apparent when you meet them. Some examples of hidden disabilities include heart disease and AIDS. The list below provides some examples of affirmative phrases used to describe a person with a disability and the negative phrases they replace. It must be stressed that these affirmative phrases are a guideline and, just as above, you should talk to the consumer to learn their personal preferences. Affirmative Phrases vs. Negative Phrases:
With the advent of computers, e-mail, and the Internet we are swamped with easy access to information. Identifying good, usable, current information is still a challenge. It behooves us all to develop our resources, especially in the community where we work, as well as understand the advantages and limitations of national computerized resources. What questions do we ask? - Information is only as good as the questions we ask. The following list of questions will provide a framework for acquiring the information that will be beneficial to you?
Team Approach to Searching for Appropriate Information - There is so much information available and so many places to find it that there needs to be a division of labor. This division of labor emphasizes the team approach, enables each individual, including the individual with a disability or his/her family member to play an equal and important role in searching out all the necessary information required to make an informed decision. Developing Community Resources - However much information you access via the Internet or from other national resources, knowing what is going on in your community is most important. These are the people and resources closest to hand. It is easy to forget that the person next door may be the expert you are looking for. Some examples of resources you can access in your own community can include: local and community civic groups, local disability organizations, etc. Other community resources many people overlook are local AT equipment dealers. These people are very knowledgeable about the products they sell and may be able to provide you with the information you are searching for. One important thing to remember is that these people are salespeople. While they may have the information you are searching for, they may try to lead you towards products they sell. These people will also have the equipment you may be interested in and they are more than happy to demonstrate the equipment for you and the consumer. This can be invaluable when trying to match the consumer's needs to the features of the various devices. Using the Internet to Acquire Information - With the proliferation of the Internet and the World Wide Web, we have more information at our fingertips than ever before. There are more than 800 million documents available on the Web and that number continues to grow each day. The information you are seeking is OUT THERE; the key is in knowing which links to click to obtain the information you are seeking. In fact, a study conducted by Alber-Laszlo Barabasi, a University of Notre Dame physics professor, and his colleagues concluded that the Web is so interconnected that any document is only, on average, 19 clicks away. The researchers also concluded that if the Web grows 1000 percent, the distance between two documents would only change from 19 clicks to 21. Even though the Web is so interconnected, anyone who spends time on the Internet knows that it is often very difficult to locate the information you are searching for. How many of us have entered a desired word into a search engine, only to have it return over 1 million matches! A recent study shows that a typical search engine only searches about 34 percent of the Web. Imagine how many matches you would have if the search engine searched the whole Web! When searching the Web to locate resources, we need to ask ourselves whether this is a time efficient way to search for information. There are so many non-related links on the Web we may sometimes find ourselves clicking on a link, then another, and another. Suddenly we are 6 or 7 sites removed from where we started and aren't even reading about Assistive Technology anymore! It is very easy to become lost on the Web and waste even more time. Also, when searching for and receiving information from the Internet we must ask ourselves: How reliable is the source? It is easy today for anyone with a little computer knowledge to post a Web page that may contain information that could be either incorrect or misleading. Before taking any information as a true statement, verify the information with other reliable sources. These reliable sources can include local or national disability organizations or other professionals working in the field of AT. Remember, another great information resource you will have access to is the ATACP listserv! Information Overload: Do you like filling file drawers full of great looking informational materials, some over ten years old. How many items are in your "favorites" folder in your Internet browser? There are a few things we need to keep in mind when collecting and using information. Is it useful? - if not, do not keep it. How old is it?... could it possibly be out-of-date? Should this information be more accessible to others in my office, and not kept on my bookshelf? Too much information can be as frustrating as too little. 7. Supplemental Materials Use the "Back" button on your Internet browser to return you to this section. GPH2
(gph2_2001.html) IH2
(ih2.html) IH6
(ih6.html) Current Trends / Future Trends in AT (http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics/Foundation/intro/introtrends.php) IH3
(ih3_2001.html) http://www.ed.gov/pubs/OSEP96AnlRpt/chap3c.html IH13
(ih13.html) http://trace.wisc.edu/docs/30_some/30_some.htm "Thirty-Something (Million): Should they be exceptions?" An article written by Gregg Vanderheiden , Trace Research and Development Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/univ_design/princ_overview.htm http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/morris4/medialib/readings/thinking.html
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/electrical/article/0,16417,366778,00.html
Consumerism in AT IH8
(ih8.html) Disability Etiquette http://www.sanantonio.gov/planning/disability_handbook/disability_handbook.asp
8. Other Suggested Readings
Choose only one of the following application exercises and report via Hypernews: A) Question: B) Field Trip: Visit a local Independent Living Center or meet with a representative from your State "Tech Act" project and learn about systems change activities within your area. If you are from out of the country, report back and post the systems change initiatives in your country. C) Assistive Technology Research: D) Tech Quest Review the Universal Design features of this online training curriculum and the alternative downloadable formats available. Report back to the group on useful features and potential access barriers.
** Remember, in order to learn about your classmates and their experiences, we encourage you to check back regularly and read your classmate's responses. Copyright 2004 CSUN Center on Disabilities |
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But,
before we get into consumerism, we need to decide just who consumers
are. Think to yourself who you think could possibly be considered a
"consumer" of assistive technology.
While
we encourage you to respond to any posted messages from other participants,
you are only required to complete one application exercise for each
module and each case study. Please respond via Hypernews by choosing
to respond to one of the following…
Accessible
Format - Click Here for Module 2: Guiding the Process and the
Fundamental Assessment Process (FAP)
E-mail
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