The role of technical standards for AT and DfA equipment and services

Issue title: Twenty Years of Innovation in the European Assistive Technology and Inclusion Sector: A Critical Review

Guest editors: Christian Bühlerx and Jan Engeleny

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Engelen, Jan^{a; *} | Blijham, Nienke^b | Strobbe, Christophe^a

Affiliations: [a] Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium | [b] Vilans, Utrecht, the Netherlands | [x] Technische Universität Dortmund, Wetter, Germany | [y] Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven-Heverlee, Belgium

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Jan Engelen, Kath. Univ. Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 10, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. E-mail: jan.engelen@esat.kuleuven.be.

Abstract: For many years in the modern era, care for persons with severe functional impairment or disability also implied respecting their person, their rights for self-determination and autonomy. To support autonomy many types of assistive equipment have been developed. They are often very specialized, technology-intensive devices for which the market is relatively small. Increasing this market through internationalization brings up immediately the question of standardisation of the technical aids and services. In this contribution we will present an overview of the standardization activities over the last twenty years in the domain of assistive technology and design-for-all (DfA) solutions.

Keywords: Standardisation, design for all, assistive technology, procurement, background info, user involvement

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-2011-0323

Journal: Technology and Disability, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 149-161, 2011