Technology and Disability - Volume 21, issue 3

Authors: Nygård, Louise

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: It is common today to provide a timer attached to the stove for home-dwelling older adults with cognitive impairment or dementia. When the health care system provides assistive technology, different professionals are involved, and their views influence their actions. This study aims to illuminate the reasoning and views of different professionals involved in providing stove timers and supporting older adults with cognitive impairment or dementia at home, and to examine how their views guided their actions. Interview data were gathered in focus groups with mixed professionals and home service aides. Findings show that all informants agreed on the purpose …of the device being to ensure safety, and on the importance of timing and clients' motivation. However, their views and actions differed with regard to their clients as stove timer users, particularly related to a/issues of teaching and learning, b/ responsibility, c/ who the user is, and d/ what the stove timer is. Little attention was given to the process when a person was to become a user of the device. Hence, the device could bring about unwanted consequences, rather than protection, and the core category “From a mutual protective goal towards uncertain ends” was formulated. Show more

Keywords: Assistive technology, cognitive impairment, dementia, focus groups, home modification, older adults, professional issues, timer device for stoves

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-2009-0273

Citation: Technology and Disability, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 53-66, 2009

Authors: Liang, Chih-Hsien | Wu, Chung-Min | Lin, Shu-Wen | Luo, Ching-Hsing

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: A useful assistive computer input device owning keyboard and mouse functions designed to assist quadriplegics is proposed in this paper. Users can operate the computer through a nipple switch with Morse code encoding. Because of the difficulty with keeping a stable typing speed and ratio of Morse code, the fuzzy algorithm is applied to solve this problem, as it recognizes the unstable Morse code. The proposed device is mainly constructed with a microcontroller, which implements several tasks: 1) Universal Serial Bus (USB) task; 2) Mouse task; 3) Keyboard task; 4) Morse code task. Since the proposed device only needs a …few common components, we can lower the cost of the proposed device and design it to reach a small size (50 × 25 × 10 mm) in accordance with actual requirements. In our experiment, the three subjects, quadriplegics, who had been trained in three days could smoothly operate the functions of the mouse and could type at least 15 English letters per minute after a course of two weeks training. With the increase of training time, the fastest typing speed one of the subjects could achieve was 63 English letters per minute. This device is one of the most convenient assistive computer input device for quadriplegics. Show more

Keywords: Assistive device, quadriplegic, nipple switch, Morse-code, fuzzy algorithm, USB

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-2009-0274

Citation: Technology and Disability, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 67-78, 2009

Authors: Arthanat, Sajay | Wu, Yow Wu B. | Bauer, Stephen M. | Lenker, James A. | Nochajski, Susan M.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The article describes the methodology and psychometric evaluation of an assistive technology (AT) outcomes measurement tool, the Usability Scale for Assistive Technology-Wheeled Mobility module (USAT-WM), as a tool to capture user-centered usability of wheeled-mobility devices. The construction of the USAT-WM was driven by a qualitative inquiry focusing on the experiences of users of wheeled mobility devices. The interview content was coded and nearly 400 indicators pertaining to usability of wheeled-mobility devices were assimilated to construct a preliminary version of the USAT-WM. The content validity of the USAT-WM was evaluated by a panel of clinicians in the field of wheeled-mobility. The …findings from the content validation process were utilized to revise the USAT-WM. A field-test of the USAT-WM was conducted by administering it to 70 individuals who used power wheelchairs (PWCs) for mobility. A preliminary principal component analysis of the instrument sections was performed, and based on the item loading a subsequent factor analysis was conducted to establish a 50-item version of the USAT-WM with seven subscales: home usability; workplace/school usability; community usability; outdoor usability; ease of use; seating; and safety. Internal consistency Cronbach's alpha values for the seven subscales ranged from 0.77 to 0.91 and 0.90 for the total score of the USAT-WM. The test-retest and alternate-form reliability of the USAT-WM scores correlated at 0.85 (p < 0.01). The convergent validity correlations of the USAT-WM with the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST2.0) and the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS) were found to be 0.55 (p < 0.01) and 0.30 (p < 0.01) respectively. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-2009-0275

Citation: Technology and Disability, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 79-95, 2009

Authors: Adelola, Ifedayo A. | Cox, Sara L. | Rahman, Abdur

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Early intervention through the use of a powered wheelchair can meliorate the developmental experience of children with mobility impairment. It is therefore important to design an effective training and assessment strategy to facilitate the potentials of each child in readiness to drive the device. The use of virtual reality (VR) technology for wheelchair training purposes is therefore considered. The skills acquired during training in a virtual reality system should be observable in the functional activities of the learner. It is necessary to evaluate the degree and the permanence of the skills learnt from the virtual environment to other activities outside …the training environment. The mode of evaluation applied during conventional wheelchair training could provide the basis upon which permanence of skills is determined after training in virtual reality. Thus, an induction factor is proposed as a measure of the transfer of powered wheelchair control skills from virtual reality to the functional activities of daily living by the learner. The outcomes show that virtual reality technology could offer an appropriate means of providing powered wheelchair training that can be tailored to the needs of the learner. Show more

Keywords: Powered wheelchair, virtual reality, training, skills transfer, induction factor

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-2009-0276

Citation: Technology and Disability, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 97-106, 2009

Authors: Li, William | Lam-Damji, Sophie | Chau, Tom | Fehlings, Darcy

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (hemiplegia) have difficulty performing motor tasks with their hemiplegic upper extremity (UE). A virtual reality therapy home-based system (VRT-Home) using a Sony PlayStation 2 equipped with an “EyeToy” video camera was adapted for children to practise hemiplegic hand and arm movements and the system's preliminary usability was evaluated. To use the VRT-Home, participants sit in a chair, hold down a button that occupies their non-hemiplegic side and keeps the system on, and perform movements with their hemiplegic UE to play fun, immersive, games in virtual environments. Supervised test sessions with five child participants found that …the system successfully elicited targeted hand/arm movements of the hemiplegic UE, particularly reaching activities that involve the shoulder and elbow. A further home usability study with five participants showed, through usage logging and caregiver and child satisfaction surveys, that the intervention with the VRT-Home was an enjoyable way to practise hemiplegic arm movements at home. Show more

Keywords: Cerebral palsy, hemiplegia, upper extremity, virtual systems, occupational therapy, rehabilitation

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-2009-0277

Citation: Technology and Disability, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 107-113, 2009