People with physical and mobility impairments continue to struggle to attain independence in the performance of routine activities and tasks. For example, browsing in a store and interacting with products located beyond an arm's length may be impossible without the enabling intervention of a human assistant. This research article describes a study undertaken to design, develop, and evaluate potential interaction methods for motor-impaired individuals, specifically those who use wheelchairs. Our study includes a user-centered approach, and a categorization of wheelchair users based upon the severity of their disability and their individual needs. We designed and developed access solutions that utilize radio frequency identification (RFID), augmented reality (AR), and touchscreen technologies in order to help people who use wheelchairs to carry out certain tasks autonomously. In this way, they have been empowered to go shopping independently, free from reliance upon the assistance of others. A total of 18 wheelchair users participated in the completed study.
Current mechanisms for adopting and supporting high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) within special-education appear limited in their success, despite recognition of the potential benefits they represent for young emerging communicators. Prior research in this field has been restricted to discrete survey or interview methodologies. We present a five-month mixed-methods ethnographic study in a special-education school to explore the facilitators and barriers experienced by those using technology, with children who have little or no functional speech, to stimulate communication and language comprehension. Our analysis supports the outcomes of earlier studies, but also furnishes novel insights into the scale and urgency of addressing the problem—with implications for user-centred design within this community. We highlight infrastructure, policy, and recruitment deficits, and propose a two-fold solution: (i) an increase in engagement with this population through the provision of enhanced, user-centred support; and (ii) induction of the cross-disciplinary role of Assistive Technologist, to serve as mediator between teacher, aided communicator, and their assistive technology. This work represents a contribution towards establishing more effective operational, interactional, and pedagogical support for learners using high-tech communication devices.
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