Abstract:Background: Consistent with the American Occupational Therapy Association's Vision 2025, interprofessional partnerships between occupational therapy and designers is necessary to "maximize health, well-being, and quality of life for all people. .. through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living" (2016, para 1). Occupational therapy's knowledge of the personenvironment-occupation fit appears to make us well suited to collaborate with design teams to create environments that facilita… Show more
“…Of the screened records, both references that appeared only in the design-specific search and the combined references (as per Figure 2) show an overall increase in the number of publications meeting the search criteria (please see Figure 3) – demonstrating increasing interest both generally and within the design in this area. However, as shown by the literature, there is a disconnect between literature involving OT and the design community (Wagenfeld, Reynolds & Amiri 2017). Figure 3. Total references screened in combined search and references screened from combination three by year (author generated).…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The fragmentation of practice surrounding AT is not limited to design endeavours (Maclachlan et al 2018). However, the disconnect between design and OT highlights that while both approaches inhabit the same spectrum, they are separated by practice paradigms and regulatory barriers (Wagenfeld et al 2017; Nakarada-Kordic et al 2021). Subsequently, it is impossible to create sustainable change without addressing this disconnect (Federici et al 2016; Maclachlan et al 2018).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…While it may be initially uncomfortable for healthcare professionals to take a step back due to their tacit and deep knowledge in the field, in collaboration with the design team they may assist in diagnosing structural issues within the system. Subsequently, novel approaches can be developed to improve current service models (De Couvreur & Goossens 2011; Wagenfeld et al 2017). While design management will not be the perfect solution to the difficulties noted in AT service delivery, its methods may improve outcomes, aiding the reduction of abandonment of AT within the community.…”
Assistive technology (AT) is any artefact that enables participation in activities usually limited by disability. Frequently, AT suffers from poor design engagement and utilisation. Moreover, up to 30% of all AT is abandoned within a year, negatively impacting users. This presents an ongoing challenge for occupational therapists (OTs) who work with assistive technologies. A literature review was conducted using a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis protocol to understand this issue and its implications for the design community. This study explores current themes of AT abandonment and the role of OT within the lens of design thinking. Studies, including design intervention in AT, were subsequently highlighted. This led to comparing this literature with more traditional health literature, exploring the potential enablers and barriers for design in engaging with AT. This evidenced the benefits of collaboration between design and OT disciplines to improve the product and reduce abandonment issues.
“…Of the screened records, both references that appeared only in the design-specific search and the combined references (as per Figure 2) show an overall increase in the number of publications meeting the search criteria (please see Figure 3) – demonstrating increasing interest both generally and within the design in this area. However, as shown by the literature, there is a disconnect between literature involving OT and the design community (Wagenfeld, Reynolds & Amiri 2017). Figure 3. Total references screened in combined search and references screened from combination three by year (author generated).…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The fragmentation of practice surrounding AT is not limited to design endeavours (Maclachlan et al 2018). However, the disconnect between design and OT highlights that while both approaches inhabit the same spectrum, they are separated by practice paradigms and regulatory barriers (Wagenfeld et al 2017; Nakarada-Kordic et al 2021). Subsequently, it is impossible to create sustainable change without addressing this disconnect (Federici et al 2016; Maclachlan et al 2018).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…While it may be initially uncomfortable for healthcare professionals to take a step back due to their tacit and deep knowledge in the field, in collaboration with the design team they may assist in diagnosing structural issues within the system. Subsequently, novel approaches can be developed to improve current service models (De Couvreur & Goossens 2011; Wagenfeld et al 2017). While design management will not be the perfect solution to the difficulties noted in AT service delivery, its methods may improve outcomes, aiding the reduction of abandonment of AT within the community.…”
Assistive technology (AT) is any artefact that enables participation in activities usually limited by disability. Frequently, AT suffers from poor design engagement and utilisation. Moreover, up to 30% of all AT is abandoned within a year, negatively impacting users. This presents an ongoing challenge for occupational therapists (OTs) who work with assistive technologies. A literature review was conducted using a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis protocol to understand this issue and its implications for the design community. This study explores current themes of AT abandonment and the role of OT within the lens of design thinking. Studies, including design intervention in AT, were subsequently highlighted. This led to comparing this literature with more traditional health literature, exploring the potential enablers and barriers for design in engaging with AT. This evidenced the benefits of collaboration between design and OT disciplines to improve the product and reduce abandonment issues.
“…Professionalism, understanding of specific roles, good cooperation, and communication in a team guarantee a high level of service. An example of an interdisciplinary approach to improving citizens’ quality of life is a change in thinking about broadly understood accessibility, which should take into account a wide spectrum of needs of various users [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Designers do not have this knowledge or direct access to the perspective of people with disabilities for whom they design, so OTPs can share their knowledge about human disability in the context of meeting needs [ 25 ].…”
Accessibility and Universal Design (UD) is an area of professional interest for architects and occupational therapists, but college curricula rarely include both broader and collaborative education in this area. This article presents the experience of the inter-university, interdisciplinary project “Joint Architecture Initiative” (JAI), with the participation of students from the University of Science and Technology, University of Health and Sport Science, and Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw (Poland). The JAI project is a response of the university community of Wroclaw to the social-urban campaign “Life Without Barriers” and the needs of residents—the elderly and people with disabilities—for adaptation and modification of housing. The paper presents the theoretical background of the problem, the stages of implementation of the JAI project from the perspective of the model—human–environment–occupation—the tasks of project team members, and the justification for the need to create interdisciplinary teams from the area of technical and health sciences, with particular emphasis on occupational therapy practice (OTP).
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