Rehab Engineering & Assistive Tech

HAAT Model

Framework evaluating interactions between Human, Activity, Context, and Assistive Technology.

Social Model of Disability

Frames disability as created by environmental barriers rather than individual bodily deficits.

Activity vs. Participation

Activity is executing a task; participation is involvement in a real life situation.

Capacity vs. Performance

Capacity is potential in standard conditions; performance is actual execution in real environments.

Activity Outputs

The four functional outcomes of AT: mobility, manipulation, cognition, and communication.

Human/Technology Interface (HTI)

The boundary where information and energy are exchanged between user and technology.

Operational Competence

Technical skills required to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot an assistive device.

Strategic Competence

Ability to use specialized strategies to overcome technology or environmental limitations.

ATA Process Model

User-driven, bio-psycho-social framework matching individuals to technology using ICF and MPT.

Assistive Solution vs. AT Device

A device is physical equipment; a solution combines user adaptation, environment, and tech.

Five Steps of AT Service Delivery

Referral & Intake, Select, Fit, Train, and Follow-Up.

Criterion-Referenced Assessment

Evaluates a user's performance against a specific skill benchmark rather than peer averages.

Norm-Referenced Assessment

Compares an individual user's performance to a normative sample of peers.

Reliability in AT Assessment

The consistency of test results when administered under varying test conditions.

Validity in AT Assessment

The degree of confidence that an assessment accurately measures what it intends to.

UN CRPD

International treaty establishing disability rights, autonomy, legal capacity, and accessibility worldwide.

Cycle of Poverty and Disability

Bidirectional link where poverty increases disability risk and disability increases economic hardship.

Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR)

Multisectoral strategy enhancing local health, education, livelihood, and social participation.

Five Ps of WHO GATE Framework

People, Policy, Products, Provision, and Personnel.

Priority Assistive Products List (APL)

WHO list identifying essential, high-impact assistive products that every country should provide.

Distributive Justice

Ethical principle governing fair allocation of healthcare, technology, and societal resources.

Equity vs. Equality

Equality provides identical resources; equity provides individualized resources for comparable outcomes.

Autonomy

Ethical principle affirming an individual's right to self-determination and independent choices.

Nonmaleficence

The ethical obligation of service providers to avoid causing physical or psychological harm.

Beneficence

The ethical responsibility to act in ways that promote user health and well-being.

Accessibility Privacy

The right to be physically left alone and free from external bodily intrusion.

Informational Privacy

User control over how personal data is collected, stored, transferred, and shared.

Decisional Privacy

Freedom to make personal life choices without external restriction or interference.

Supported Decision Making

Assisting individuals with cognitive limitations to make choices while retaining legal autonomy.

Selection Set

The group of items, symbols, or commands available for a user to select.

Direct Selection

Access method where the user directly points to or chooses the target choice.

Indirect Selection (Scanning)

Access method where targets are presented sequentially until selected by the user.

Resolution (Motor Control)

Smallest distance between two targets a user can reliably distinguish and activate.

Dwell Time

Holding a pointer over a target for a predetermined duration to trigger selection.

Scanning Stage 1 Goal

Developing cause and effect through time-independent switch activations.

Scanning Stage 2 Goal

Developing switch activation at precise moments during time-dependent presentation.

Scanning Stage 3 Goal

Selecting a target presented within a brief, specified choice window.

Scanning Stage 4 Goal

Applying scanning techniques for functional, symbolic communication and choice-making.

The 0.65 Rule

Mathematical relationship linking user reaction time to appropriate switch scanning speed.

Natural Cues in Scanning

Using task-relevant questions rather than explicit commands like 'hit the switch'.

First-Level Digital Divide

Inequality based on physical access and availability of ICT hardware and infrastructure.

Second-Level Digital Divide

Inequality based on user skills, capability, and training to effectively operate ICT.

Third-Level Digital Divide

Inequality based on whether ICT usage yields beneficial, real-world practical outcomes.

Ambient Intelligence

Embedded technology that silently senses, adapts to, and anticipates user context and needs.

One Size Fits One

Dynamically personalizing an interface to an individual's exact preferences across devices.

W3C POUR Principles

Web content must be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.

Sticky Keys

Accessibility feature allowing modifier keys to be pressed sequentially rather than simultaneously.

Slow Keys

Feature requiring keys to be held down for a preset duration before registering.

Bounce Keys

Feature that ignores rapid, accidental repeated keystrokes of the exact same key.

Mouse Keys

Accessibility feature enabling the numeric keypad to control mouse cursor movement.

Guided Access

iOS feature restricting a device to a single app to maintain task attention.

AssistiveTouch

iOS feature providing an on-screen menu to replace complex physical hardware gestures.

Screen Reader

Software converting visual screen elements into spoken speech or tactile Braille output.

Alt Text

Textual description of visual images enabling screen reader access for blind users.

Three Components of Input Setup

Input Method (how selected), Overlay (choices presented), and Options (system settings).

Co-occupation

An occupation or activity performed interactively by two or more individuals.

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

Legal mandate requiring public schools to provide tailored education for students with disabilities.

Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

Legal document outlining specialized instruction, goals, and AT services for students.

Universal Design

Designing products and environments to be usable by all people without adaptation.

Linguistic Competence

Mastery of the language system required to operate a communication device effectively.

Multilayered Interface

Interface starting with simplified functions and progressively adding features as mastery increases.

Touch Accommodations

iOS feature adjusting hold duration and tap sensitivity for touchscreen interactions.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Network of physical devices connected online that exchange data to enable ambient intelligence.