Theoretical Perspectives On Assistive Technology

AT System

Consists of an AT device, a human operator who has a disability, and an environment in which the activity is to be carried out

Human Activity Assistive Technology (HAAT) Model

• Human: Potential Users and Stakeholders (e.g., competencies, abilities)

• Activity: The desired functional tasks that the user wants to do but cannot do without the device

• Context: All environments in which the activities will be completed, and the device will be used

• Assistive Technology: Device used to improve activity or functional performance

• Interfaces: Analyze how interactions need to be handled

Human

• Human: “Someone doing something some place”

• Human Performance: “the result of a pattern of actions learned to satisfy an objective according to some standard”

• Human ability: “the persons capacity and limitations to learn a skill”

  • what ability does the client bring to the situation

• Must be assessed:

  • Physical skills

  • Cognitive Skills

  • Insight and Awareness

    • if a patient doesn’t have this, the type of technology recommended highly changes (give them a care-giver controlled AT, not something they’d have to operate independently; they won’t have the discipline to use the AT)

    • Emotional status

  • Expert v. Novice: Level of Proficiency (Ability vs. Skill)

    • having skill —> having speed, comfortability, efficiency

  • “Intrinsic enablers”

    • in this case, the human

  • Structured Interviews

  • Objective assessment tools

Activity

• An individual person preference: life roles, position in society

• The tasks that enable one to complete life roles

• Depends on the environment

• Mediated by performance and skill

• Need to identify key activities

  • How often do they need to perform the activity

  • Activity analysis

  • Consider the perspective of the user

Setting/Context

• Physical Context

• Social Context

• Cultural Context

  • e.g., where do they go on vacation? what is their sense of personal space?

• Institutional Context

  • e.g., how accessible is class at school (e.g., specifically Columbia University)?

• Micro

  • the closest people in your own personal context

  • e.g., family, friends

• Meso

  • people you aren’t the most close with, but still see often

  • e.g., people you work with, go to school with, see at the grocery store

• Macro

  • people who you will never meet but impact your life significantly

  • e.g., the president

Assistive Technology

• Interface between the human and the activity (extrinsic enabler)

• May become a part of oneself

• Operation may be shared with a caregiver or aide

• Level of independence

  • that the person needs vs wants

• Tied to the environment it is used in

  • e.g., what kind of wheelchair do you need if you go to the beach often? (one that can run on sand!)

HETI: Human-Environment-Technology Interface

what is the best way for a human to interact with their technology to produce their desired outcomes?

• what will be most beneficial? (e.g., type of wheelchair wheels? whether the person is pushing the wheelchair themself vs they have a caregiver pushing them?)

SETT

• Student – abilities, special needs, and requirements

• Environment – materials available in the environment (physical arrangement, special concerns, instructional arrangement, expected changes, support, and resources available)

• Tasks – activities taking place in the environment, supporting curriculum, critical elements of the activities, and modifying activities

• Tools – technology options

  • the AT in this model

IMPACT2 Model

model created for AT

Parallel Interventions Model

provides solutions that can change overtime to become more advanced; parallel interventions for today but also tomorrow