ARATA

Human Perspectives of Technology (HPT)

The ARATA 2001 Conference in Brisbane featured a series of papers which led to the beginning of a new special interest group: Human Perspectives of Technology.

This group is interested in the person or user's technology preferences, including:

  • how well the technology meets the user's goals, needs and lifestyle;
  • the user's perpective on different types of technology;
  • how to promote effective use of technology.

Conference papers which stimulated the formation of the SIG are:

  • The change in emphasis from people to person: Implications for assistive technology. Marcia Scherer, Institute for Matching Person and Technology.
  • Identification of factors that influence the use of prescribed adaptive devices. Trish Weilandt, James Cook University.
  • Magix Mix: Experiences of people using assistive technology in the workplace. Desleigh de Jonge, University of Queensland.
  • Technology promise and technological adandonment: Understanding the human aspect of technologies for people with disabilities. Wendy Seymour, University of South Australia.

Mission

The overall objective of the Special Interest Group Human Perspectives of Technology (HPT) of ARATA is to create a heightened focus on the human aspects of AT which lead to the provision of the most appropriate and desired interventions that have the greatest likelihood of success, consumer use, and consumer satisfaction. Work in this area is critical because of the high cost associated with poor person and technology matches in terms of consumer frustration, wasted provider time, and abandoned or disused AT.

Activities of this SIG will focus on four specific areas:

  1. Improved communication among:
    1. AT users;
    2. Family, caretakers etc of AT users;
    3. Other secondary users of AT such as teachers and employers;
    4. AT providers, and
    5. AT designers.
  2. Substantiation of the most effective methods that should be used to assess user preferences and goals for AT use;
  3. Clarification of processes which ensure that appropriate and validated assessment methods drive the AT selection process and that sound outcomes data further inform it; and
  4. Discussion on enhanced outcomes of AT and rehabilitation interventions for consumers with disabilities and chronic health conditions that lead to their participation at all levels of social functioning as well as role fulfillment and activity performance.

Activity 1: Advocating for person-centered evaluation and outcomes standards.

Regarding the outcomes of AT interventions, while there is evidence that our interventions add value to rehabilitation outcomes, current generalized health-related outcome measures appear incomplete, potentially undervaluing our contributions to positive outcomes. In addition, psychosocial explorations and interventions are often key in working with individuals in AT selection but they can take years to be shown to be effective, are difficult to measure and are often a result of team efforts, so it can be difficult to show administrators and payors the value added by psychosocially oriented activities.

It is likely we will have to deal with continued restrictions on AT services while improving service benefits for each specific consumer. To ensure our services are of the highest quality while being both cost-effective and efficient, it is crucial for us to: (a) advocate comprehensive, person-centered, evaluations where the consumer is an equal partner in the AT selection process, and (b) achieve accurate measurement systems of the benefits we bring to every consumer/person with a disability. To these ends, it is important that we advocate the most appropriate evaluation and outcomes measurement standards, speak against the use of inadequate measures or measures developed for other purposes, and promote the highest quality means of ensuring consumers receive the most appropriate AT and other resources for their use.

Activity 2: Distributing guidelines/best practices for person-centered evaluation and outcomes standards

This activity will build upon Activity 1 and will result in a published document containing steps and strategies for guiding AT users (primary and secondary), providers and designers in matching persons with disabilities and chronic health conditions with the most appropriate technology for their use. This will include the initial evaluation for AT through AT follow-up.

More information

The following article by Marcia Scherer provides background information on the Matching Person & Technology (MPT) Assessment Process.

Interested people can contact

Marcia Scherer,
Institute for Matching Person and Technology
486 Lake Road
Webster, NY 14580 USA.