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Barriers to using personalised technology with people with learning difficulties
- Authors:
- BARNARD Steve, BEYER Stephen
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Assistive Technologies, 3(3), September 2009, pp.50-57.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The TATE (Through Assistive Technology to Employment), project demonstrated the potential of assistive technology for people with learning difficulties; in particular a number of areas where personalised technology is appropriate. These included more accessible forms of information, more creativity in helping people to try out and use technology, increased co-ordination between personalised technology providers and social care provider staff, a greater need for an ethical framework to guide installation and delivery, greater emphasis on the impact of staff changes on client social isolation and management of workforce expectation of change due to technology. A number of case studies supported these findings. The barriers to effective use of personalised technology were found to include lack of understanding of technology among statutory and voluntary social care providers, amounting in some cases to positive resistance, funding problems in the sense of confusion as to who should fund which aspects, the ethical questions caused partly by the involvement of manufacturers of the equipment , the need for provider leadership and good practice in understanding funding streams, capital and revenue cost implications, staff roles and responsibilities, and working with and understanding other stakeholder agencies, a need for workforce training at various levels, lack of comprehensive policy (for example the UK having only recently ratified the UN Convention on Disability Rights), and lack of experience of personal budget use to provide personalised technology.
The impact on objective technology of life outcomes of assistive technology in residential services for people with learning disabilities
- Authors:
- PERRY Jonathan, BEYER Stephen
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Assistive Technologies, 3(1), March 2009, pp.5-14.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The UK government is committed to preventative technologies and increasingly they are being incorporated into residential services for people with learning disabilities. This paper describes an evaluation of a sample of settings in which various assistive technology (AT) devices have been installed following the assessment of individual residents' needs. The impact of this on residents' objective quality of life was assessed using a range of quantitative measures and through some qualitative questions. Despite some positive consequences of the AT being reported by staff in response to the qualitative items, there was no significant impact on any of the quantitative measures. In isolation, AT does not appear to be sufficient to significantly improve objective quality of life outcomes for people with learning disabilities in residential services. Equally, AT does not appear to reduce objective quality of life outcomes. The challenge to service providers is to ensure that the introduction of AT and any associated change to staffing levels or support procedures translates into improvements in residents' overall quality of life. To detect such improvements future research might have to broaden the range of quantitative methods used and supplement them with qualitative techniques.
A guide to implementing assistive technology for people with learning disabilities
- Authors:
- BEYER Stephen, PERRY Jonathan, MEEK Andrea
- Publisher:
- Home Farm Trust
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 50p.
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
This handbook has been produced for for organisations and families who wish to implement person centred technology. The guide expertly lays out the case for assistive technology and telecare, putting it in context - how and why it should exist alongside existing services - and provides a clear guide to implementation.
Putting the tools in their hands
- Author:
- KELLY Seán
- Journal article citation:
- Community Living, 23(1), Autumn 2009, pp.12-13.
- Publisher:
- Hexagon Publishing
This article outlines Clickstart, an innovative project run jointly by the Rix Centre and Ellingham Employment Services. It is described as a multi-media advocacy giving people with learning difficulties the opportunity to create their own accessible websites. Clickstart describes what it provides as ‘technical support on multimedia advocacy classes’. The project supports people from 10 boroughs, and also runs courses, and across the 10 boroughs they have people from 40 different groups who have set up over 100 accessible wiki-sites in the last 6 months. This article describes the processes involved in setting up the project, the user testing, training other groups, the creation of media for upload, and ends with a description of the methods used to promote the work.
Caring for older people in the community
- Editors:
- HUDSON Angela, MOORE Lesley, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 245p.
- Place of publication:
- Chichester
This book is a compilation from 9 academics and practitioners, including the two editors. The first section (Chapters 1-3) discusses the past and current influences on physical, psychological and social ‘nursing’ practices and ethical tensions, when working with older people. Topics covered in the second section (chapters 4-6) with regard to contemporary challenges with older people who may have learning disabilities and dementia as well as experiencing ageing are, health education, sexual health, substance misuse, and the role of assistive technology. Examples of lived scenarios from service users and reflections from professionals are included. Current issues of kinship care for older people, ethics, palliative care and end of life decision making, complementary therapies, vulnerability, citizenship, informed consent, advocacy, empowerment, personalisation and a person centre approach are also mentioned. The third section from the joint editors, is on future challenges and covers: community hospitals, bringing diagnostic technology and chemotherapy interventions closer to cancer patients, the national panel for information and communications technology, ‘whole system demonstrators’, moving towards seamless care, and partnership with older people projects.
A review of assistive technology and its impact
- Authors:
- BYE Gary, GIBSON Mark
- Publisher:
- Life Path Trust
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 13p.
- Place of publication:
- Coventry
This report, by the charitable company Life Plan Trust, reviews the assistive technology they have installed into the homes of people with learning disabilities in Coventry since 2007. The assistive technology comprised a control panel connected to a mains supply and telephone landline along with wireless sensors which when activated signalled the control panel which dialled a pre-programmed number, a call centre or a carer. The charity supported service users for a few hours a week or more, but some needed support staff 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Examples of sensors are personal alarm triggers, bogus caller alarms, bed occupancy mats, epilepsy mats and flood detectors, all fitted with failsafe systems and excepting the personal alarm were passive and required no input from the users. Life Path Trust staff responded by talking through the control panel to clients and were with them within 30 minutes or the emergency services were contacted if necessary. A number of case studies illustrate how this technology promoted independence without intrusion and resulted in assistance and reassurance for the user, their family and friends when needed. Detailed analysis of the financial benefits is appended and considered in the context of taking control of personalised budgets.
Where is I.T A.T
- Author:
- JONES Kai
- Journal article citation:
- Llais, 93, Autumn 2009, pp.6-10.
- Publisher:
- Learning Disability Wales
An development of assistive technology and its potential to enable more control for disabled people is discussed.
Communication supports in congregate residential care settings in Ohio
- Author:
- MITCHELL Pamela R.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 22(4), July 2009, pp.400-402.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Communication skills are important to the pursuit of increased self-determination in individuals with disabilities. The aim of this investigation was to gather information about communication supports in state-run residential care facilities in Ohio, and to compare findings with a previous investigation on this topic examining such perceptions in group home environments. An online survey was adapted from DeSimone & Cascella [Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 17, 2005, 1] to examine perceptions of habilitation managers regarding the quality of communication supports in their settings. Perceptions of communication supports by program manager-level staff in larger group residential facilities had not been previously investigated. Respondents reported a generally high quality of communication supports provided in their settings. Despite this general level of perceived quality, certain quality indicators related to supports for communication were relatively lower across respondents and were consistent with DeSimone and Cascella.
Access for all: universal design and the employment of people with disabilities
- Authors:
- MACKELPRANG Romel W., CLUTE Mary Ann
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 8(3-4), July 2009, pp.205-221.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Employment among people with disabilities has been low, with statistics revealing the employment rate for this group to be 37% in the United States, with only 21% working full-time. This complex issue involves historical attitudes and economic and social policies. But, the author suggests, one solution is emerging. This article describes the concept and philosophy of universal access, a paradigm and blueprint for building employment success. The application of universal access eliminates many environmental obstacles that prevent persons with disabilities from working. This article outlines six principles that define universal access: develop and maintain a welcoming work environment; determine and explain essential components to be learned; provide clear expectations with ongoing feedback regarding progress towards those expectations; use multimodal techniques to convey concepts and skills; build a variety of options for learners to show mastery of required knowledge and skills; and maintain an inclusive environment. The article outlines how once a work environment is set up to be universally accessible, few modifications are needed, regardless of employee characteristics. The author concludes by noting that when utilising universal access principles, workers have the ability to offer strategies that will increase employment success.
Consumer-directed goal planning in the delivery of assistive technology services for people who are ageing with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- MIRZA Mansha, HAMMEL Joy
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 22(5), September 2009, pp.445-457.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
A consumer-directed service-delivery approach to assistive technology and environmental modification intervention in the US was examined with people who were ageing with intellectual disabilities. The intervention was based on a collaborative approach involving consumers, their social supports and service deliverers. Thirty individuals were randomly selected to receive the intervention from a sample of 75 community-dwelling adults. Outcomes related to consumers' and significant others' perceptions of performance and satisfaction with goal attainment were assessed and the consumer-directed goal planning process examined. Participants in the intervention group reported significantly higher levels of performance and satisfaction related to goals identified at baseline than participants in the control group. Two broad categories of goals were addressed during the intervention – basic self-care goals and participation/environmental/systems level goals. A 98% direct agreement rate between consumer-identified goals and goals addressed by service deliverers was found during the intervention. Of the environmental strategies employed during the intervention, assistive devices and systems level advocacy and action were the two most frequently used across goals.