Search results for ‘Subject term:"physical disabilities"’ Sort:
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Part of the community
- Author:
- STEVENS Simon
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 9(4), June 2009, pp.20-21.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Second Life, the internet based virtual world, offers people with learning and physical disabilities a route to inclusion. This article describes the main features of Second Life and its advantages for disabled people. It is much easier for physically disabled people to get together virtually than it is in real life. For people with autistic spectrum disorders, Second Life may aid in the development of social skills. People can show emotions in a clear and deliberate way, making them easier to read and understand. Users have formed groups such as Wheelies, a virtual nightclub for people with physical disabilities, and the Autism Liberation Front. Safeguarding issues are a concern, as they are in real life. The author concludes that Second Life has the potential to bring further benefits for disabled people, such as virtual and real world learning and paid employment opportunities.
Redefining assistive technology, accessibility and disability based on recent technical advances
- Author:
- VANDERHEIDEN Gregg C.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Technology in Human Services, 25(1/2), 2007, pp.147-158.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In the past accessibility has been addressed by creating specially designed products or specially designed assistive technology to allow people to access standard products. New technological developments, however, offer the prospect of products that can be accessible to all. Some of these developments, both current and in prospect, are described and the implications for people with hearing disabilities, visual disabilities, cognitive disabilities and physical disabilities are discussed. The implications for human services, including those related to funding, are also examined. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Teleshopping for older and disabled people: an evaluation of two pilot trials
- Authors:
- BARLOW James, BREEZE Mary
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 66p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- York
Home shopping is an important aspect of community care services for older and disabled people, but is costly and complex to administer. As social services struggle to find the necessary resources to support them, new approaches involving internet- or phone-based 'teleshopping' services are being explored. This research, designed and tested several models for teleshopping. It has provided new information on user needs, possible teleshopping models, and on technology options and financial and legal issues. An intermediate teleshopping model, for use before internet access becomes widespread, is identified. The project also explored the technology requirements for a more sophisticated internet-based service that might be developed in the future.
Teleshopping for people with limited mobility
- Author:
- JOSEPH ROWNTREE FOUNDATION
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- York
Home shopping is an important aspect of community care services for older and disabled people, but is costly and complex to administer. As social services struggle to find the necessary resources to support them, new approaches involving internet- or phone-based 'teleshopping' services are being explored. This research, designed and tested several models for teleshopping. It has provided new information on user needs, possible teleshopping models, and on technology options and financial and legal issues. An intermediate teleshopping model, for use before internet access becomes widespread, is identified. The project also explored the technology requirements for a more sophisticated internet-based service that might be developed in the future.
Electronic assistive technology: benefits for all?
- Author:
- GATWARD John
- Journal article citation:
- Housing Care and Support, 7(4), December 2004, pp.13-17.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
For more than a decade there has been a powerful drive towards providing care services to older and disabled people in their own homes. Technology is beginning to provide devices and systems to help do this in a practical way that not only benefits service users and their carers but also has the potential to be very cost-effective. However, the ethics of telecare will increasingly demand attention. Highlights the need to address the problems of social isolation by care systems designed to use electronic assistive technology.
Holding the line online: exploring wired relationships for people with disabilities
- Authors:
- SEYNMOUR Wendy, LUPTON Deborah
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 19(4), June 2004, pp.291-305.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Clearly, the Internet represents a huge new step in interpersonal communications. It offers people with disabilities the possibility of confronting the issues of time, space, communication and the body, but what happens when people with disabilities engage with the computer? Do they use the Internet to develop friendships and intimate relationships? Does online communication enhance self-identity and social being? Do people use the Internet to transcend the vagaries of their frail and vulnerable bodies? Or are they simply 'holding the line' online, using the Internet as they would use a letter or a telephone? Is the Internet a chimera, a failed promise, for people with disabilities?
The social and psychological aspects of smart home technology within the care sector
- Author:
- DEWSBURY Guy
- Journal article citation:
- New Technology in the Human Services, 14(1/2), 2001, pp.9-17.
- Publisher:
- Centre for Human Service Technology
Technological innovations within the home are nothing new. The introduction of the radio, through to the current rise of computer technology have affected the way in which people interact with their environment and between each other. The advent of ‘smart’ technology for the home has been welcomed by the minority and shunned by the majority, being perceived as unreliable and too ‘sci-fi’. Orwelian conceptions of the home as a locus of extended social control, no doubt, also affect the acceptance of technology into the fabric of the house. Alienation from this form of technology might have also arisen as a by-product of the way it has been introduced and marketed. Many people with disabilities and older persons might feel that they are not included in discussions on technology, as it is perceived as irrelevant to their needs. There is little doubt in the mind of the author that this pessimistic view will decrease and acceptance will occur when the technology no longer holds the associations and values associated with the sci-fi label and is used within the care field appropriately. This paper considers how the technology can be used in the provision of extending care for people with disabilities or older people. It considers the efficacy of approach and its potential consequences. The observations within this paper stem from undertaking a number of workshops and consultations on the use of smart home technology within the social care field. Within these consultations, certain common themes evolved from the discussions that the author attempts to address here. Most frequently, the issues centred on the relationship between technology and the person with disabilities.
Design with care
- Authors:
- CHEVERST Keith, et al
- Journal article citation:
- New Technology in the Human Services, 14(1/2), 2001, pp.39-47.
- Publisher:
- Centre for Human Service Technology
This paper is primarily about design and some of the difficulties of ‘appropriate’ design in care settings: about the interaction between technologies, application domains, design methodologies and about some of the challenges of informing design. This is hardly a novel concern, but this particular focus arises as a consequence of digital technologies maturing and transferring to the everyday domain; as the convergence of interactive digital systems, networks and mobile devices potentially transforms the ways that we carry out mundane, everyday activities. In recent years, the increasing presence of computing technology in the domestic environment has emerged as an important new arena of study. Domestic environments are becoming key sites for the consumption of information and communication technologies - embracing, in the ‘care’ domain, various forms of ‘assistive’ technologies and the design and provision of ‘smart’ homes. This paper reports on a recently initiated research project ‘Care in the Digital Community’ - begun under the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Dependability Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (DIRC) Network project EQUATOR. The project aims to use a multidisciplinary research team to facilitate the development of enabling technologies to assist care in the community for particular user groups with different support needs. The general objective is to examine how digital technology can be used to support sheltered housing residents and their staff. Although only recently started, the project anticipates exploring the affordances of a variety of technological configurations, including the use of virtual environments replicating real world situations, and the use of handheld and wearable digital technology to provide support.
Smart thinking
- Author:
- FISK Malcolm
- Journal article citation:
- Professional Nurse, February 2002, pp.10-11.
- Publisher:
- Emap Healthcare
Explores the use if technology in homes to empower vulnerable people and enable them to retain their independence.
Ensuring that course websites are ADA compliant
- Author:
- SARNOFF Susan
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Technology in Human Services, 18(3/4), 2001, pp.189-201.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This paper explores how social work course web sites can meet recommendations for American with Disabilities Act compliance. It addresses the current and expected rules for compliance, the types of disabilities that require accommodations and the accommodations that each requires. It discusses the software and hardware features and options available to students with disabilities. it also discusses software available to web authors to create accessible web sites and identify noncompliant features. Following these guidelines will enable students with disabilities to fully benefit from online courses-and will offer benefits to users who do not have disabilities, as well.