1st Edition

Assistive Technology Assessment Handbook

Edited By Stefano Federici, Marcia Scherer Copyright 2012
    468 Pages 67 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    484 Pages 67 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    The process of matching a person who has a disability with the most appropriate assistive technology requires a series of assessments, typically administered by multidisciplinary teams at specialized centers for technical aid. Assistive Technology Assessment Handbook fills the need for a reference that helps assistive technology experts perform assessments that more effectively connect the person and the technology. Emphasizing the well-being of the individual with a disability, the book proposes an ideal model of the assistive technology assessment process and outlines how this model can be applied in practice internationally.

    Organized into three parts, the handbook:

    • Gives readers a toolkit for performing assessments
    • Describes the roles of the assessment team members, among them the new profession of the psychotechnologist, who is skilled in understanding individuals and their psychosocial and technological needs and preferences
    • Reviews cutting-edge technologies for rehabilitation and independent living, including brain–computer interfaces and microswitches

    The book synthesizes information scattered throughout the international literature, focusing on aspects that are particularly representative or innovative. It also addresses the challenges posed by the variety of health and social care systems and the different ways that individuals who need aid are defined—are they users, patients, clients, or consumers, and how does that affect the assessment?

    Edited by Stefano Federici and Marcia J. Scherer, internationally renowned leaders in the field of assistive technology assessment, this cross-cultural handbook includes contributions from leading experts across five continents. Guiding readers in matching the person and the appropriate assistive technology, it offers a framework for future practice and research.

    Listen to Stefano Federici talk about the handbook.

    Section I: The Assistive Technology Assessment Model and Basic Definitions
    S. Federici and M.J. Scherer

    Assessing Individual Functioning and Disability
    S. Federici, M.J. Scherer, F. Meloni, F. Corradi, M. Adya, D. Samant, M. Morris, and A. Stella

    Measuring Individual Functioning
    S. Federici, F. Meloni, and F. Corradi

    Measuring the Assistive Technology Match
    F. Corradi, M.J. Scherer, and A. Lo Presti

    The Assessment of the Environments of AT Use: Accessibility, Sustainability, and Universal Design
    M. Mirza, A. Gossett Zakrajsek, and S. Borsci

    Measuring the Impact of AT on Family Caregivers
    L. Demers and B.W. Mortenson

    Section II: Assessment Professionals: Working on the Multidisciplinary Team
    M.J. Scherer and S. Federici

    The Cognitive Therapist
    M. Olivetti Belardinelli, B. Turella, and M.J. Scherer

    The Special Educator
    S. Zapf and G. Craddock

    The Psychologist
    F. Meloni, S. Federici, A. Stella, C. Mazzeschi, B. Cordella, F. Greco, and M. Grasso

    The Psychotechnologist: A New Profession in the Assistive Technology Assessment
    K. Miesenberger, F. Corradi, and M.L. Mele

    The Optometrist
    M. Orlandi and R. Amantis

    The Occupational Therapist: Enabling Activities and Participation Using Assistive Technology
    D. de Jonge, P.M. Wielandt, S. Zapf, and A. Eldridge

    Pediatric Specialists in Assistive Solutions
    L.W. Braga, I.L. de Camillis Gil, K.S. Pinto, and P.S. Siebra Beraldo

    The Geriatrician
    M. Pigliautile, L. Tiberio, P. Mecocci, and S. Federici

    Role of Speech–Language Pathologists in Assistive Technology Assessments
    K. Hill and V. Corsi

    Section III: Assistive Technology Devices and Services
    S. Federici and M.J. Scherer

    Systemic User Experience
    S. Borsci, M. Kurosu, M.L. Mele, and S. Federici

    Web Solutions for Rehabilitation and Daily Life
    G. Liotta, E. Di Giacomo, R. Magni, and F. Corradi

    Brain–Computer Interfaces: The New Landscape in Assistive Technology
    E. Pasqualotto, S. Federici, M. Olivetti Belardinelli, and N. Birbaumer

    New Rehabilitation Opportunities for Persons with Multiple Disabilities Through the Use of Microswitch Technology
    G.E. Lancioni, N.N. Singh, M.F. O’Reilly, J. Sigafoos, D. Oliva, and G. Basili

    Methods and Technologies for Leisure, Recreation, and an Accessible Sport
    C.M. Capio, G. Mascolo, and C.H.P. Sit

    Index

    Biography

    Marcia J. Scherer is the President of the Institute for Matching Person and Technology and a Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Rochester Medical Center, New York, USA.

    Stefano Federici is Associate Professor of Human and Educational Science at the University of Perugia, Italy.

    "These colleagues are at the forefront of work within the field of assistive technology and have pioneered much of the current thinking resulting in both the delivery of services to individuals and transformational research. ... This edited volume includes contributions from five continents and reinforces the global approach to responding to the needs of individuals and in some cases communities requiring support and intervention. ... this book in the way it has brought together such a wide range of committed individuals has as its underpinning philosophy a commitment to listening to and responding positively to the voice of the individual participant."

    —from the Foreword by Dave J. Muller, Editor-in-Chief, Disability and Rehabilitation