Pub Date : 2016-08-25DOI: 10.1108/JAT-03-2016-0010
Katerina Mavrou, E. Hoogerwerf
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the work of the European Network for Technology Enhanced Learning in an Inclusive Society project, which addresses the challenges of the digital divide for people with disabilities of all ages. Design/methodology/approach The project employs a number of activities and approaches which involve people with disabilities and other stakeholders, in order collect scientific knowledge, views, suggestions and experiences that will help in bridging the digital divide. These include literature review and qualitative methodologies of data collection, such as interviews with stakeholders, focus groups and living labs. Findings The benefits of (assistive) technology in the lives of people with disabilities are highly appreciated. However, a number of barriers, including lack of digital skills are identified. Thus the development of (assistive) technology competencies programmes is suggested. In addition, there is evidence of the need to further involve all stakeholders and increase awareness. Social implications The most important implication of the project is the production of the manifesto against the digital divide. With this document the project consortium justifies for action on raising awareness regarding the rights of persons with disabilities of all ages to be digitally included. Originality/value The value of the project lies upon the publication of the manifesto against the digital divide, which has already been endorsed by a number of organisations in Europe and elsewhere, with the aspiration of influencing policy makers and practitioners to collaborate in order to bridge the digital divide.
{"title":"Towards full digital inclusion: the ENTELIS manifesto against the digital divide","authors":"Katerina Mavrou, E. Hoogerwerf","doi":"10.1108/JAT-03-2016-0010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JAT-03-2016-0010","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The purpose of this paper is to present the work of the European Network for Technology Enhanced Learning in an Inclusive Society project, which addresses the challenges of the digital divide for people with disabilities of all ages. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Design/methodology/approach \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The project employs a number of activities and approaches which involve people with disabilities and other stakeholders, in order collect scientific knowledge, views, suggestions and experiences that will help in bridging the digital divide. These include literature review and qualitative methodologies of data collection, such as interviews with stakeholders, focus groups and living labs. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Findings \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The benefits of (assistive) technology in the lives of people with disabilities are highly appreciated. However, a number of barriers, including lack of digital skills are identified. Thus the development of (assistive) technology competencies programmes is suggested. In addition, there is evidence of the need to further involve all stakeholders and increase awareness. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Social implications \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The most important implication of the project is the production of the manifesto against the digital divide. With this document the project consortium justifies for action on raising awareness regarding the rights of persons with disabilities of all ages to be digitally included. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Originality/value \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The value of the project lies upon the publication of the manifesto against the digital divide, which has already been endorsed by a number of organisations in Europe and elsewhere, with the aspiration of influencing policy makers and practitioners to collaborate in order to bridge the digital divide.","PeriodicalId":89962,"journal":{"name":"Journal of assistive technologies","volume":"10 1","pages":"171-174"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/JAT-03-2016-0010","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"62057802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-08-25DOI: 10.1108/JAT-05-2015-0018
Jesus Zegarra Flores, L. Rasseneur, R. Galani, Fabienne Rakitic, R. Farcy
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to design and test effective indoor navigation solutions for visually impaired people in situations where GPS, bluetooth or Wi-Fi signals are unavailable. The authors use the inertial measurement units (IMU), the compass and the barometer of a smart phone. Design/methodology/approach The authors have used commercial Android smart phones with IMU, compass and barometer to record a path and to give navigation instructions in an adapted way using a mobility-specific vocabulary. The method proposed is to save paths taking into account different indoor waypoints such as the stairs (change from one floor to another) and the change of direction of the trajectory of the path (e.g. one-fourth turn right or left), recording data from the IMU sensor’s, compass and barometer of the smart phone. Having this information and the characteristics of the each segment (distance, azimuth to the north and pressure) of the path, it is possible to provide functional navigation guidance to the visually impaired subject. Three different visually impaired people (one partially sighted and two fully blind) and three sighted people have tested the paths. The efficiency of the navigation is analyzed in terms of distance and time using the comparison between blind and sighted people. Findings The main finding is that it is possible to guide visually impaired people some hundreds of meters just using the sensors of a smart phone under certain conditions: the visually impaired person has to understand the guidance instructions and respect some strategies (e.g. not to walk diagonally across vast spaces). Additionally it is observed that the visually impaired participants walked distances, which are not much different to the optimal values. On the other hand; because of their hesitations using their white cane to find free paths, they take in some cases 50 percent more time to arrive (for a few minutes path, this time is not critical and even more efficient than looking for a guide). One thing to highlight is that even with this hesitation, the subjects arrived to the final destination. Originality/value This paper demonstrates how an IMU coupled to a compass and a barometer from a Smart Phone employing a spoken mobility language (e.g. next corridor to the left; at the end of the stairs turn right, turn left, etc.) can guide visually impaired people inside buildings.
{"title":"Indoor navigation with smart phone IMU for the visually impaired in university buildings","authors":"Jesus Zegarra Flores, L. Rasseneur, R. Galani, Fabienne Rakitic, R. Farcy","doi":"10.1108/JAT-05-2015-0018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JAT-05-2015-0018","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The purpose of this paper is to design and test effective indoor navigation solutions for visually impaired people in situations where GPS, bluetooth or Wi-Fi signals are unavailable. The authors use the inertial measurement units (IMU), the compass and the barometer of a smart phone. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Design/methodology/approach \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The authors have used commercial Android smart phones with IMU, compass and barometer to record a path and to give navigation instructions in an adapted way using a mobility-specific vocabulary. The method proposed is to save paths taking into account different indoor waypoints such as the stairs (change from one floor to another) and the change of direction of the trajectory of the path (e.g. one-fourth turn right or left), recording data from the IMU sensor’s, compass and barometer of the smart phone. Having this information and the characteristics of the each segment (distance, azimuth to the north and pressure) of the path, it is possible to provide functional navigation guidance to the visually impaired subject. Three different visually impaired people (one partially sighted and two fully blind) and three sighted people have tested the paths. The efficiency of the navigation is analyzed in terms of distance and time using the comparison between blind and sighted people. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Findings \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000The main finding is that it is possible to guide visually impaired people some hundreds of meters just using the sensors of a smart phone under certain conditions: the visually impaired person has to understand the guidance instructions and respect some strategies (e.g. not to walk diagonally across vast spaces). Additionally it is observed that the visually impaired participants walked distances, which are not much different to the optimal values. On the other hand; because of their hesitations using their white cane to find free paths, they take in some cases 50 percent more time to arrive (for a few minutes path, this time is not critical and even more efficient than looking for a guide). One thing to highlight is that even with this hesitation, the subjects arrived to the final destination. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000Originality/value \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000 \u0000This paper demonstrates how an IMU coupled to a compass and a barometer from a Smart Phone employing a spoken mobility language (e.g. next corridor to the left; at the end of the stairs turn right, turn left, etc.) can guide visually impaired people inside buildings.","PeriodicalId":89962,"journal":{"name":"Journal of assistive technologies","volume":"10 1","pages":"133-139"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/JAT-05-2015-0018","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"62057556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-05-27DOI: 10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0002
J. Lynn, Elaine Armstrong, Suzanne Martin
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the application of user centred design (UCD) within a research project to support the design, development and evaluation of a brain computer interface (BCI) with associated home-based services and remote therapy station for people with acquired brain injury (ABI). Design/methodology/approach – A multi- stakeholder UCD approach was adopted to include people living with ABI, their caregivers and therapists providing rehabilitation. A three-phased iterative approach was implemented: Phase 1 was to gather user requirements, Phase 2 an iterative design phase with end user (EU) groups and therapists and finally the verification and implementation phase. The final phase had two strands of a home-based BCI evaluation with target EUs and their caregivers, alongside this, therapists evaluated the final therapist station that supports the use of the BCI at home. Ethical governance, inline with Ulster University, was awarded. Findings – UCD enabled the co-creation and...
{"title":"User centred design and validation during the development of domestic brain computer interface applications for people with acquired brain injury and therapists: a multi-stakeholder approach","authors":"J. Lynn, Elaine Armstrong, Suzanne Martin","doi":"10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0002","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the application of user centred design (UCD) within a research project to support the design, development and evaluation of a brain computer interface (BCI) with associated home-based services and remote therapy station for people with acquired brain injury (ABI). Design/methodology/approach – A multi- stakeholder UCD approach was adopted to include people living with ABI, their caregivers and therapists providing rehabilitation. A three-phased iterative approach was implemented: Phase 1 was to gather user requirements, Phase 2 an iterative design phase with end user (EU) groups and therapists and finally the verification and implementation phase. The final phase had two strands of a home-based BCI evaluation with target EUs and their caregivers, alongside this, therapists evaluated the final therapist station that supports the use of the BCI at home. Ethical governance, inline with Ulster University, was awarded. Findings – UCD enabled the co-creation and...","PeriodicalId":89962,"journal":{"name":"Journal of assistive technologies","volume":"10 1","pages":"67-78"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0002","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"62057498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-05-27DOI: 10.1108/JAT-02-2016-0008
M. Fabri, P. Andrews, Heta Pukki
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on engaging young autistic people in the participatory design of the Autism & Uni online toolkit. The purpose of the toolkit is to provide autistic students with information and strategies for dealing with the challenges they may encounter when entering higher education. The study adds to existing research on participatory design by considering the specific needs and contributions of autistic people who are of average or higher intelligence, academically competent and generally articulate, a group that has received limited attention hitherto. Design/methodology/approach – The research used a five-step design thinking approach and engaged multiple stakeholders at different points. The paper covers the whole process, paying particular attention to the final two steps of prototyping and testing. During three participatory design workshops, autistic people acted as co-designers and co-creators. Findings – The workshops were effective in engaging participants i...
{"title":"Using design thinking to engage autistic students in participatory design of an online toolkit to help with transition into higher education","authors":"M. Fabri, P. Andrews, Heta Pukki","doi":"10.1108/JAT-02-2016-0008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JAT-02-2016-0008","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on engaging young autistic people in the participatory design of the Autism & Uni online toolkit. The purpose of the toolkit is to provide autistic students with information and strategies for dealing with the challenges they may encounter when entering higher education. The study adds to existing research on participatory design by considering the specific needs and contributions of autistic people who are of average or higher intelligence, academically competent and generally articulate, a group that has received limited attention hitherto. Design/methodology/approach – The research used a five-step design thinking approach and engaged multiple stakeholders at different points. The paper covers the whole process, paying particular attention to the final two steps of prototyping and testing. During three participatory design workshops, autistic people acted as co-designers and co-creators. Findings – The workshops were effective in engaging participants i...","PeriodicalId":89962,"journal":{"name":"Journal of assistive technologies","volume":"10 1","pages":"102-114"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/JAT-02-2016-0008","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"62057732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-05-27DOI: 10.1108/JAT-12-2015-0033
M. Brosnan, S. Parsons, J. Good, N. Yuill
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon on the opportunities and challenges of engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders during the design, development and evaluation of innovative technologies for people with autism. Autism is defined in part by difficulties in social communication and interaction, and is therefore particularly pertinent when considering the opportunities and challenges of participatory design (PD). Design/methodology/approach – A series of presentations from key researchers and practitioners are reviewed, highlighting contemporary issues about how technologies have been designed to improve educational support using a range of methods and processes for stakeholder involvement. Findings – Involvement per se does not constitute engagement as a design partner. The interdisciplinary nature of PD, combined with the viewpoints of communities beyond academia, need to be integrated in a manner that allows for different perspectives and voices, and for the “trace” of the contrib...
{"title":"How can participatory design inform the design and development of innovative technologies for autistic communities","authors":"M. Brosnan, S. Parsons, J. Good, N. Yuill","doi":"10.1108/JAT-12-2015-0033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JAT-12-2015-0033","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon on the opportunities and challenges of engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders during the design, development and evaluation of innovative technologies for people with autism. Autism is defined in part by difficulties in social communication and interaction, and is therefore particularly pertinent when considering the opportunities and challenges of participatory design (PD). Design/methodology/approach – A series of presentations from key researchers and practitioners are reviewed, highlighting contemporary issues about how technologies have been designed to improve educational support using a range of methods and processes for stakeholder involvement. Findings – Involvement per se does not constitute engagement as a design partner. The interdisciplinary nature of PD, combined with the viewpoints of communities beyond academia, need to be integrated in a manner that allows for different perspectives and voices, and for the “trace” of the contrib...","PeriodicalId":89962,"journal":{"name":"Journal of assistive technologies","volume":"10 1","pages":"115-120"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/JAT-12-2015-0033","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"62058363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-05-27DOI: 10.1108/JAT-04-2015-0016
T. Williamson
{"title":"Review of the I-Stay @home (ICT Solutions for an Ageing Society) study Wiki","authors":"T. Williamson","doi":"10.1108/JAT-04-2015-0016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JAT-04-2015-0016","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":89962,"journal":{"name":"Journal of assistive technologies","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"62057488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-05-27DOI: 10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0001
Julia Clark, K. Turner
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate an approach to automating goals for supporting home care, with a view to understanding user experience when defining such goals and hence identifying improvements that could be made to the approach. Design/methodology/approach – The study was designed to answer the key research question of whether users can understand, formulate and relate to automated goals for home care. In order to do this, a fictional text-based scenario was used about a couple with care needs. This helped to explore the feasibility, acceptability and usability of goals to manage care at home. Face-to-face qualitative interviews were undertaken with ten participants with a background in social care: four social care professionals; one health care professional; one formal carer; one informal carer; and three end users. Findings – Overall, participants were positive about being able to control the MATCH (Mobilising Advanced Technologies for Care at Home) system through the use of goals....
{"title":"Evaluating automated goals for home care support","authors":"Julia Clark, K. Turner","doi":"10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0001","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate an approach to automating goals for supporting home care, with a view to understanding user experience when defining such goals and hence identifying improvements that could be made to the approach. Design/methodology/approach – The study was designed to answer the key research question of whether users can understand, formulate and relate to automated goals for home care. In order to do this, a fictional text-based scenario was used about a couple with care needs. This helped to explore the feasibility, acceptability and usability of goals to manage care at home. Face-to-face qualitative interviews were undertaken with ten participants with a background in social care: four social care professionals; one health care professional; one formal carer; one informal carer; and three end users. Findings – Overall, participants were positive about being able to control the MATCH (Mobilising Advanced Technologies for Care at Home) system through the use of goals....","PeriodicalId":89962,"journal":{"name":"Journal of assistive technologies","volume":"10 1","pages":"79-91"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"62056996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-05-27DOI: 10.1108/JAT-12-2015-0034
C. Creed
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the experiences in working collaboratively with physically impaired visual artists and other stakeholders (e.g. disability arts organisations, charities, personal assistants, special needs colleges, assistive technologists, etc.) to explore the potential of digital assistive tools to support and transform practice. Design/methodology/approach – The authors strategically identified key organisations as project partners including Disability Arts Shropshire, Arts Council England, the British Council, SCOPE, and National Star College (a large special needs college). This multi-disciplinary team worked together to develop relationships with disabled artists and to collaboratively influence the research focus around investigating the current practice of physically impaired artists and the impact of digital technologies on artistic work. Findings – The collaborations with disabled artists and stakeholders throughout the research process have enriched ...
{"title":"Assistive tools for disability arts: collaborative experiences in working with disabled artists and stakeholders","authors":"C. Creed","doi":"10.1108/JAT-12-2015-0034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JAT-12-2015-0034","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the experiences in working collaboratively with physically impaired visual artists and other stakeholders (e.g. disability arts organisations, charities, personal assistants, special needs colleges, assistive technologists, etc.) to explore the potential of digital assistive tools to support and transform practice. Design/methodology/approach – The authors strategically identified key organisations as project partners including Disability Arts Shropshire, Arts Council England, the British Council, SCOPE, and National Star College (a large special needs college). This multi-disciplinary team worked together to develop relationships with disabled artists and to collaboratively influence the research focus around investigating the current practice of physically impaired artists and the impact of digital technologies on artistic work. Findings – The collaborations with disabled artists and stakeholders throughout the research process have enriched ...","PeriodicalId":89962,"journal":{"name":"Journal of assistive technologies","volume":"10 1","pages":"121-129"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/JAT-12-2015-0034","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"62058415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-05-27DOI: 10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0007
E. Draffan, A. James, M. Wald, Amal Idris
Purpose – A number of participatory research methodologies can be used to assist with developing assistive technologies. These methods vary in the amount that users lead and contribute to the work. Selecting the correct method can be important to ensure the overall success of the project and the engagement of users. The purpose of this paper is to explore factors that can impact on the degree of user participation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers whether criteria, that might influence assistive technology (AT) selection made during an assessment of need, review or purchasing process, could also be used to clarify the appropriate strategies for user involvement when developing assistive technologies. It outlines how this approach has been applied to two research and development projects which aimed to improve AT provision within niche markets. Findings – The paper demonstrates that it is possible to apply a decision making process to selecting the best participatory research method, based...
{"title":"Framework for selecting assistive technology user-participation methods","authors":"E. Draffan, A. James, M. Wald, Amal Idris","doi":"10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0007","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – A number of participatory research methodologies can be used to assist with developing assistive technologies. These methods vary in the amount that users lead and contribute to the work. Selecting the correct method can be important to ensure the overall success of the project and the engagement of users. The purpose of this paper is to explore factors that can impact on the degree of user participation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers whether criteria, that might influence assistive technology (AT) selection made during an assessment of need, review or purchasing process, could also be used to clarify the appropriate strategies for user involvement when developing assistive technologies. It outlines how this approach has been applied to two research and development projects which aimed to improve AT provision within niche markets. Findings – The paper demonstrates that it is possible to apply a decision making process to selecting the best participatory research method, based...","PeriodicalId":89962,"journal":{"name":"Journal of assistive technologies","volume":"10 1","pages":"92-101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/JAT-01-2016-0007","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"62057523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-03-10DOI: 10.1108/JAT-04-2015-0015
Matthew Oppenheim
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a novel non-contact method of using head movement to control software without the need for wearable devices. Design/methodology/approach – A webcam and software are used to track head position. When the head is moved through a virtual target, a keystroke is simulated. The system was assessed by participants with impaired mobility using Sensory Software’s Grid 2 software as a test platform. Findings – The target user group could effectively use this system to interact with switchable software. Practical implications – Physical head switches could be replaced with virtual devices, reducing fatigue and dissatisfaction. Originality/value – Using a webcam to control software using head gestures where the participant does not have to wear any specialised technology or a marker. This system is shown to be of benefit to motor impaired participants for operating switchable software.
{"title":"HeadBanger:controlling switchable software with head gesture","authors":"Matthew Oppenheim","doi":"10.1108/JAT-04-2015-0015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JAT-04-2015-0015","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a novel non-contact method of using head movement to control software without the need for wearable devices. Design/methodology/approach – A webcam and software are used to track head position. When the head is moved through a virtual target, a keystroke is simulated. The system was assessed by participants with impaired mobility using Sensory Software’s Grid 2 software as a test platform. Findings – The target user group could effectively use this system to interact with switchable software. Practical implications – Physical head switches could be replaced with virtual devices, reducing fatigue and dissatisfaction. Originality/value – Using a webcam to control software using head gestures where the participant does not have to wear any specialised technology or a marker. This system is shown to be of benefit to motor impaired participants for operating switchable software.","PeriodicalId":89962,"journal":{"name":"Journal of assistive technologies","volume":"10 1","pages":"2-10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1108/JAT-04-2015-0015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"62057477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}