Developers of assistive technology products need to ensure that their offerings meet the requirements of end users, and that usability issues have been discovered prior to manufacture. This may be difficult for SMEs (Small Medium Enterprises) who may lack the necessary skills and resources required to plan and conduct an evaluation. To assist SMEs in the assistive technology market, a stand alo...

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY To identify policy gaps in the delivery and availability of assistive health technology (AHT) and medical devices (MD) for aging populations, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). DESIGN AND METHODS The findings presented in this paper are the results of several narrative overviews. They provide a contextual analysis of the conclusions and evidence fro...

The study sought to establish the current state of inclusive education in Zimbabwe. Focus was on the perceived gains of inclusive education, challenges in its implementation and how the challenges could be addressed. A survey design which was fundamentally qualitative in nature was used. Forty-two Bachelor of Education (Special Needs Education)(BEd SNE) purposefully selected students from Great...

BACKGROUND This study examines associations between female participation in a microcredit program in India, known as self help groups (SHGs), and women's health in the south Indian state of Kerala. Because SHGs do not have a formal health program, this provides a unique opportunity to assess whether SHG participation influences women's health via the social determinants of health. METHODS Thi...

The population of ageing is growing significantly over the world, and there is an emerging demand for better healthcare services and more care centres. Innovations of Information and Communication Technology has resulted in development of various types of assistive robots to fulfil elderly's needs and independency, whilst carrying out daily routine tasks. This makes it vital to have a clear und...

We present a socially assistive robot (SAR) system designed to engage elderly users in physical exercise. We discuss the system approach, design methodology, and implementation details, which incorporate insights from psychology research on intrinsic motivation, and we present five clear design principles for SAR-based therapeutic interventions. We then describe the system evaluation, consistin...

Subject of our work is to explore and analyze the referred relationships between the emerging ICT landscape in the European societal and economic context, and the development and provision of e-Accessibility, within a perspective of 10 years. Some core areas of concern we deal with are represented by the following questions: Which are the trends that may affect the future of e-Accessibility (in...

India is committed to eliminate filariasis by 2015. To achieve this goal annual mass drug administration (MDA) of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) was launched in 2004 by the Government of India1,2. According to the guidelines, DEC should be administered under supervision to all people excluding children <2 yr, pregnant women and severely ill persons (noneligible). The recommended DEC dosage is one tab...

The electric powered wheelchair (EPW) is an indispensable assistive device that increases participation among individuals with disabilities. However, due to lack of standardized assessment tools, developing evidence based training protocols for EPW users to improve driving skills has been a challenge. In this study, we adopt the principles of participatory research and employ qualitative method...

BACKGROUND In an era of scarce and competing priorities for implementation, choosing what to implement is a key decision point for many behavioural change projects. The values and attitudes of the professionals and managers involved inevitably impact the priority attached to decision options. Reliably capturing such values is challenging. METHODS This paper presents an approach for capturing ...