Getting it “right”: how collaborative relationships between people with disabilities and professionals can lead to the acquisition of needed assistive technology

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a consumer-led equipment and device program [Equipment and Assistive Technology Initiative (EATI) in British Columbia, Canada] from the perspective of program participants. The importance of collaborative assessments for obtaining the right assistive technology (AT) for meeting an individual’s needs is discussed in light of the program’s participant-centered “Participation Model”, or philosophy by which the program is structured. Method: A cross-sectional survey with participants and semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants (≥18 years) who held a range of disabilities. The survey asked participants to rank their AT and to identify the method by which they obtained the technology [by self, prescribed by a health professional or collaborative (self and professional)]. Interviews addressed participants’ opinions about obtaining and using AT. Results: In total, 357 people responded to the survey (17% response rate) and 16 people participated in the interviews. The highest ranking AT was assigned to devices assessed via a collaborative method (self = 31%, practitioner = 26%, collaborative = 43%; χ2 (16, 180) = 39.604, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Shared decision-making between health professionals and people with disabilities within the assessment process for assistive technology leads to what participants perceive as the right AT. Implications for Rehabilitation Collaborative decision-making can lead to the selection of assistive technology that is considered needed and right for the individual. Person-centered philosophy associated with assistive technology assessment is contributing to attaining “the right” AT.

[1]  F. Timmins.  Nursing Research Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice , 2013 .

[2]  Marcia J. Scherer,et al.  Living in the state of stuck : how assistive technology impacts the lives of people with disabilities , 2005 .

[3]  Marcia J. Scherer,et al.  Assistive/rehabilitation technology, disability, and service delivery models , 2012, Cognitive Processing.

[4]  W Ben Mortenson,et al.  The Wheelchair Procurement Process: Perspectives of Clients and Prescribers , 2008, Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapie.

[5]  M. Prince.  Canadian Disability Activism and Political Ideas: In and Between Neo-Liberalism and Social Liberalism , 2012 .

[6]  Jay K. Martin,et al.  The impact of consumer involvement on satisfaction with and use of assistive technology , 2011, Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technology.

[7]  Gregg C. Vanderheiden.  Redefining Assistive Technology, Accessibility and Disability Based on Recent Technical Advances , 2007 .

[8]  M J Scherer,et al.  Outcomes of assistive technology use on quality of life. , 1996, Disability and rehabilitation.

[9]  S. Lindsay,et al.  Predictors of unmet needs for communication and mobility assistive devices among youth with a disability: the role of socio-cultural factors , 2011, Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technology.

[10]  Elizabeth A. Lahm,et al.  Factors that Influence Assistive Technology Decision Making , 2001 .

[11]  Albert M. Cook,et al.  Assistive Technologies: Principles and Practice , 1995 .

[12]  Jenny Strong,et al.  Compliance with Prescribed Adaptive Equipment: A Literature Review , 2000 .

[13]  K. Tower.  Disability Through the Lens of Culture , 2003 .

[14]  Renée R Taylor,et al.  The myth of participation in occupational therapy: reconceptualizing a client-centred approach , 2012, Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy.

[15]  J. Jutai,et al.  A framework for modelling the selection of assistive technology devices (ATDs) , 2007, Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technology.

[16]  M. Battaglia,et al.  An interdisciplinary approach to evaluating the need for assistive technology reduces equipment abandonment , 2006, Multiple sclerosis.

[17]  M. Scherer.  Assessing the benefits of using assistive technologies and other supports for thinking, remembering and learning , 2005, Disability and rehabilitation.

[18]  B Phillips,et al.  Predictors of assistive technology abandonment. , 1993, Assistive technology : the official journal of RESNA.

[19]  Can Disability Studies Contribute to Client-Centred Occupational Therapy Practice? , 2010 .

[20]  V. Braun,et al.  Using thematic analysis in psychology , 2006 .

[21]  Hugh Stewart,et al.  Factors influencing the decision to abandon manual wheelchairs for three individuals with a spinal cord injury , 2002, Disability and rehabilitation.

[22]  A. Vanbiervliet,et al.  Predictors of assistive technology use: The importance of personal and psychosocial factors , 2005, Disability and rehabilitation.

[23]  G. Gelderblom,et al.  Non-use of provided assistive technology devices, a literature overview , 2004 .

[24]  Sajay Arthanat,et al.  Exploring occupational justice in consumer perspectives on assistive technology , 2012, Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapie.

[25]  S. Arai,et al.  Role of Canadian user‐led disability organizations in the non‐profit sector , 2007 .