The advancement of modern technology has allowed for the implementation of assistive technology (AT) in the therapeutic setting. The purpose of AT is to facilitate the engagement of activities and occupations of individuals with disabilities who may otherwise experience difficulties. AT ranges from no/low-tech to medium-tech to high-tech. No/low-tech is considered to be the most intuitive in that it is the easiest to utilize and has a very clear understanding in terms of usage. Medium-tech AT may require a small extent of training and set-up. High-tech AT is the most complex and may prove to be challenging to program and maintain. When deciding which form of AT to implement, it is important to consider multiple aspects of the client such as strengths, weaknesses, and goals, as well as the availability of AT (Lancaster, 2018).
Assistive technology is simply one component of the countless that exist within the concept of universal design. The extent of a disability is not exclusive to those who have been branded with that label; every individual experiences challenge due to personal and potentially innate shortcomings that may not be considered a “disability” by society, such as height while playing for a basketball team or limited creativity on an art project. “Disability” is only a manifestation of the imperfect nature of man and unifies us as humans. If seen as a drawback instead, there is a strong implication that a step can be made forward toward one’s improvement of health and autonomy as opposed to being a quality of permanence. Because there is a need to cultivate a myriad of solutions to account for each blemish of man, universal design is essential to create “products and environments accessible to all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design” (Nesmith, 2016).
~ Pam ♡
Citations
Lancaster, S. Introduction to Assistive Technology. 5 April, 2018. Prezi.
Nesmith, M. (2016). Why We Need Universal Design. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVdPNWMGyZY&app=desktop.
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