6330w15 Module01 AssistiveTechnology Overvie€¦ · • using,’modif=ing,’ customizing,’adapting’ (overtime) 10 Deﬁnition of AT: One starting place… The "what" • an

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CSE6330 Overview of Assistive Technology

Winter 2015 ! Thursday, Jan 8, 2015

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Objectives for this class meeting Develop a foundation for future discussions about assistive technology

•  definitions •  models •  terminology •  examples

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Approach: some general comments •  assistive technology (AT) is generally conceived as a

intervention for a problematic

•  the problematic can be viewed at different levels •  individual •  organizational •  societal

•  how to broach this topic? •  problematic-centric: start with the problematic and then

provide layers of information to reveal the various interventions

•  intervention-centric: start with the interventions and then peel away layers to examine the underlying problematic

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At the meta level I •  problematic-centric: start with the problematic and then

provide layers of information to reveal the various interventions •  begin with definitions, such as disability, impairment,

access barrier •  address issue of language (person-centric vs disability-

centered language) •  introduce models of disability (e.g., medical/charity;

social; integrative models, such as biopsychosocial) •  describe AT relative to this framework

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At the meta level II •  intervention-centric: start with the interventions and

then unpack and peel away layers to examine the underlying problematic •  begin with an example of a piece of AT (e.g., SGD) •  discuss its context of use, its ecosystem of production

and deployment; diachronic aspects •  broaden to other types of AT, generalize to other contexts

of use, generalize to broader ecosystems of production and deployment

•  from this framework, relate human, organizational, and societal-focused terminology and models

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Approach: some general comments •  both problematic-centric and intervention-centric

approaches provide good lead-ins to discussions of •  relevant policy and legislation •  methodologies for evaluation •  methodologies for design •  market forces (commercial AT), AT production and

deployment more generally

•  We will adopt an interleaved approach: iterate between problematic-centric and intervention-centric approaches

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Definition of AT:One starting place…

The "what" •  an item, piece of equipment,

software system, product system

•  tools, products, and devices •  any item, piece of equipment,

or product, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized

The "who" individuals with disabilities

The "why" •  to increase, maintain, or improve

functional capabilities of individuals •  to enable people to perform tasks that

they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing

•  to make a particular function easier or possible to perform

•  to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities

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•  several variants shown under each of "what" and "why", taken 6om various characterizations

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•  what about the "how" •  connected processes

•  desig<ing, fabricating •  selecting, locating, •  using, modif=ing,

customizing, adapting (over time)

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•  what about the "how" •  connected processes

•  desig<ing, fabricating •  selecting, locating, •  using, modif=ing,

customizing, adapting (over time)

•  most ever= characterization is consistent on the "who"

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Result

AT is bound up with the notion of disability

•  we'll need to revisit this later

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Universal Design (UD) •  a term coined by the architect Ronald L. Mace, who

challenged the conventional approach of designing for the average user

•  UD is the concept of designing all products and the built environment to be aesthetic and usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life [1]

•  Thought question:if everything were designed according to UD principles, would AT still be needed?

[1] http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/about_us/usronmace.htm

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http://universaldesignfail.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/cid_1820069.jpg

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Universal Design (UD) •  UD is a design approach (as opposed to a set of

standards, measurements, checklists, etc)

•  The design approach has at its basis 7 principles [2]

•  Related terms: Inclusive Design, Design for All

[1] http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/about_us/usronmace.htm [2] http://universaldesign.ie/What-is-Universal-Design/The-7-Principles/

Source for following images and test NC State University 7 Principles of Design Poster http://universaldesign.ie/What-is-Universal-Design/The-7-Principles/

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Principles of UD

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Participatory Design (PD) •  A design methodology which has, at its core, the

principle of engaging actual users of technology in the design of the technology (Muller & Kuhn, 1993)

•  Related: Cooperative design

•  PD is a specific instantiation of human-centered design (or User-Centered Design) [see ISO 9241-210:2010]

•  PD emphasizes a deep understanding of the needs of specific users.

•  The methodology recognizes and affirms the validity of the user perspective, and values the expertise that comes from experience (Kensing & Blomberg, 1998).

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Universal Design contrasted with Participatory Design

•  UD is concerned with the creation of inherently accessible environments and technologies •  obviating the need for population-specific adaption.

•  Successful UD is predicated on a broad and sophisticated understanding of a very diverse user population

•  Successful PD is predicated on engagement with specific users

•  PD and UD accomplish different objectives, and each has its respective merits and challenges.

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Selected Examples of AT Speech Generating Devices (SGDs)

Indirect Text Entry Software

Speech/Voice Recognition Software

Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs)

Prostheses

Dementia supports

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Backgrounder : SGDs •  Cerebral palsy

•  a group of movement disorders •  several types; one type is characterized by excessive

muscle contraction (spasticity) and intermittent involuntary, rhythmic, muscular contractions and relaxations (clonus)

•  Difficulty with cognition and epilepsy are found in about one third of cases

•  causes by damage to the motor control centers of the brain (pre-, peri-, post-natal)

•  incidence: ~0.2% of live births

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Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) •  video "I Love Assistive Technology!"

•  demonstrates the use of a SGD •  listen for mention of relevant issues:

•  low-technology vs high-technology •  sharp divide between individuals within and outside of the

school system •  assistive technology can entail collaborative use

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_P8OG04wqc

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The Technique of Scanning •  a technique for selecting individual items from among a

larger set via a sequence of operations

•  requires user to be able to perform two different signals: •  select (usually an explicit action, e.g., a blink, button press) •  reject (usually the absence of an action, requires a dwell

period)

•  need to be able to recover from unintended actions •  false-positive selection

•  user performed 'select' but didn't mean to •  false-negative selection

•  user either did not perform 'select' or performed it too late

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Backgrounder : Brain Computer Interfaces

•  Event-related potential (ERP): the measured brain response that is the direct result of a specific sensory, cognitive, or motor event

•  ERPs can be measured on the surface of the scalp (EEG) or via neural implants

•  N400 is a particularly special ERP •  N400 it occurs in response to 'semantic' stimuli, such as words, signs,

letters •  its peak occurs ~400msec post-stimulus

•  Illustration •  suppose an individual is presented with a display of various items

(words, letters, symbols) and selects one (the target) •  if the items are illuminated (either individually or in groups), when the

target is illuminated, this evokes the N100 ERP in the individual •  the N400 ERP occurs involuntarily

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Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) •  various applications, such as text entry, to replace

mouse/keyboard on personal computer, for assessment

•  depends on which selection operations are afforded to the user (which items are presented for selection)

•  Video: MMSPG's BCI

•  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QxPR25DMAg

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Backgrounder: access barriers to visual displays

•  sensory-perceptual impairment •  low vision – standard size of letters too small, contrast is

insufficient •  colour vision deficiency - cannot distinguish one color

from another •  blindness – cannot see material on screen

•  learning-related barriers •  difficulties in visual reading (dyslexia) •  individuals who are auditory learners

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Screen Reading Software •  "reads" digital documents to the user via synthesized

speech

•  technologies: •  intelligent document parsing and analysis (html, xml,

techniques from computational linguistics) •  multimedia document analysis •  text-to-speech (TTS)

•  Commercial sw: JAWS (Job Access With Speech), provides text-to-speech or text-to-refreshable braille display •  dominant market share

•  Free and/or open source sw: numerous

• 

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Specialized Typefaces

•  goal is to increase readability for readers with dyslexia

•  several such typefaces (regular, bold, italic, and bold-italic styles)

•  E.g., OpenDyslexic is open source; updated continually and improved based on input from users; no restrictions on using outside of attribution

•  evidence of efficacy is anecdotal at present; empirical research is underway

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Backgrounder: Speech Input

•  motor impairment •  individuals who have difficulty using typical input devices

(keyboard/mouse) to write, to navigate software applications

•  language production •  individuals who have difficulties in written expression

(speech vs writing), dysgraphia

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Speech/Voice Recognition Software

•  converts the spoken word into text or into computer commands (i.e. opening files, or navigating software applications)

•  technology: •  automatic speech recognition (ASR) •  may entail controlled or uncontrolled vocabulary

•  Commercial SW: Dragon NaturallySpeaking

•  Open source: CMU Sphinx

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Backgrounder: Prostheses •  an artificial device that replaces a missing body part

•  arms, lower limbs, but also larynx, craniofacial, others •  neuroprostheses include: auditory, visual implants, pain

control

•  a multi-billion $ market

•  multitude of materials, fabrications, designs •  body-powered, myoelectric, robotic

•  emergence of low-entry point 3D printers has potential to disrupt current status-quo in the prostheses domain

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Project Daniel •  project conducted by Not Impossible Labs

•  connected to the Not Impossible Foundation, an nonprofit organization founded by Mick Ebeling

•  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDYFMgrjeLg

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Next Class Meeting •  To Do:

•  Explore examples of prior projects to develop AT •  Read articles (to be posted to course website)

Documents

6330w15 Module01 AssistiveTechnology Overvie€¦ · • using,’modif=ing,’ customizing,’adapting’ (overtime) 10 Deﬁnition of AT: One starting place… The "what" • an