Assistive Technology Assessment Handbook Rehabilitation Science in Practice Series

The process of matching a person who has a disability with the most appropriate assistive technology requires a series of assessments, typically administered by multidisciplinary teams at specialized centers for technical aid. Assistive Technology Assessment Handbook fills the need for a reference that helps assistive technology experts perform assessments that more effectively connect the person and the technology. Emphasizing the well-being of the individual with a disability, the book proposes an ideal model of the assistive technology assessment process and outlines how this model can be applied in practice internationally.

Organized into three parts, the handbook:

• Gives readers a toolkit for performing assessments
• Describes the roles of the assessment team members, among them the new profession of the psychotechnologist, who is skilled in understanding individuals and their psychosocial and technological needs and preferences
• Reviews cutting-edge technologies for rehabilitation and independent living, including brain?computer interfaces and microswitches

The book synthesizes information scattered throughout the international literature, focusing on aspects that are particularly representative or innovative. It also addresses the challenges posed by the variety of health and social care systems and the different ways that individuals who need aid are defined?are they users, patients, clients, or consumers, and how does that affect the assessment?

Edited by Stefano Federici and Marcia J. Scherer, internationally renowned leaders in the field of assistive technology assessment, this cross-cultural handbook includes contributions from leading experts across five continents. Guiding readers in matching the person and the appropriate assistive technology, it offers a framework for future practice and research.

Listen to Stefano Federici talk about the handbook.

Section I: The Assistive Technology Assessment Model and Basic Definitions: Assessing Individual Functioning and Disability. Measuring Individual Functioning. Measuring the Assistive Technology Match. The Assessment of the Environments of AT Use: Accessibility, Sustainability, and Universal Design. Measuring the Impact of AT on Family Caregivers. Section II: Assessment Professionals: Working on the Multidisciplinary Team: The Cognitive Therapist. The Special Educator. The Psychologist. The Psychotechnologist: A New Profession in the Assistive Technology Assessment. The Optometrist. The Occupational Therapist: Enabling Activities and Participation Using Assistive Technology. Pediatric Specialists in Assistive Solutions. The Geriatrician. Role of Speech–Language Pathologists in Assistive Technology Assessments. Section III: Assistive Technology Devices and Services: Systemic User Experience. Web Solutions for Rehabilitation and Daily Life. Brain–Computer Interfaces: The New Landscape in Assistive Technology. New Rehabilitation Opportunities for Persons with Multiple Disabilities Through the Use of Microswitch Technology. Methods and Technologies for Leisure, Recreation, and an Accessible Sport. Index.

Marcia J. Scherer is the President of the Institute for Matching Person and Technology and a Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Rochester Medical Center, New York, USA.

Stefano Federici is Associate Professor of Human and Educational Science at the University of Perugia, Italy.