Why the article is helpful
- Low acceptance rates for assistive technology due to lack of consideration,
- DIY assistive technology devices created a higher success rate in the adoption process
- Combination of personal-scale manufacturing and online communities provides a unique opportunity
This article looked towards the question of why assistive technology devices end up unused or abandoned. By involving disabled users in development and modification of assistive technology to create products that suit their specific needs, a user is able to empower and improve the adoption process. The authors also concluded there is a lack of user-centered design in the overall assistive technology marketplace and the combination of personal-scale manufacturing and online communities provides a unique opportunity.
Links to article
Hurst, A., & Tobias, J. (2011). Empowering individuals with do-it-yourself assistive technology. Paper presented at The proceedings of the 13th international ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility. doi:10.1145/2049536.2049541