Technology and Disability

A new basketball wheelchair has been designed, which permits a wide variety of adjustments, reducing the need for expensive customization. In the present study this new prototype basketball wheelchair was evaluated. Seventeen participants were administered in a test battery using their personal and the prototype wheelchair. Maximal aerobic power, metabolic economy, stability, maneuverability, and scores on field performance tests were assessed. Following all tests, a questionnaire was administered to all participants. No significant differences were found between the personal and prototype wheelchair on any of the tests. Questionnaire results revealed that the prototype chair was rated significantly superior concerning weight, maneuverability, rolling resistance and footrest stability but significantly inferior concerning height of the chair and backrest. It can be concluded that the new basketball wheelchair is a highly adaptable, and maneuverable wheelchair. It is remarkable that, given the focus on wheelchair design and perceived need for special fitting, the new wheelchair was so adaptable across a variety of users and that performance did not differ between the personal and prototype chair. This is particularly important for countries or beginning wheelchair basketball players who can not afford customized wheelchairs

In an interesting twist to the initial fear that the access to internet would result in a more isolative community, the CHIPs program (Computers for Homebound and Isolated Persons) inspired an online community for individuals who were homebound. The subjects began to get to know one another through the Internet, thereby making virtual friends with others in similar circumstances. Elderly citizens, disabled individuals and caregivers found themselves with a new sense of camaraderie and friendship. A one-year follow up to a questionnaire indicates that the subjects' level of satisfaction in the amount of contact with others increased significantly. These results suggest that the intervention may cause significant changes in the lives of isolated individuals, a change worthy of more formalized research.

Residual deficits in upper extremity function post stroke occur more frequently than deficits in lower extremity function and are considered a challenge to therapists involved in rehabilitation and distressing to patients. In the literature there is little evidence to suggest the superiority of any one existing physical therapy method over another and little evidence as to what elements of the “black box” of interventions result in better outcomes. One emerging trend is that interventions involving repetitive task-oriented movements show positive treatment effects. The progression of the use of robotics from assistants in activities of daily living to the use of robots as therapy aides may facilitate the delivery of such forms of intervention, as well as producing more sensitive and objective measures of treatment effect and recovery.

This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of patients and therapists to the first prototype of the GENTLE/s Robot Mediated Therapy (RMT) system. Results show overall positive attitudinal dispositions to the prototype and to the use of RMT as an intervention post stroke. The differing opinions of therapists and patients to some elements of the intervention highlight the need for user input in the development of therapeutic interventions to include both stakeholders. Full clinical trials to investigate the therapeutic benefits of RMT commenced in October 2001 and are ongoing.

Computers are often an important component of community integration for children with physical impairments; however, an accurate measure of functional computer ability is unavailable for those unable to normally access computers.

This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Assessment of Computer Task Performance (ACTP), including test-retest reliability, construct validity, internal consistency, and discriminative validity.

Participants were children with (n=24) and without (n=20) physical impairments, aged 4–13 years, who were experienced computer users. They were tested by a trained occupational therapist in either their home or school using the writing and pointer tasks of the ACTP.

The test-retest reliability for the majority of tasks was high (ICC = 0.60–0.95), construct validity was strong, but internal consistency ranged from moderate to poor. Children with impairments took significantly longer to complete almost all computer tasks compared to the unimpaired group indicating good discriminative validity of the tasks.

The ACTP provides therapists with an accurate measure to improve the delivery of computer access services for children. Future studies are needed to improve the test, particularly by including additional pointer tasks and by developing age-specific norms.