Tutorial Eight: Assistive technology

This week we looked at assistive technologies and how they can be used in occupational therapy. We had a guest speaker who showed us a whole range of assistive equipment he uses in practice. I chose the iPad to focus on for this tutorial. 

Provide a definition Assistive Technology (APA reference required). Interpret this definition in your own words.  What might this definition cover (your Cook and Hussey reading may be helpful with this). Assistive Technology refers to “devices, services, strategies and practices that are conceived and applied to ameliorate the problems faced by individuals who have disabilities (Cook & Hussey, 1995). I interpret this to mean that assistive technologies are things that in some way make life easier, more manageable, enjoyable or provide some therapeutic benefit to a person with a disability. Often it will be the case that it will be some type of equipment.

Describe one piece of equipment introduced in the assistive technology tutorial.  Provide information on size, cost and functions. How the equipment increased occupational capacity for the user?  Provide examples here from the tutorial and lecture. Provide an example of the equipments use from online sources.  This can be done by hyper linking to blogs, internet sites, You Tube videos, podcasts etc iPads can currently be purchased for $799 in New Zealand. They come with a range of features including access to the internet and email, Youtube and many more. There are a range of apps including Garageband which allows you to play musical instruments by touching the iPad screen. There are a range of other apps which may be useful in a therapeutic setting. The specifications of the iPad are as follows: 185.7mm X 241.2mm 8.8mm depth 0.601kg weight (Apple, 2011) When Dave Speden came to talk to us about assistive technology he brought along an iPad and said how the musical apps were being used to get his clients (with severe physical disabilities) engaged, it was relatively easy to use and had definite benefits for the clients. The website Blogger.com was also accessed and clients were able to make blogs to talk about their progress and their families were able to keep updated by viewing the blog. The following shows the use of a iPad  by a child with Muscular Dystrophy: http://macdailynews.com/2010/11/01/apples_revolutionary_ipad_a_theraputic_marvel_for_disabled_people/ References           Cook, A. M., & Hussey, S. M. (1995). Assistive technologies: principles and practice. Missouri: Mosby - Year Book, Inc.           Technical Specifications. (2011). Retrieved May 12th, 2011, from Apple: http://www.apple.com/nz/ipad/specs/