subscribers
October 2012 - Volume 28, Issue 3
Smart Home technology (SH), or sometimes referred to as Home Automation (also known as domatics) basically means some automated processes in a home environment. This article aims to explore the applications and benets of SH in promoting independent living for people with disabilities, and the possible drivers and barriers to wider application of such technology. The second part of this series (in the next issue) will attempt to explain the working principles of SH and considerations for application.
Take your memory back to The Jetsons animated sitcom that had its first run from 1962-1963 and many re-runs since then. This sitcom stages a family living in 2062 where life is automated by machines and robots. The writer of the series cast such a vision in the 1960s, and half a century on, society might just be working towards that vision.
Soon, the Jetsons family will not be the only family that is able to live an automated life. The combination of technological advances, aging population and declining resources will be the main drivers for Smart Home Technology in years to come.
However, there are still the economical, physical, and social barriers to overcome for its successful application, and players from all fields (technology, healthcare providers, government bodies, etc.) must start to collaborate and plan for our better future with Smart Home Technology.
People with CCN find it hard to speak and may have a little or no speech. Many people with CCN have excellent comprehension and feel very strongly “just because I can’t talk, doesn’t mean I have nothing to say”. People with CCN have a lot to say - they may talk using some combination of gestures, signs, pictures, words or spelling and a little speech, if they can. They may talk with a speech generating device or computer (Newell Network, 2012).
The following Interest Groups and organisations are described in this article:
- AAC Voice
- AGOSCI Inc
- Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association (ARATA)
- Communication Rights Australia (CRA)
- International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication - Local Chapter: ISSAC
- Leadership Committee for People who use AAC (LEAD, inc AAC Awareness Month)
- Newell Network
Journals publish vital information about the assistive technologies available to us. Information regarding the range of AT devices (AT) and environmental interventions (EI), as well as 'soft technology' knowledge such as clinical reasoning, assessment and adaptation, is showcased in editions spanning almost three decades. Such knowledge is invaluable to practitioners and consumers, however may not meet the criteria of 'evidence' according to many current definitions.
Practitioners are increasingly called upon to use evidence-based practice (EBP) in their work. This is usually taken to mean using techniques and prescriber practices which have been proven to be effective in the peer-reviewed literature. Interestingly, the first proponents of EBP were clear that the opinion of the consumer, and the practice wisdom of the practitioner, should also be considered (Sackett et al. 2000).
This article will argue that there is an essential place for these two aspects of evidence. Further, that publications such as ILJ provide a crucial avenue for publication, as most peer-reviewed publications in this field do not attend to or address these perspectives. I will also argue that, while it makes sense to seek and deliver the best quality interventions, the ‘rules’ around what makes ‘best quality evidence’ can lead to problems in our field of assistive technology.
Copyright © 2009-2013 Independent Living Centre NSW.
Site designed by the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory, School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales.