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The COVID-19 pandemic and the move to remote education exposed old and new inequities, yet it also represented an opportunity to rethink inclusive education. This paper presents findings from a one-year project "DIGITAL in a time of Coronavirus" and draws upon policy analysis and interviews with teachers, principals, and community leaders from six countries in the Global North and South (Italy, England, Malaysia, Australia, United States and Chile). By mobilising education assemblage theory to challenge binary divisions (included/excluded, modern/colonial, local/global), it presents five concepts to rethink inclusion and its relationship with technologies. It illustrates how during the pandemic alternative entanglements of digital and non-digital technologies challenged narrow and Eurocentric constructions of the digital divide enabling inclusive subjective experiences. Drawing upon local possibilities and histories, re-habilitating non-scientific knowledges, especially in view of future experiences of blended education, the paper seeks to provide policy tools to rethink current understandings of inclusive education.

BACKGROUND: Do-it-yourself technologies such as 3D printing offer interesting opportunities for creating custom-made assistive devices for people with disabilities. Although these opportunities are increasingly acknowledged, it remains unclear how 3D printing technology should be implemented in assistive devices delivery processes. OBJECTIVE: In three separate action research projects carried out in Belgium, Italy and The Netherlands, workflows were designed and evaluated that incorporate 3D printing as a standard option for providing clients with suitable assistive devices. METHODS: In this paper we describe and compare the three workflows that were conceived simultaneously, yet independently from each other. RESULTS: Based on the evaluations of these workflows, and the experiences of the researchers who developed the workflows, we provide recommendations for implementing 3D printing as a common approach in assistive device delivery processes in practice. Most importantly, designing and manufacturing should be done by means of a client-centered co-creation process by interdisciplinary teams of clinicians, clients, and 3D printing experts. We provide several recommendations for facilitating and supporting collaborations within such teams. CONCLUSIONS: The three workflows presented in this paper are strikingly similar and therefore provide a convincing starting point for interdisciplinary design teams who wish to embark on 3D printing custom-made assistive devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the design of an assistive reading tool that integrates read‐aloud technology with eye tracking to regulate the speed of reading and support struggling readers in following the text while listening to it. The paper describes the design rationale of this approach, following the theory of auditory–visual integration, in terms of an automatic self‐adaptable technique based on the reader's gaze that provides an individualized interaction experience. This tool has been assessed in a controlled experiment with 20 children (aged 8–10 years) with a diagnosis of dyslexia and a control group of 20 children with typical reading abilities. The results show that children with reading difficulties improved their comprehension scores by 24% measured on a standardized instrument for the assessment of reading comprehension and that children with more inaccurate reading (N = 9) tended to benefit more. The findings are discussed in terms of a better integration between audio and visual text information, paving the way to improve standard read‐aloud technology with gaze‐contingency and self‐adaptable techniques to personalize the reading experience. Lay Description: What is already known: People with dyslexia present problems in associating graphemes with phonemes and in mapping the sounds of language to letters and words.Reading‐aloud tools that combine text presentation with audio output have been proven to be beneficial for dyslexic readers.A limitation of these tools is that they do not keep track of the portion of text visually processed by the reader.Therefore, there may be incongruence between what the reader hears and what he/she is actually reading. What this paper adds: The study explores the use of a read‐aloud tool called GARY that combines eye‐tracking with read‐aloud technology.The key aspect is that the audio speed is automatically adjusted to keep up with the reading speed of the reader.A controlled study with primary school students investigates the use of the tool compared with traditional read‐aloud technology.The results show a positive effect on reading comprehension scores, especially for children with more inaccurate reading. Implications for practitioners: A better integration between audio and visual text information can support reading comprehension in children with dyslexia.Gaze‐regulated read‐aloud tools are a promising approach for supporting struggle readers.Such tools are promising for training readers with dyslexia in coupling audio and visual information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information related to the several thematic papers to be discussed at 2019 Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE) conference in Bologna, Italy. Some of the thematic papers include cognitive accessibility of digital resources; user participation in software development; and making Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) accessible to disabled people.

In this study, 25 Maltese employees with physical or sensory impairments shared their experiences regarding access and use of various technologies at work, first via focus groups and individual interviews, and then through observation sessions at their workplace. The research initially rested on the premise that disabled people face various barriers related to the access and use of technology in their employment, that are not directly ensuing from their impairments. It then built on this premise by applying concepts from new materialisms in an attempt to broaden the notions proposed by the social model of disability. Through the use of vignettes, this paper shows how enabling technologies form part of assemblages, networks and entanglements of people, things and affects to produce consequences that are conducive to or limiting of dis/ability. This article is about people with physical or sensory impairments and how they use technology at their place of work. Research participants describe many difficulties they have in order to obtain and use technology at work. Difficulties using technology at work are not only due to financial, physical or attitudinal barriers but also due to difficulties that have to do with impairment such as pain and fatigue. It is difficult to understand how barriers to obtaining and using technology in work produce disability because they are entangled with many other factors, human and non-human. Stories presented show that people, things, places and feelings, can all equally produce ability or disability in the workplace depending on how they interact together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuromotor rehabilitation and improvement of upper limb functions are necessary to improve the life quality of patients who have experienced injuries or have pathological outcomes. Modern approaches, such as robotic-assisted rehabilitation can help to improve rehabilitation processes and thus improve upper limb functions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of robots in upper limb disability improvement and rehabilitation. Methods: This scoping review was conducted by search in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and IEEE (January 2012– February 2022). Articles related to upper limb rehabilitation robots were selected. The methodological quality of all the included studies will be appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). We used an 18-field data extraction form to extract data from articles and extracted the information such as study year, country, type of study, purpose, illness or accident leading to disability, level of disability, assistive technologies, number of participants in the study, sex, age, rehabilitated part of the upper limb using a robot, duration and frequency of treatment, methods of performing rehabilitation exercises, type of evaluation, number of participants in the evaluation process, duration of intervention, study outcomes, and study conclusions. The selection of articles and data extraction was made by three authors based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Disagreements were resolved through consultation with the fifth author. Inclusion criteria were articles involving upper limb rehabilitation robots, articles about upper limb disability caused by any illness or injury, and articles published in English. Also, articles involving other than upper limb rehabilitation robots, robots related to rehabilitation of diseases other than upper limb, systematic reviews, reviews, and meta-analyses, books, book chapters, letters to the editor, and conference papers were also excluded. Descriptive statistics methods (frequency and percentage) were used to analyses the data. Results: We finally included 55 relevant articles. Most of the studies were done in Italy (33.82%). Most robots were used to rehabilitate stroke patients (80%). About 60.52% of the studies used games and virtual reality rehabilitate the upper limb disabilities using robots. Among the 14 types of applied evaluation methods, "evaluation and measurement of upper limb function and dexterity" was the most applied evaluation method. "Improvement in musculoskeletal functions", "no adverse effect on patients", and "Safe and reliable treatment" were the most cited outcomes, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings show that robots can improve musculoskeletal functions (musculoskeletal strength, sensation, perception, vibration, muscle coordination, less spasticity, flexibility, and range of motion) and empower people by providing a variety of rehabilitation capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of public assistive technology (AT) service delivery systems in Europe varies according to each country's culture, disability policy, socio-economic context, health care system organization and history. Though it is recognized by the AT community that it is impossible and not useful to develop a "perfect" or "standard" model for AT service delivery, a way to reduce the fragmentation and increase the collaboration among AT providers has been recently highlighted by the AAATE Position Paper on Service Delivery Systems in Europe. In particular, this document emphasizes the importance for AT providers to share their practices of service delivery in order to "understand to which extent good practices could be exported from one country to another"; and implement common strategies for the evaluation of the quality of the service delivery. In keeping with these recommendations, the present paper illustrates an interdisciplinary AT assessment model targeting children with multiple disabilities which is grounded on the experience of the Centre for Assistive Technology (CAT) operating in the municipality of Bologna, Italy. In addition, a proposal for a conceptual framework for evaluating the quality of service delivery is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the challenges of aging societies, various information and communication technology (ICT)-based systems for older people have been developed in recent years. Currently, the evaluation of these so-called active and assisted living (AAL) systems usually focuses on the analyses of usability and acceptance, while some also assess their impact. Little is known about the actual take-up of these assistive technologies. This paper presents a framework for measuring the take-up by analyzing the actual usage of AAL systems. This evaluation framework covers detailed information regarding the entire process including usage data logging, data preparation, and usage data analysis. We applied the framework on the AAL prototype CARIMO for measuring its take-up during an eight-month field trial in Austria and Italy. The framework was designed to guide systematic, comparable, and reproducible usage data evaluation in the AAL field; however, the general applicability of the framework has yet to be validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are built by and for able-bodied people and are often composed of a range of elements that make them partially (or not) accessible to disabled people. Architectural barriers within and around buildings can limit disabled people's access to structures and services, precluding their full participation in a social life. It is not possible to talk about making further social progress until disabled people are no longer victims of marginalisation caused by our urban architecture. In order to identify some specific problems and possible solutions, a qualitative research study was carried out in a city in northern Italy, involving people with sensory and physical impairments. Findings indicate that cities in general, and the oldest ones in particular, can present an important problem: some historic centres and buildings are not (or cannot be) restored to become more accessible. This lack of accessibility will increase the exclusion of disabled people by imposing limitations and restrictions, from mobilising around urban centres, to use of pavements, entry into shops or workplaces, through to accessing treatment and health services. Moreover, this research demonstrates that, in many cases, relatively inexpensive and simple measures and arrangements might be enough to help tackle and solve many of these problems. This paper argues that a first, fundamental step in looking to improve access should be to involve disabled people in participatory planning. These users will be the best experts of their own needs and some of the best informed about the attributes and particularities of any alterations or adaptations needed to help them negotiate, manage and plan the areas in which they live. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:The paper describes recruitment results and characteristics of the UP-TECH clinical trial sample, including level of care services use, informal caregiver burden and its determinants. Methods:UP-TECH is designed to test innovative care solutions for community-dwelling patients with moderate stage Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers in Italy. Four hundred and fifty patient–caregiver dyads were randomized into three arms receiving different combinations of services, composed of case management interventions, nurse visits, assistive technology and educational brochures. The research nurses administered a questionnaire comprising an in-depth socio-demographic assessment and several clinical scales, such as Novak's Caregiver Burden Inventory. Analyses of baseline data were conducted using uni- and bi-variate statistics. Linear regressions were computed to identify de-confounded correlates of caregiver burden. Results:Four hundred and thirty-eight patient–caregiver dyads were recruited and randomized. In our sample, patients are predominantly women (71.5%), with an average age of 81.5 years and a mean Mini-Mental State Examination score of 16.2. Caregivers are mostly women (66.2%) and offspring (55.7%), with a mean caregiver burden score of 27.6. They provide more than 50 hours of care per week, while receiving an almost negligible support from public services. Factors associated with caregiver burden are female gender, kinship and the patient's behavioral disturbances. The most important factor associated with lower burden is the employment of a live-in care worker. Conclusion:The paper provides a comprehensive description of moderate stage Alzheimer's disease patients and their caregivers, suggesting useful markers of caregiver burden. The well-balanced randomization assures the reliability of the study data-set for prospective evaluation of care strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: RebiSmart® is an electromechanical multidose autoinjector developed for administering subcutaneous interferon beta-1a in patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). This online survey aimed to understand MS nurses' and pwMS preferences and perceptions regarding the features of an upgraded version of the RebiSmart device (RebiSmart 3.0) compared to other assistive devices used for multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy. Patients and Methods: Eligible MS nurses and pwMS from Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom completed a double-blind, 30-minute online self-administered questionnaire, including a 10-minute video describing the features of RebiSmart 3.0 and its use in administering interferon beta-1a. Results: In total, 102 participants (MS nurses, n=52; patients, n=50) completed the survey. Overall, 70% respondents found the RebiSmart 3.0 device "very"/"extremely" appealing, 53% were "very"/"extremely" interested in learning more, and 71% stated they would be "very"/"extremely" comfortable using (pwMS) or educating (MS nurses) on it. Among current or recent RebiSmart 2.0 users (vs RebiSmart 2.0 nonusers), 67% (vs 52%) rated RebiSmart 3.0 "very" or "extremely" appealing, 52% (vs 43%) were "very" or "extremely" interested in learning more about the device, and 67% (vs 48%) stated they would be "very" or "extremely" comfortable using the RebiSmart 3.0 device. Respondents ranked customizable injection process (including injection speed, hold time, depth and rotation guide), self-injection process, and hidden needle as the most important self-assistive device features. RebiSmart 3.0 was rated higher than other self-injecting devices on all tested features. Overall, with respect to the top three features, 89% of the MS nurses and 73% of PwMS rated RebiSmart 3.0 "very good" or "excellent". After reviewing the video, 52% respondents had no questions, 67% nurses recommended providing more information on the customizable injection process feature of RebiSmart 3.0 to patients, and 88% nurses considered patient demonstration materials to be the most helpful type of information for them when initiating and educating pwMS on self-assistive devices. Conclusion: The overall reactions of MS nurses and pwMS to the RebiSmart 3.0 device features were positive. The incremental advances over previous versions of the device as well as in comparison with other currently available assistive devices were welcomed. The MS nurses identified key needs for patient education on the use of the device and the suitable approaches (training videos and educational leaflets) to support MS nurses and pwMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Brain Computer Interface (BCI) allows communication for impaired people unable to express their intention with common channels. Electroencephalography (EEG) represents an effective tool to allow the implementation of a BCI. The present paper describes a modular framework for the implementation of the graphic interface for binary BCIs based on the selection of symbols in a table. The proposed system is also designed to reduce the time required for writing text. This is made by including a motivational tool, necessary to improve the quality of the collected signals, and by containing a predictive module based on the frequency of occurrence of letters in a language, and of words in a dictionary. The proposed framework is described in a top-down approach through its modules: signal acquisition, analysis, classification, communication, visualization, and predictive engine. The framework, being modular, can be easily modified to personalize the graphic interface to the needs of the subject who has to use the BCI and it can be integrated with different classification strategies, communication paradigms, and dictionaries/languages. The implementation of a scenario and some experimental results on healthy subjects are also reported and discussed: the modules of the proposed scenario can be used as a starting point for further developments, and application on severely disabled people under the guide of specialized personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: It is well known that the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are important to assist people with disability in the workplace. OBJECTIVE: In this context, this paper sheds light on the state of ICT accessibility for Italian employees with disabilities in private sector companies by mapping and critically analyzing the assistive role of ICT. METHODS: To do this, empirical evidence was drawn from a multi-methods research with middle and top managers from 97 medium and large Italian companies. Quantitative data was collected using a survey was directed at personnel identified as Human Resource (HR) and Information System (IS) managers, followed by a qualitative study with selected firms whose aim was to understand the inner workings of assistive technology and the decision making process related to assistive technology acquisition and use. RESULTS: The main results show the role and the integration level of people with disabilities, and the presence and effectiveness of specific assistive technologies. DISCUSSION: Ways to improve the inclusion of people with disability in the workplace, as well as the use of assistive technologies are discussed. CONCLUSION: ICT could be more disseminated within companies and best used with modifications to improve usability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Service robots may offer an innovative assistive solution to improve the quality of life of frail elderly people, by assisting them in specific situations identified as relevant to maintain independence. Objective: This paper describes the results of a qualitative and quantitative research based on a user-centered methodology carried out within the EU-funded project "Multi-Role Shadow Robotic System for Independent Living" (SRS), aiming to generate user requirements and realistic usage scenarios maximizing the alignment with users' needs, perceptions, feelings and rights. Methods: A qualitative and quantitative research - based on focus groups (59 participants) and questionnaires (129 respondents) - was carried out in three countries: Italy, Spain and Germany. The survey involved prospective end-users (elderly people and family members who care for them), caregivers, and geriatric experts. Results: Results show that despite elderly people encounter difficulties in many activities of daily life, a semi-autonomous remotely-controlled and self-learning service robot has been judged an interesting solution only in some circumstances. Monitoring and managing emergency situations, helping with reaching, fetching and carrying objects that are too heavy or positioned in unreachable places: these are tasks for which robotic support has been widely accepted, while tasks involving direct physical contact between the person and the robot are not appreciated instead. Relatives of the elderly could act as remote operators; however, family psychological burden and time restrictions should be considered too. Conclusions: A tele-operated robotic system may be of help for frail elderly people. In certain cases this solution may be effective only in conjunction with a 24-hour professional Service Centre able to manage tele-operation when relatives are not available. This survey adds further tokens of knowledge to previous literature studies on this subject; it compares the potential users' and the professionals' views; it helps identifying potentially successful applications of tele-operated robots in the care of elderly people living at home. The results obtained by the present study, generated specific requirements and the first versions of concrete usage scenarios, enabling designers and technologists to start with a first development phase of the SRS concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information related to the role of Assistive technology in classification of functioning, disability and health and the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. Topics discussed include sustainability of the Assistive technology; need of recognizing persons with disabilities in legislations and policies; and transformation of the power-relations illuminating discrimination and injustices within the current AT systems.

The article offers recommendations for using Assistive Technologies for inclusive media education in kindergartens. Topics discussed include role of assistive technologies in inclusive media education; potential of digital media for the participation of children with disabilities; and aim of assistive technology to identify the issues of accessibility of content according to the Doing Disability Concept, to identify ways in which identified problems can be solved using assistive technologies.

In the last years, social robots have become a trending topic. Indeed, robots which communicate with us and mimic human behavior patterns are fascinating. However, while there is a massive body of research on their design and acceptance in different fields of application, their market potential has been rarely investigated. As their future integration in society may have a vast disruptive potential, this work aims at shedding light on the market potential, focusing on the assistive health domain. A study with 197 persons from Italy (age: M = 67.87; SD = 8.87) and Germany (age: M = 62.15; SD = 6.14) investigates cultural acceptance, desired functionalities, and purchase preferences. The participants filled in a questionnaire after watching a video illustrating some examples of social robots. Surprisingly, the individual perception of health status, social status as well as nationality did hardly influence the attitude towards social robots, although the German group was somewhat more reluctant to the idea of using them. Instead, there were significant correlations with most dimensions of the Almere model (like perceived enjoyment, sociability, usefulness and trustworthiness). Also, technology acceptance resulted strongly correlated with the individual readiness to invest money. However, as most persons consider social robots as "Assistive Technological Devices" (ATDs), they expected that their provision should mirror the usual practices followed in the two Countries for such devices. Thus, to facilitate social robots' future visibility and adoption by both individuals and health care organisations, policy makers would need to start integrating them into official ATDs databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in technology, information technology, Internet networks, and, more recently, fiber optics in industrialized countries allow the exchange of a huge amount of data, in real time, across the globe. The acquisition of increasingly sophisticated technologies has made it possible to develop telemedicine, by which the specialist's evaluation can be carried out on the patient even remotely. In Italy, this very useful tool, although possible from a technological and information technology point of view, has not been developed because of the lack of clear and univocal rules and of major administrative obstacles related to the Italian Public Health System. To promote telemedicine implementation in Italy, the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology and the Italian Society of Telemedicine together with the National Centre for Telemedicine and New Assistive Technologies of the Italian Higher Institute of Health prepared these inter-society recommendations. Because of potential forensic value of these recommendations, they were prepared considering the current regulations and the General Data Protection Regulation and will provide the basis for a Consensus Conference planned to discuss and prepare National Telemedicine Guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 70% of elderly people age 80 and older are experiencing problems in personal mobility. Assistive robotics can represent a concrete support providing also a support for caregivers, clinicians and nurses by reducing their burden. A total of 20 older people and 34 caregivers (formal and informal) were interviewed in Italy and the Netherlands to investigate and prioritize their needs concerning the personal mobility domains and their attitudes towards assistive robots. The data were analysed from a user point of view by means of thematic content analysis by underlying recurrent topics. The results revealed four categories of needs from the perspective of the older individuals: instrumental needs, rehabilitation needs, personal safety and indoor activities of daily life. Additionally, the results underline how personal mobility issues influence different aspects of daily life. Complementarily, three categories of caregiver needs were also distinguished: instrumental needs, rehabilitation monitoring needs and checkup needs. The highest percentage of participants showed a positive expectation towards assistive robotics. The results were clustered according to the robot abilities (i.e., motion, interaction, manipulation, decision support and perception abilities) as a list of functional and technical requirements that should be developed to address all the needs related to the personal mobility. Robotic developer teams that work in this context could take advantage of this research. Additionally, this work can be used as a basis for clinicians and nurses working in geriatric units to understand how the robots can support and enhance their work. The incidence of personal mobility limitations affects 35% of adults age 70 and older and 72% of people over 80 years of age. Assistive robots can support elderly people during daily tasks: they could promote their personal mobility acting as a supporting tool. The results of the needs analysis revealed four categories of needs from the perspective of the older individuals: instrumental needs, rehabilitation needs, personal safety, and indoor activities of daily life. Three categories of caregiver needs were also distinguished: instrumental needs, rehabilitation monitoring needs, and check-up needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Technological solutions can support the elderly, improve their quality of life and reduce isolation and loneliness. The Euro-Japan ACCRA (Agile Co-Creation for Robots and Aging) project has the objective of building a reference co-creation methodology for the development of robotic solutions for ageing. The aim of this study is to provide a pilot qualitative analysis of the real needs of elderly people and their caregivers when exposed to conversational activities with robots and to identify priority needs that should be developed from end-user perspectives. Methods: A qualitative research design was adopted to define a pre-structured questionnaire that was administered to the elderly taking part in the piloting sessions. Three groups of end-users were included: subjects with an age ≥ 60 years, informal caregivers and formal caregivers. Results: The interviews were carried out in Italy and Japan. A total of 17 elderly and 36 caregivers were recruited. Common needs in the two sites were categorized into 3 groups: Communication; Emotion Detection and Safety. General robot acceptance level is good and perception is positive among participants in the pilot sites. Conclusion: A positive perception of the elderly on the application of a robotic solution was found and many are the needs that could be addressed by an appropriate and careful robotic development taking into account the real needs and capabilities of the involved subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information related to the need of Assistive Technology (AT) for people with disabilities. Topics discussed include influence creators of AT of the opportunities for innovation through a Universal Design approach; benefits of AT for an unintended group of users; and prediction of user behavior to determine the best placement of material.

The article offers information related to the open source software development promoting connectivity with Assistive Technology devices and the Internet of Things. Topics discussed include analyzation of Assistive Technology (AT) market; analyzation of Internet of Things (IoT) equipment market; and gain of attention in educational contexts by Internet of Things.

The article offers information related to the co-creation of Assistive Technology Solutions. Topics discussed include collaboration of experts to define Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) solutions for people with disabilities; lack of a common language that would allow each one to state what is the problem and the solutions from their point of view; and need of stimulating new innovation in assistive technology by leveraging the skills of the maker community, students and technology developers.

The article offers information related to the barriers to Assistive Technology (AT) in Europe. Topics discussed include results of the project "Barriers to the wider deployment of person centered technology in services for persons with disabilities," commissioned by the European Association of the Service Providers for People with Disabilities (EASPD); goal of the project to identify the main barriers and the potential facilitating factors; and service providers for People with Disabilities.

The article explores that use of custom serious games system with forced-bimanual can improve upper limb function for children with cerebral palsy. Topics discussed include cause of physical disability in childhood; need of serious gaming intervention to improve upper limb function; and challenges faced by children with physical disabilities while sitting independently.

The article offers information related to the systematic identify of the barriers that travelers with disabilities encounter today when going on holidays. Topics discussed include review of potential barriers for travelers with disabilities and elderly travelers; spreading of mobility scooter in society as mobility aid for elderly people and playing a considerable role in maintaining the quality of life; and needs of designing Assistive Technology Devices (ATDs).

The article offers information related to the verbal interactions between human computer interfaces exploit automatic speech recognition (ASR) solutions and smart devices due to advancement in virtual assistant technology. Topics discussed include neuromotor speech disorder leading to poor intelligibility of user's speaking; need for support for the users and their networks; and need for higher competency concerning remote communication among staff in the user's daily lives.

Purpose: The study brings together three aspects rarely observed at once in assistive technology (AT) surveys: (i) the assessment of user interaction/satisfaction with AT and service delivery, (ii) the motivational analysis of AT abandonment, and (iii) the management/design evaluation of AT delivery services.Methods: 15 health professionals and 4 AT experts were involved in modelling and assessing four AT Local Health Delivery Service (Centres) in Italy through a SWOT analysis and a Cognitive Walkthrough. In addition 558 users of the same Centres were interviewed in a telephone survey to rate their satisfaction and AT use.Results: The overall AT abandonment was equal to 19.09%. Different Centres' management strategies resulted in different percentages of AT disuse, with a range from 12.61% to 24.26%. A significant difference between the declared abandonment and the Centres' management strategies (p = 0.012) was identified. A strong effect on abandonment was also found due to professionals' procedures (p = 0.005) and follow-up systems (p = 0.002).Conclusions: The user experience of an AT is affected not only by the quality of the interaction with the AT, but also by the perceived quality of the Centres in support and follow-up.Implications for RehabilitationAT abandonment surveys provide useful information for modelling AT assessment and delivery process.SWOT and Cognitive Walkthrough analyses have shown suitable methods for exploring limits and advantages in AT service delivery systems.The study confirms the relevance of person centredness for a successful AT assessment and delivery process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To describes socio-demographic and clinical features of adults and children in vegetative state (VS) and minimally conscious state (MCS). Design: Observational cross-sectional study. Methods: Demographic, aetiological and clinical data were collected, together with patients' management procedures. Mann-Whitney U-test was used for continuous variables and chi-squared test for categorical variables. Results: Six hundred patients (69.7% in VS; 6% children) were enrolled. No difference regarding age at enrolment, age at acute event and disease duration was observed between VS and MCS. Disease duration was superior to 10 years for 3.3% of the whole sample and 64.3-77% of cases had a non-traumatic aetiology. Mean number of drugs per adult patient was four and decreased consistently with increased disease duration. Discussion: Patients with VS and MCS were similar for age at acute event and at enrolment, both over 50 years, as well as for the frequency of non-traumatic aetiology. Disease duration was similar for both conditions and 2.6% of VS and 4.8% of MCS patients survived for more than 10 years. Finally care and treatment needs are similar and not related to diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]