AGING CONCERNS, CHALLENGES, AND EVERYDAY SOLUTION STRATEGIES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

There is a growing population of older adults with long-term sensory and mobility impairments, who may be “aging with a disability”. Little is known about their everyday challenges as they experience normative age-related changes, such as declines in vision, cognition, and motor functioning. The Aging Concerns, Challenges, and Everyday Solution Strategies (ACCESS) study is a large-scale, mixed method study investigating user needs of individuals aging with impairment. The goal is to enroll 60 participants (aged 60–79) in each of the three target populations (blind/low vision, Deaf/hard of hearing, mobility impaired); current sample size = 151). We are developing a taxonomy of needs, organized by activity (e.g., transportation, healthcare), challenge (e.g., accessibility, need assistance) and response to the challenge (e.g., persevere, use tool). The data provide insights into unmet needs among older adults with long-term sensory and mobility impairments and provide guidance for design of supportive technologies for this understudied population.