Assistive Technology from Adapted Equipment to Inclusive Environments: AAATE 2009, Volume 25 Assistive Technology Research Series

925 Pages·2009·10.22 MB·English

by  P.L. Emiliani, L. Burzagli, A. Como, F. Gabbanini, A.-L. Salminen

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FROM ADAPTED
EQUIPMENT TO INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS
Assistive Technology Research Series
The Assistive Technology Research Series (ATR) aims to disseminate and archive assistive
technology research summaries widely through publishing proceedings, monographs, and edited
collective works. The series aspires to become the primary world-wide source of information in
assistive technology research, through publishing state-of-the-science material across all
continents. ATR defines assistive technology (AT) as any tool, equipment, system, or service
designed to help develop, maintain or improve a person with a disability to function in all
aspects of his or her life. Assistive technology helps people of all ages who may have a broad
range of disabilities or limitations. The ATR series will accept manuscripts and proposals for a
wide range of relevant topics.
Editor-in-Chief :
Rory A. Cooper
Editorial Board:
Angel Gil Agudo, Geoff Bardsley, Robert Bingham, Christian Buhler, H.S. Chhabra,
Gerry Craddock, Jin Dewen, Sten Ekman, Martin Ferguson, Shirley G. Fitzgerald,
Antal (Tony) Huba, Jeffrey Jutai, Kiyomi Matsuo, Mounir Mokhtari, Johan Molenbroek,
Hisaichi Ohnabe, Paul F. Pasquina, Marcia Scherer, Nigel Shapcott, Richard Simpson,
Ronaldo de Souza Moraes Jr., Thijs Soede, Pierre Soto, Eric Tam, Osamu Tanaka,
Julian Verkaaik, Howard Wactlar, Hans-Werner Wahl, Lloyd Walker, Jue Wang,
Brian Woods, Lucas van der Woude, Yusheng Yang
Volume 25
Recently published in this series
Vol. 24. P. Topo and B. Östlund (Eds.), Dementia, Design and Technology – Time to Get
Involved
Vol. 23. M. Cabrera and N. Malanowski (Eds.), Information and Communication
Technologies for Active Ageing – Opportunities and Challenges for the European
Union
Vol. 22. W.C. Mann (Ed.), Aging, Disability and Independence – Selected Papers from
the 4th International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence (2008)
Vol. 21. A. Mihailidis, J. Boger, H. Kautz and L. Normie (Eds.), Technology and Aging –
Selected Papers from the 2007 International Conference on Technology and Aging
Vol. 20. G. Eizmendi, J.M. Azkoitia and G. Craddock (Eds.), Challenges for Assistive
Technology – AAATE 07
Vol. 19. C. Nugent and J.C. Augusto (Eds.), Smart Homes and Beyond – ICOST2006, 4th
International Conference On Smart homes and health Telematics
ISSN 1383-813X
Assistive Technology from Adapted
Equipment to Inclusive Environments
AAATE 2009
Edited by
Pier Luigi Emiliani
Laura Burzagli
Andrea Como
Francesco Gabbanini
Institute of Applied Physics “Nello Carrara”,
Italian National Research Council, Florence, Italy
and
Anna-Liisa Salminen
Kela Research Department, Helsinki, Finland
Amsterdam • Berlin • Oxford • Tokyo • Washington, DC
© 2009 The authors and IOS Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission from the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-60750-042-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009932268
Publisher
IOS Press
Nieuwe Hemweg 6B
1013 BG Amsterdam
Netherlands
fax: [phone]
e-mail:
Assistive Technology from Adapted Equipment to Inclusive Environments v
P.L. Emiliani et al. (Eds.)
IOS Press, 2009
© 2009 The authors and IOS Press. All rights reserved.
Preface
On behalf of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe
(AAATE) we are honoured to publish the proceedings of the 10th European Confer-
ence for the Advancement of Assistive Technology. After The Netherlands, Sweden,
Greece, Portugal, Germany, Slovenia, Ireland, France and Spain we are proud to host
this conference so that we can all share and benefit from each others’ knowledge.
The “Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe”
(http://www.aaate.net) is the interdisciplinary pan-European association that devotes
itself to all aspects of assistive technology, such as use, research, development, manu-
facture, supply, provision and policy. Its mission is to stimulate the advancement of
assistive technology for the benefit of people with disabilities, including elderly people,
through the following main areas of action:
• the creation of an awareness of assistive technology;
• the promotion of research and development of assistive technology;
• the facilitation of an exchange of knowledge within the field;
• the dissemination of information regarding assistive technology and related is-
sues.
As technology develops rapidly and an Information Society is approaching, the
concept of Assistive Technology seems to be moving away from adopting the most
appropriate device(s) for each user in order to overcome the limitations to her/his activ-
ity to the design and set up of the total environment in which people live, supported by
suitable functionalities (services) and, when necessary, by additional support devices
integrated within the environment. At present, these two perspectives are deeply inter-
twined, from both a technological and a social point of view. The relationship, coexis-
tence and transition between them currently represent the first challenges for the world
of Assistive Technology.
This is coherent with the WHO-ICF model, which describes disability as resulting
not only from a person’s intrinsic attributes but also from the context. Therefore, ac-
cording to the emerging technological perspectives, inclusion of all citizens can be pur-
sued by the creation of inclusive living environments in which the abilities to carry out
necessary tasks are redefined, particularly with reference to the accessing of informa-
tion, interpersonal communications, and environmental control. From this perspective,
this approach is also coherent with the definition of eInclusion, as approved in the 2006
Riga Ministerial Declaration: “e-Inclusion means both inclusive ICT and the use of
ICT to achieve wider inclusion objectives”.
The main aim of the 10th European Conference for the Advancement of Assistive
Technology is to bridge the gap between these two complementary approaches, by pro-
viding an opportunity to clarify the differences and the common points between them
and to better define a way for the future.
A non-exhaustive list of relevant discussion topics related to the above transition
and covered in the proceedings includes:
vi
• Technological innovation in Assistive Technology;
• The need for interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary approaches to the develop-
ment of integrated solutions;
• The contribution of Assistive Technology and Design for All towards inclu-
sion;
• Equipment interconnectivity and compatibility, covering hardware, software
and wireless, to favour integrated solutions to inclusion;
• The need for standardization (formal, informal and de facto);
• Cultural aspects: e.g. acceptance of different approaches, design and aesthetics
of AT devices and inclusive living environments, high tech versus low tech,
creative solutions for complex problems;
• Social aspects: penetration of AT and integrated approaches, the role of
Europe in building up inclusion competence in emerging and developing
countries, etc.;
• Technology transfer, towards not only AT industry, but also mainstream in-
dustry.
Pier Luigi Emiliani
General Chairman
Anna-Liisa Salminen
AAATE President
vii
Conference Organisation
Italian National Research Council, Institute of Applied Physics “Nello Carrara”,
E-Inclusion Laboratory
Pier Luigi Emiliani
Laura Burzagli
with the support of
Fondazione ASPHI – Avviamento e Sviluppo di Progetti per ridurre l’Handicap
mediante l'Informatica
Luigi Rossi
Cerpa Italia – Centro Europeo di Ricerca e Promozione dell’Accessibilità
Piera Nobili
Centro Regionale Ausili Emilia Romagna
Evert-Jan Hoogerwerf
Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi
Renzo Andrich
Associazione GLIC – Gruppo di Lavoro Interregionale dei Centri ausili
Claudio Bitelli
INAIL – Istituto Nazionale per l’Assicurazione contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro – Centro
Protesi
Angelo Davalli
SIE – Società Italiana Ergonomia
Oronzo Parlangeli
DET – Dipartimento di Elettronica e Telecomunicazioni Università di Firenze
Dino Giuli
IT-EDeAN – Italian European Design for All e-Accessibility Network
Pier Luigi Emiliani
viii
Local Organising Committee
P. L. Emiliani Chair
L. Burzagli Co-Chair
F. Gabbanini Manager of Conference Management System
A. Agostini
M. Billi
A. Como
M.T. De Monte
P. Graziani
E. Palchetti
ix
Scientific Committee
Bob Allen Ireland
Renzo Andrich Italy
Andras Arato Hungary
John Arnott UK
Luis Azevedo Portugal
Stig Becker Sweden
Serenella Besio Italy
Åse Brandt Denmark
Jane Brodin Sweden
Christian Bühler Germany
Gerald Craddock Ireland
Dominique Burger France
Gorka Eizmendi Spain
Jan Ekberg Finland
Jan Engelen Belgium
Alena Galajdovà Slovakia
Juan Carlos Garcia Spain
Evert-Jan Hoogerwerf Italy
Harry Th. P. Knops Netherlands
Joseph Lane USA
Margita Lundman Sweden
Niels-Erik Mathiassen Denmark
Ruth Mayagoitia-Hill UK
Klaus Miesenberger Austria
Lawrence Normie Israel
Helen Petrie UK
Mantevz Pustisék Slovenia
Cristina Rodriguez-Porrero Spain
Anna-Liisa Salminen Finland
Caren Sax USA
Cecilia Sik Lányi Hungary
Dusán Šimšík Slovakia
Mathijs Soede Netherlands
Constantine Stephanidis Greece
Osamu Sueda Japan
Claes Tjäder Sweden
Hans van Balkom Netherlands
Nadine Vigouroux France
Erland Winterberg Denmark
Wolfgang L. Zagler Austria