Features

• Proposes an ideal model of the assistive technology assessment based on experimental research and experiences from Italian centers for technical aid that can be applied internationally
• Brings together in one handbook all the assessment tools needed in a center for technical aid
• Describes the professional profiles, skills, and interactions of the multidisciplinary team members involved in the assessment process
• Provides evidence for the need for professionals of psychotechnology and assessment
• Reviews recent technologies, including brain–computer interfaces and microswitches
• Includes numerous black-and-white illustrations and a 16-page color insert
• Comes with a CD containing ancillary materials, including the Matching Person and Technology (MPT) manual and tools in multiple languages (English, Italian, German, French, and Korean) and electronically fillable forms

Summary

The process of matching a person who has a disability with the most appropriate assistive technology requires a series of assessments, typically administered by multidisciplinary teams at specialized centers for technical aid. Assistive Technology Assessment Handbook fills the need for a reference that helps assistive technology experts perform assessments that more effectively connect the person and the technology. Emphasizing the well-being of the individual with a disability, the book proposes an ideal model of the assistive technology assessment process and outlines how this model can be applied in practice internationally.

Organized into three parts, the handbook:

• Gives readers a toolkit for performing assessments
• Describes the roles of the assessment team members, among them the new profession of the psychotechnologist, who is skilled in understanding individuals and their psychosocial and technological needs and preferences
• Reviews cutting-edge technologies for rehabilitation and independent living, including brain–computer interfaces and microswitches

The book synthesizes information scattered throughout the international literature, focusing on aspects that are particularly representative or innovative. It also addresses the challenges posed by the variety of health and social care systems and the different ways that individuals who need aid are defined—are they users, patients, clients, or consumers, and how does that affect the assessment?

Edited by Stefano Federici and Marcia J. Scherer, internationally renowned leaders in the field of assistive technology assessment, this cross-cultural handbook includes contributions from leading experts across five continents. Guiding readers in matching the person and the appropriate assistive technology, it offers a framework for future practice and research.