Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

Volume 38 - Supplement 23: Algorithms for Designing Multimedia Storage Servers to Models and Architectures

Allen Kent, James G. Williams, Allen Kent, James G. Williams

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000447743
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Informatik
• Subtopic: Informatik Allgemein

Volume 38 - Supplement 23: Algorithms for Designing Multimedia Storage Servers to Models and Architectures. Covering more than basic computer commands and procedures, this encyclopaedia summarizes how technology has developed, the future of computer programs and applications, and the significance of computer components. Following an introduction and overview, there are approximately 750 to 800 entries.

COMPUTER APPLICATIONS FOR PERSONS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

This article describes the state-of-the-art in applying standard and dedicated computer hardware and software to meet special needs of disabled persons and to overcome handicap induced barriers.

Following a suggestion of the TRACE Center at the University of Wisconsin (1), the description of the devices and programs will not be given with respect to specific disabilities but with reference to the function which is fulfilled by the device or program. This approach will avoid the danger of thinking only in categories of different disabilities or handicaps and will promote a solution-oriented way of thinking.

Nevertheless, after some terminology, statistical information, and an introduction into the principles of rehabilitation technology, at least a coarse and typical correlation table between impairment (the functional restriction or loss) and the possible technical support will be given in the Introduction.

The second section of this article deals with hardware and software components designed to create access to computers in order to use them in the same or a similar way and for the same reasons as nondisabled persons would do.

The third section will focus on such applications where the computer or other microprocessor equipped devices are used to allow the disabled person the performance of very common tasks (activities of daily living = ADL) for which a nondisabled user would not necessarily use a computer.

INTRODUCTION

Terminology

According to a proposal issued by the WHO (World Health Organization) in 1980 (2), there are three clearly separated definitions in the area of disability:

• Impairment: Any loss or abnormality of a psychological or anatomical structure or function
• Disability: Any restriction or inability (resulting from an impairment) to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being
• Handicap: Any disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an impairment or a disability, that limits or prevents the fulfillment of a role that is normal (depending on age, sex, and social and cultural factors*) for that individual

*lt has to be admitted that it is not always easy to determine what is normal for a given age, sex, or cultural or social role; for example, the aging of a person never should be used as an excuse for not being admitted to certain activities.

From these three basic definitions, two other important terms can be derived:

• Disabled person: Person with one or more impairments, one or more disabilities, one or more handicaps, or a combination of impairment, disability, and/or handicap.
• Technical aid: (for a disabled person): Any product, instrument, equipment, or technical system used by a disabled person, especially produced or generally available, preventing, compensating, relieving, or neutralizing the impairment, disability, or handicap.

These definitions form the basis of the International Standard on “Technical Aids for Disabled Persons —Classification” —ISO 9999 (1992) (3). See the subsection The ISO Classification Scheme for some examples.

The discipline behind the development of technical aids is commonly called rehabilitation engineering and should not be confused with medical engineering. The main goal of medical engineering is to provide the technology and the equipment which add to the restoration of health. In this category, we can find tools the physician will use for prophylactics, diagnosis, and therapy. Rehabilitation engineering plays a role where healing is not possible. In this sense, technical aids do not have a curative potential but act by compensating a given impairment, disability, or handicap. Apart from this definition, there are devices which cannot be assigned clearly to one of the two categories: An implanted cardiac pacemaker doubtless is a medical device. A hearing aid certainly is a technical aid to overcome hearing loss. But a cochlea implant, stimulating the hearing nerve? Is it just another form of hearing aid or is it more related to the pacemaker?

Some Statistical Remarks

Publications of the EU (European Union) state that some 25-30 million disabled people (~ 9% of the total population) are living in the EU member countries today (4). The incidence of disability rises steeply with advancing age. Approximately 70% of the people with disabilities are over 60 years old.

Demographic trends and improvements in medical care in all Western countries will cause a rise in the percentage of elderly people with respect to the total population, leading to increasing numbers of disabled persons and rising expenses for health care. For this simple economic reason, many industrialized countries have recognized the important role of rehabilitation technology (RT) and technical aids for disabled and elderly people in order to keep as many disabled persons in the mainstream of occupational and social life as possible and to maintain an aging person’s autonomy as long as possible.

What Computers Can Do

The motivation for computer use by persons with disabilities can be clustered into two categories. The users of the first group employ the computer for exactly the same reasons as their nondisabled peers —for text processing, calculation, data retrieval, telecommunication, and so forth. The way of accessing the computer, however, will make the difference, and rehabilitation technology offers a vast number of special input and output devices which are the theme of the second section.

In the second category, computers are used by persons with disabilities for activities of daily living (ADL) for which nondisabled people would not (necessarily) use a computer. These applications are dealt with in the third section.

The description of assistive technology in this article will mainly focus on such applications where computers in the usual sense (say PCs, laptops, or terminals connected to host computers) are used. Nevertheless, some dedicated devices using microprocessors or other programmable components will not be excluded, as they also resemble information technology.

The ISO Classification Scheme

The International Standard ISO 9999, “Technical Aids for Disabled Persons —Classification” (3) —seeks to cover and to group all existing devices of rehabilitation technology. The main classes of this scheme are as follows:

• 03 Aids for therapy and training
• 06 Orthoses and prostheses
• 09 Aids for personal care and protection
• 12 Aids for personal mobility
• 15 Aids for housekeeping
• 18 Furnishings and adaptations to homes and other premises
• 21 Aids for communication, information, and signaling
• 24 Aids for handling products and goods
• 27 Aids and equipment for environmental improvements, tools, and machines
• 30 Aids for recreation

(Ple...