Applied Cognitive Technologies to Support the Autonomy of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

Increasingly, access to technology is a necessity if one is to participate fully in all life domains. Technology is critical to enable people with and without disabilities to live autonomous, self-determined lives. This article provides a synthesis of recent information concerning technology that might promote the autonomy of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, focusing on technology emerging from the field of applied cognitive technologies. To explore these issues, we provided a synthesis of the major theoretical perspectives pertaining to autonomy and self-determination, emphasizing the notion of autonomy-as-volition, and selected exemplary research findings that illustrate how technology can promote autonomy. There is clear evidence that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can be supported to be more autonomous across multiple domains using applied cognitive technologies. In today’s ever increasingly technical world, access to usable technology is not simply a convenience, it is a necessity. If people with IDD are to be supported to live, learn, work, and play in their communities, they need to have access to cognitively accessible technology.