Assistive Technologies: Social Barriers and Socio-Technical Pathways

Linda Nierling,Maria Maia

doi:10.3390/soc10020041

Linda Nierling, Maria Maia

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/soc10020041

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Abstract

Against the background of recent international regulation, the role of assistive technologies in the fields of independent living, education, and employment is analyzed in this article to propose a future strategy for a socio-technical perspective on their further development processes. Based on qualitative expert interviews at the European level, the role and scope of ATs in these fields are described for three types of disabilities: visual impairment, hearing impairment, and autism spectrum disorder. The findings show that digitalization processes entail major opportunities and challenges for ATs in all three fields and that further measures are needed to bring technical opportunities to their full potential in adverse social contexts. Regarding future technology development, the authors propose a development strategy focusing strongly on the social context of the devices. Only in this manner, relevant “unintended consequences”, as well as social or ethical concerns, can be identified and addressed.

Highlights

The lives of people with disabilities can be influenced by technologies in various ways
The Convention was a major step to foster the social understanding of disabilities by focusing on the existing barriers at the social level, and to promote assistive technologies” (ATs) as a medium to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities into different fields of society such as everyday life, education, and the labor market1
A multitude of opportunities emerges with the use of ATs promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities, a closer look at the three mentioned fields—independent living, education, employment—reveals that ATs can only offer support to overcome some of the social barriers, but not all of them

Summary

Introduction

The lives of people with disabilities can be influenced by technologies in various ways. A large variety of such technologies fall under the header of “assistive technologies” (ATs). These technologies can be highly specialized, depending on the type of disability they are aimed at and whether they were developed as medical technology with a specific focus or as so-called mainstream technology, which just happens to serve the needs of people with disabilities, too. The Convention was a major step to foster the social understanding of disabilities by focusing on the existing barriers at the social level, and to promote ATs as a medium to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities into different fields of society such as everyday life, education, and the labor market

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