Use of a Smartphone for Leisure and Communication by People with Blindness and Motor Disabilities

Abstract

Persons who are blind and have additional disabilities (that is, intellectual or motor disabilities or both) may fail to independently manage leisure engagement and communication with distant partners (partners who are not present in their immediate environment) (Lancioni et al., 2011, 2016; Sutherland et al., 2014; Taylor & Hodapp, 2012). Indeed, their disabilities may severely curtail or prevent the use of computer and telephone devices, which are instrumental in accessing leisure activities or to establish communication (to exchange text messages or telephone calls) with distant family members and friends (Hreha & Snowdon, 2011; Lancioni et al., 2012, 2014). A growing awareness of the negative personal and social implications of this problem has shown the need for assistive technology solutions to improve the situation (Meder & Wegner, 2015; O'Rourke et al., 2014; Stasolla et al., 2015). Recently, a computer-aided program was developed for helping these persons access leisure options such as songs, or to make telephone calls or exchange text messages independently (Lancioni et al., 2013, 2014, 2016). The program's first function was to present the options available (for instance, music or telephone). When an option was selected (by activating a simple microswitch at the presentation of that option), the computer listed several choice alternatives (such as several songs or partners for a call). When a song or a partner was selected, the computer played that song or placed a call to that partner. The present study was aimed at extending the limited research in this area (Kazdin, 2011); specifically, at the possibility of teaching three participants with blindness and motor disabilities to manage independent leisure engagement and communication with distant partners via a smartphone (that is, via a cheaper and more accessible technology solution than the aforementioned computer-aided program; Azenkot & Lee, 2013; Lancioni et al., 2014; Macias et al., 2015). To this end, the smartphone was fitted with leisure activity files that could be opened or activated and with lists of partners (and respective telephone numbers) that could be reached, and the participants were taught to interact with the smartphone (opening those files or reaching the partners) through specific verbal inputs. Methods Participants The participants (Michael, Judy, and Anne) were 48, 47, and 42 years old, respectively, and had a diagnosis of blindness and motor disabilities subsequent to congenital encephalopathy and premature birth or hydrocephalus. Michael had hemiparesis, which restricted his ability to manipulate objects and required him to have some support for walking. Judy and Anne had spastic tetraparesis, were nonambulatory, and had serious restrictions in the use of their hands to reach and manipulate objects. Psychological records described Judy's level of intellectual functioning as typical, while Michael and Anne's levels were considered to be in the borderline or mild disability area. Their Vineland age equivalences (Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Balla, 2005) ranged from 9 years and 2 months to 11 years and 4 months for communication (with all three producing clear verbal utterances), and from 2 years and 11 months to 5 years and 0 months for daily living skills. The participants attended an activity center for persons with multiple disabilities and were eager to use a technology solution to manage leisure occupation and to communicate with distant partners independently. Their previous technology exposure was limited to a computer with a braille keyboard for writing, which only Judy was occasionally using. None of them had any experience with smartphones. They agreed to be involved in this study, which had been approved by an ethics committee and which required their legal representatives to sign a consent form for their participation. Setting, sessions, and data recording A quiet area of the center that the participants attended served as the setting for the study. …