Editorial

Citation

Abbott, C. (2012), "Editorial", Journal of Assistive Technologies, Vol. 6 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/jat.2012.55106baa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Assistive Technologies, Volume 6, Issue 2

We begin this issue with two papers that have been developed from presentations at the Advances in Techniques and Technologies Assisting Care at Home (ATTACH) workshop, which took place in Dublin last year and was organised by the Mobilising Advanced Technologies for Care at Home project as part of the Pervasive Health Conference. We offer our thanks to ATTACH co-chair Maria Wolters from the University of Edinburgh, who assisted in the selection and submission of these papers, which have also been peer-reviewed as are all papers in this section of the journal.

Our first ATTACH paper comes from Marilyn McGee-Lennon at the University of Glasgow, and she offers us an overview of some current work in the area of designing multimodal reminders for home care. This overview in itself will be of use to many of our readers, but the author also offers us some guidelines for design in this area, and a strong argument for the greater adoption of devices that use a range of senses: visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory. It is the contention of the author that the use of these rich multimodal interfaces will increase take-up and reduce later abandonment of technologies. As is so often the case with such studies of user interaction with technology, it was shown that different users have different requirements and preferences. Particularly fascinating is the discussion of the potential of smell as a medium for notifying users. Although this project and others found that olfactory reminders were slow to produce a response, this may be an area to revisit as the necessary technology develops and becomes more adaptable. Recognition is also given to the inescapable problems that arise when one considers that many of the potential users of these reminder systems may themselves be suffering some degree of sensory impairment.

The second paper from the ATTACH workshop considers a different aspect of Human-Computer Interaction: the perceptions of users of devices that monitor and manage cardio-vascular data. Article authors Anandhi Vivek Dhukaram, Chris Baber (from the University of Birmingham) and Paolo De Stefanis (from LABOR, Italy) chose to focus on user perceptions as there is a history of resistance to the use of such systems. Their focus group research in the UK and Italy was undertaken as part of the EU-funded BraveHealth project for patient-centred pervasive healthcare. Despite the sample size being small, as the authors acknowledge, the research identified a number of key perceptions on the part of users of the technology and carers. Home-based monitoring of vital signs, one of the main implementations of pervasive patient-centred healthcare, has seen rapid development in recent years. For that reason, research such as this which looks at the acceptability of a means of using technology as well as examining one particular technology in more detail, should be of general use to others in the field.

The other two peer-reviewed papers in this issue look at very different aspects of the use of assistive technologies. The context for the first paper is that of the school. School examinations, and the special arrangements that may be in place for some learners, have been difficult and sometimes contentious areas in past years. Practice still varies in different institutions and according to the rules of different Examination Boards. Paul Nisbet from the University of Edinburgh investigates in his paper the position in Scotland where there is one national accreditation and awarding body, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). In Scotland, special arrangements can be made based on four principles, which are discussed in the paper, and were requested by almost 10 per cent of pupils in 2011. A general trend is noted of an increased demand for readers as well as scribes, but the particular focus of the paper is the potential role of assistive technologies in this area, if examination papers were to be made available in digital formats. The particular digital format, and the viability of different versions, is then considered and formed part of the content of interviews with staff and students. This then led to the writing of a specification for Digital Question Papers, and in both Word and PDF formats. Digital Papers were also tested with screen readers, but it was found that specially created versions would be needed for this to be effective. Digital Question Papers have been offered by the SQA since 2008, and the take-up has continued to increase year by year, and Nisbet makes the valid point that this situation offers a valuable context for further research.

Our final peer-reviewed paper considers the ethical issues that arise around the use of assistive technology by people with dementia, and the extent to which such use can be seen to fit within a person-centred approach. Beatrice Godwin’s research offers a user perspective on the use of technologies sometimes seen as intrusive by users but welcomed by carers, and offers an ethical checklist for professionals considering the use of assistive technologies in this area. In particular, this paper focuses in some detail on the ways in which service users identified with dementia can be involved in giving consent and participating in research. The author makes a compelling case for service providers to consider ethical issues alongside safety and cost when making decisions about assistive technologies. Journal of Assistive Technologies (JAT) has now published a number of papers related to assistive technologies users and informed consent, and would welcome further papers on this and other ethics-related issues.

Our three short papers in this issue serve to alert our readers to some current and future activities. Jonathan Hassell and his colleagues describe the progress of two projects that recently received funding from JISC TechDis. The first project deals with the use of sign and gesture recognition to support Makaton users, and readers are invited to take part in future testing. The second project uses cloud computing to store documents and transfer them into formats that will support users with print impairments, and there is a further opportunity here for relevant individuals to find out more and to get involved in testing. In their article on a new research centre for assistive learning technologies, Lorna McKnight and Chris Davies from Kellogg College, University of Oxford explain how the centre was set up in 2011 and the work that it proposes for the future. JAT and its authors have often indicated the need for enhanced levels of research in this area, and it is pleasing to see any new research centre established with a focus on assistive technologies, particularly those that are related to learning. JAT looks forward to following the work of this centre in future, and, we hope, publishing papers that arise from its future research. Our final short paper deals with the Jodi Awards, set up in 2003 to celebrate the best uses of technology to make culture and cultural institutions accessible to those with a disability. Marcus Weisen describes two of last year’s award winners.

Chris Abbott