Assistive Technology: Matching Device and Consumer for Successful Rehabilitation

In Assistive Technology: Matching Device and Consumer for Successful Rehabilitation, contributing authors explore ways psychologists and other helping professionals can collaborate with users of assistive technology to help them get the most out of these devices. Thanks in large part to the past century's advances in technology, people with disabilities can live independent lives, contribute to their communities, attend regular schools, and work in professional careers as a result of assistive technology. This technological evolution has fomented a shift from a medical model to a social model of technology delivery, an approach that puts as much emphasis on the user's community reintegration as it does on his or her physical capabilities. This change means that those in the field can no longer focus on the delivery of technology as an end in itself, but must go one step further and partner with consumers and communities to ensure that assistive devices are put to their best possible use. This forward-looking, interdisciplinary book provides research-based guidance for finding the perfect match between device and consumer, including key information on personality assessment, the influence of pain, coping skills, and the power of new technology and social programs. This volume will be of interest to rehabilitation psychologists, researchers, and anyone working with or using assistive technology.