WATA Bulletin: Winter 2004
Contents:
UW's Project ACCESS receives federal funding to develop assisted-cognition devices
Mark Harniss, Ph.D., and Pat Brown, Ed.D.
UW Center on Technology and Disability Studies CogTech Project
Assistive technology for persons with cognitive disabilities has typically focused on computer-based software solutions that assist individuals in reading and writing or on low-tech solutions to memory deficits such as cell phones, alphanumeric pagers, and PDAs. Individuals with significant cognitive disabilities, including mental retardation and traumatic brain injury, often require personal assistance services in order to access employment and other community settings. As the field of artificial intelligence has matured, however, there is increasing potential that "intelligent" devices might be created that could provide "assisted cognition" without the direct supervision of a caregiver or personal assistant.
The term assisted cognition refers to technology systems that function as proactive memory and problem solving aids to help an individual perform the tasks of day-to-day life. These systems could be developed to:
- Sense aspects of an individual's location and environment, both outdoors and at home;
- Learn to interpret patterns of everyday behavior, and recognize signs of distress, disorientation, or confusion;
- Offer help to individuals through various kinds of verbal and physical interventions, and
- Support distributed caregiving by giving caregivers the ability to provide support and monitoring from a distance and to alert them in case of danger.
The development of assisted cognition systems requires an interdisciplinary relationship between computer science research in artificial intelligence and ubiquitous computing on the one hand, and clinical research on the needs of individuals who experience difficulty with cognitive tasks on the other. Project ACCESS (Assisted Cognition in Community, Employment and Support Settings), recently funded by NIDRR to the UW Center for Technology and Disability Studies in collaboration with the U.W. Dept. of Computer Sciences and Engineering, brings together faculty and staff from UWCTDS and the UW Assisted Cognition Project to investigate and develop assisted cognition devices for persons with significant cognitive disabilities.
The use of assisted cognition systems will potentially increase independence and decrease reliance of individuals with cognitive disabilities on the family/friend/caregiver network and paid support staff. Researchers at the UW Assisted Cognition Project have been working for several years in this area. Devices in development include the Activity Compass and the ADL Prompter. The Activity Compass meshes several technologies (Palm Pilot, GPS receiver and wireless modem). Over time, the device learns a user's typical daily routines, monitors for variations in the individual's typical day-to-day activities then decides whether a prompt is necessary if the routine is unexpectedly changed. The ADL Prompter monitors data collected by sensors embedded in a living or work environment. Using artificial intelligence software, the data from these sensors is interpreted and decisions are made based upon the needs of the user.
These devices were initially intended for people with Alzheimer's. However, they have obvious applications as support tools for people with disabilities and the caregivers who support them. In particular, they could allow individuals with disabilities to function more independently while still receiving appropriate monitoring for safety and support in daily living activities and employment. The development of assisted cognition systems is in its infancy and it will be many years before consumers will find them on the market. However, it is likely that within ten years, assisted cognition systems will enable individuals with significant cognitive disabilities to experience greater independence in employment and community activities without sacrificing personal safety or appropriate levels of support. For more information, see cognitivetech.washington.edu.
Training Law Students to be Effective Advocates for Consumers of
Assistive Technology:
A Collaborative Project between Washington Assistive Technology Alliance (WATA), Columbia Legal Services and the University of Washington School of Law
There are currently very few attorneys in the community who understand the needs of consumers who use assistive technology or how to successfully advocate for them within the legal system. It is often frustrating for consumers to find attorneys who are knowledgeable about the various funding options available and legal strategies that are successful. The Washington Assistive Technology Alliance (WATA) through the University of Washington Center for Technology Disability Studies (UWCTDS) has worked for several years to change this by introducing assistive technology advocacy content to the University of Washington Law School curriculum. We are pleased to announce that beginning with the 2003-4 academic year, a Disability Law Clinic (Clinic) has been added to the clinics available for students in the University of Washington School of Law who are interested in developing skills in legal advocacy. The goal of the Disability Law Clinic is to increase the numbers of attorneys in the community who will understand how to assist individuals with disabilities in obtaining assistive technology by providing law students with the training they need to effectively represent consumers who use assistive technology. We believe that the Clinic will result in long-term systems change by increasing the pool of knowledgeable attorneys able to represent consumers who use assistive technology.
The first students were chosen during the summer of 2003 and have just finished their first quarter of the year-long clinic. When these students have finished their clinical experience, a new group of students will be selected to participate during the 2004-5 academic year. All students enrolled in the Clinic must have taken the Disability Law course offered by the School of Law as a prerequisite. This quarter long course provides a general background to the disability civil rights laws and benefits programs. The Clinic itself begins with a four-week seminar during the fall quarter designed to prepare students to represent people with disabilities, particularly those using or seeking access to assistive technology. The seminar includes an introduction to the substantive law relevant to assistive technology funding and opportunities for students to practice the multiple skills required to effectively advocate in this area. Once students have completed the seminar, which culminates in a mock administrative hearing, they begin their clinical legal practice supervised by experienced Columbia Legal Services attorneys. During this practical component of the Clinic, students will research issues relevant to successfully obtaining assistive technology and write "user friendly" resource information that will be available on the WATA website. In addition the students continue to practice skills in legal advocacy, such as interviewing clients and developing effective legal strategies.
Calendar of Events
Technology and Persons With Disabilities
March 15-20, 2004 ~ Los Angeles, CA
CSUN's 19th Annual International Conference on Technology and Persons
with Disabilities is the longest-running and largest annual university-sponsored
conference of its kind. It is a major training venue for professionals involved
in the field of disability and technology. For more information: Center On
Disabilities, California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St.,
Northridge, CA 91330-8340, 818-677-2578 or http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/index.htm.
Power Up 2004
April 26-27, 2004, Osage Beach, MO
Power Up 2004 Conference and Exposition, sponsored by the Missouri Assistive
Technology Advisory Council, has a mission of strengthening the capacity of
people with disabilities, educators, health professionals, IT technicians,
librarians & media specialists, and service providers. Power Up features a variety
of sessions which provide up-to-date information on disability related policy,
assistive technology services and devices, independent living issues, educational
policy and practices, and information technology accessibility to enhance and promote
independence of people with disabilities. For more information, contact Brenda
Whitlock, by email: bwhitlock@swbell.net; phone: (816) 350-5288; (in Missouri)
TTY: 800-647-8558; voice: 800-647-8557. Write: Conference Coordinator, Missouri
Assistive Technology, 4731 S. Cochise, Suite 114, Independence, MO 64055. ON the
web at: http://www.dolir.state.mo.us/matp/powerup2004/powerup2004.htm
RESNA 2004: 27th International Conference on Technology & Disability:
Research, Design, Practice & Policy
June 18 - 22, 2004, Orlando, FL
RESNA 2004, sponsored by the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology
Society of North America, brings together people who use, develop, manufacture
and deliver assistive and rehabilitative technologies. Information: RESNA, 1700 N.
Moore Street, Suite 1540, Arlington, VA 22209-1903, 703-524-6686, info@resna.org or http://www.resna.org/.
For calendar updates, visit the Web at:
http://wata.org/calendar.htm
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The WATA Bulletin is supported by grant H224A3006 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education, to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Olympia, WA.