LAUSR

We investigated a participatory design of rehabilitation technology for people with disabilities. Conventionally, rehabilitation technology is designed through the collaboration of medical experts and professional engineers. Potential users of the technology are introduced only at the testing stage after the proof of concept has been established and working prototypes have been constructed, leading to insufficient scope for modification. However, rehabilitation technology that does not address the needs of people often results in decreased efficacy and its eventual nonuse. In our study, we used action research to guide the development of rehabilitation technology. People with disabilities were invited to participate in designing the assistive technology at the outset of the project and played the role of experts in living with disabilities. They acted as resources and assets in the process of developing and validating the technology.