%0 Journal Article
%@ 1748-3115
%A Desmond, D
%A Layton, N
%A Bentley, J
%A Boot, FH
%A Borg, J
%A Dhungana, BM
%A Gallagher, P
%A Gitlow, L
%A Gowran, RJ
%A Groce, N
%A Mavrou, K
%A Mackeogh, T
%A McDonald, R
%A Pettersson, C
%A Scherer, MJ
%D 2018
%F discovery:10069098
%J Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology
%K People, assistive technology, co-design, human rights, outcomes, Cultural Competency, Disabled Persons, Equipment Design, Humans, Orthopedic Equipment, Patient Participation, Patient Preference, Patient-Centered Care, Power (Psychology), Research, Self-Help Devices, Social Identification
%N 5
%P 437-444
%T Assistive technology and people: a position paper from the first global research, innovation and education on assistive technology (GREAT) summit
%U https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10069098/
%V 13
%X Assistive technology (AT) is a powerful enabler of participation. The World Health Organization's Global Collaboration on Assistive Technology (GATE) programme is actively working towards access to assistive technology for all. Developed through collaborative work as a part of the Global Research, Innovation and Education on Assistive Technology (GREAT) Summit, this position paper provides a "state of the science" view of AT users, conceptualized as "People" within the set of GATE strategic "P"s. People are at the core of policy, products, personnel and provision. AT is an interface between the person and the life they would like to lead. People's preferences, perspectives and goals are fundamental to defining and determining the success of AT. Maximizing the impact of AT in enabling participation requires an individualized and holistic understanding of the value and meaning of AT for the individual, taking a universal model perspective, focusing on the person, in context, and then considering the condition and/or the technology. This paper aims to situate and emphasize people at the centre of AT systems: we highlight personal meanings and perspectives on AT use and consider the role of advocacy, empowerment and co-design in developing and driving AT processes.
%Z © 2018 The Author(s).   This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/),  which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.