Mc Guinness, Elizabeth;
Patel, Dilisha;
Patrick, Mikaela;
Austin, Victoria;
(2025)
Outcomes of assistive technology use by sex and gender; a scoping review.
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology
10.1080/17483107.2025.2516615.
(In press).
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Abstract
Purpose: This paper synthesises evidence on the influence of sex and gender on assistive technology (AT) outcomes, recognising AT as a tool for enabling participatory rights. Materials and Methods: Employing a narrative synthesis informed by the socio-ecological model, we undertook a scoping review of sixty-six papers, identifying twenty-two with significant sex or gender associations. Results and Conclusions: Findings revealed that gender bias in AT design correlated with diminished individual-level outcomes for women. Ableist stereotypes, exemplified by the neglect of disabled mothers’ needs, were evident. Furthermore, inaccessible built environments amplified gendered ableism. To mitigate design bias, a greater emphasis on physiological sex differences and their impact on AT use is crucial. Attending to sex and gender dynamics in AT design and provision is essential for maximising benefits across genders. Future research and synthesis should incorporate other health determinants to provide a more comprehensive understanding of AT outcomes. Ultimately, addressing these factors is vital for equitable AT access and utilisation.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Outcomes of assistive technology use by sex and gender; a scoping review |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1080/17483107.2025.2516615 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2025.2516615 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group 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. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. |
| Keywords: | Assistive technology; social determinants; gender bias; sex bias; health inequalities; gender; disability; health outcomes |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Computer Science |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10209922 |
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