Assistive Technologies for People With Disabilities
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Disabilities".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (17 August 2023) | Viewed by 2860
Special Issue Editors
Interests: accessibility; e-learning; telecommunication
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
People with disabilities are individuals who often require specially designed assistive technology that helps to maintain or improve their functioning and independence. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021), in light of the ageing global population and rise in the number of noncommunicable diseases, more than 2 billion people will need at least one assistive product by 2030, with many older people needing two or more.
Assistive technologies hold great promise as tools for supporting individual functioning and communication needs. Hearing aids, wheelchairs, communication aids, spectacles, prostheses, pill organizers, and memory aids are all examples of assistive products. However, even the most sophisticated technology may be of little use if it does not fit well with the individual’s requirements and usage needs. Today, the research and development of assistive technologies remain limited and specialized, primarily serving specific categories of disabilities, such as blind or deaf people, while focusing less on people with mental and behavioral disabilities.
The Special Issue invites contributions investigating all aspects of the accessibility, usability, and intelligence of assistive technologies for people with disabilities, including the following:
- User-controlled smart systems
- Multimodal integration of information in assistive technologies
- Hearing instrument technology, applications, and usability
- Accessible and adaptable systems and accessories in smart cities
- Cognitively controlled systems and accessories
- Machine and deep learning for ICT-based assistive technologies
Papers addressing these topics are invited for submission to this Special Issue. Those combining a high academic standard coupled with a practical focus on the provision of optimal assistive technology solutions are especially welcome.
Dr. Matjaž Debevc
Dr. Ines Kožuh
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- assistive technology
- accessibility
- accessible information and communication technology
- active and assisted living
- universal design
- multimodality
- machine and deep learning
- extended reality
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