A look at factors that can impact student and adult adoption of assistive technology.

1. Got the tech, but do they
use it?
Abi James
abi@assistivelearning.co.uk
a.james@soton.ac.uk

2. Tech solves everything – doesn’t it?
• 10% of students at GCSE who
qualify for a reader use A.T.
• 8% of university students
assessed for A.T. had
previously had access to it
• Abandonment rate for AT
reported to vary from ~30%
to 75%
– 40% of general IT in healthcare
reported to not be used

3. Why wouldn’t you use technology?

4. Where are the digital natives?
Digital Visitors and Digital Residents may be
better description

5. Roger’s diffusion of innovation

6. People first,
assistive technology users second

7. Where does time go?
A disability makes daily living, working and
studying harder - simple tasks can take
longer
“I tend to print out a lot more than my friends and it takes
me a lot longer to read stuff. When I have to write a report I
will do a PowerPoint presentation first and then organise my
thoughts. It is so much easier to talk about it than to write,
but this method provides a structure for my report. I do not
like reading slides on-line, but I like the freedom that
PowerPoint gives you to arrange stuff. If I am looking for
things on the internet I prefer plain web pages.“ (LexDis
Project, Final Report, 2009)

8. Life through a tech users
perspective… where does time go?
• Nielson (2001) assessment of usability on 4
common tasks:
“Web's current usability is about three times better for
users without disabilities than it is for users with
disabilities”
Screen
Reader
Users
Screen
Magnifier
Users
Control Group
(no disabilities)
Success Rate 12.5% 21.4% 78.2%
Time on Task
(min:sec)
16:46 15:26 7:14
Errors 2.0 4.5 0.6

9. Stephen Hawking’s experience
2012 group of scientists & engineers attempted to
improve Stephen Hawking communication
software
“Hawking wasn't adapting to the new system. It was
too complicated. Prototypes such as the back button,
and the one addressing "missed key-hits", proved
confusing and had to be scrapped. "He's one of the
brightest guys in the world but we can't forget that he
hasn't been exposed to modern technology,“

10. What do student’s think about
assistive technology? LexDis.org.uk
“I did feel like I was doing
2 courses and that was,
frankly, too much. I had
to stay with my old bad
habits because I just
didn’t feel I had the time
to take out to learn
something new to help
me. It was a vicious circle,
really.” (Stephanie, LexDis
final project)

11. LexDis: Fast Forward to 2016
Student project to evaluation of LexDis – 17% of
those questioned had disabilities
Strategies for
disabled
students alone
35%Strategies
for all
students
65%
From your experience with
Lexdis, what does it provide?
Yes
41%
No
59%
Would you upload a
suggestion?
Yes
48%
No
52%
Now that you know about the
website, will you visit and use
the website in the future?

12. Is the assistive technology any
different to other fields?
What can we learn from the technology market?

13. Technology acceptance

14. Technology Acceptance Model
• Technology Acceptance Model (TAM, proposed by
Davies,1989)
• Many recent variation, but all focus on usefulness /
ease of use
• Recent work with students have found “Usefulness
and Ease of Use are key aspects of students’
attitudes towards technology”

15. Technology Acceptance Model for
assistive technology
• Proposed by Deibel (2011), adapted from Baker’s
Basic Ergonomic Equation.
• Highlights importance of effort vs benefit and
social impact “The likelihood of an assistive device being used is a
product of the user’s motivation to perform the task and the necessity of the
device for the task. This product is reduced by the sum of the time the task will
take, the effort involved in using the AT, and the social weight of the device. All
shaped by the context of the user at the moment.”

16. Technology Acceptance for assistive
technology
Motivation × Need
Time × Effort × Stigma
Users environment

17. Barriers and Facilitators to Uptake of AT
across health, education and social care
REDUCE STIGMA
IMPROVE COMPETENCY &
CONFIDENCE
INVOLVE USERS IN
DEVELEOPMENT & USE
IMPROVE FUNCTIONALITY
& DESIGN
PROVIDE TIMELY ACCESS
PROVIDE TECHNICAL
SUPPORT
IMPROVE AWARENESS
ENHANCED OUTCOMES?
BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR
USERS & PROVIDERS?
SMOOTHER TRANSITION
BETWEEN PHASES OF LIFE?
BETTER USE OF
RESOURCES?
Draffan et al (2015) Barriers and
Facilitators to Uptake of Assistive
Technologies: Summary of a
Literature Exploration.

18. So is it all about training?
Glass (1999) Learning curve for new technology software

19. LexDis 2016 and beyond:
training in the future?
• Key points learnt from the students of 2016
– Less text – break up each area of content
– Date filter as well as strategies and difficulties
– Provide instant access via images
– Mail outs specific to requirements
– Space for feedback on strategies
– Push / Pull Facebook and Twitter.
– Same approach for the guides and other resources

20. Is it about the changing
learning/working environment?
• MOOCs / Blended Learning
• Flipped Classrooms / BOYD
• Altformats for complex media / interactions
• Accessible e-Assessments
• Online Open Educational Resources

21. Is it about Design and Usability….
Usability is defined as the
“extent to which a system, product or service
can be used by specified users to achieve
specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and
satisfaction in a specified context of use”

22. Accessibility & Usability interconnected
Universal
Usable
Accessible
Accessible to
all including
those with
disabilities
Usable by all
including
those with
disabilities
Designed for
all users

23. Accessibility & Usability interconnected
Effective
Universal
Usable
Accessible
Functional
A11Y

24. First impressions count – the voice!

25. Is it about how we choose
technology?

26. Matching needs to strategies: STREET
• STREET model – identifying criteria for
evaluating
– Functionality and suitability of technologies
– User testing and design processes
– identifying potential technology strategies
S
Strength
T
Tasks
R
Resources
E
Expertise
E
Environment
T
Tools

27. STREET model (Draffan & James, 2016)
• Visual
• Auditory
• Kinaesthetic
Strengths
• Reading
• Writing
• Communication
Tasks
• Financial
• Procurement
• Time-frame
Resources
• Prior knowledge &
experience
• Metacognition
Expertise
• Workplace / study /
living environmentEnvironment
• Communication
• Text to speech /
e-Reading
• Speech recognition
Tools
• Dexterity & mobility
• Cognition & processing
• Receptive / expressive
language
• Health
• Organisation & Planning
• Understanding information
• Time, money & numeracy
• Daily living
• Memory & Recall
• Training
• Peer & family support
• Professional support
• Technical support
• Personal preferences /
strategies
• Confidence
• Technology skills
• Perceived benefit
• System / operating
environment
• Compatibility
• Accessibility constraints
• Security & IT Policies
• Word processing & proofing
tools
• Recording / capturing
• Graphical mapping / planning
• Reminders
• Calculators & maths
• Alarms & environmental
controls

28. Case study: designing text to speech
for maths - STEMReader project
• AIM: to develop a usable, sustainable tool for
reading aloud maths notation
• Incorporate user feedback within the software
design open bracket, 4 x
minus 3 y, close
bracket, plus 7 open
bracket, x plus y, close
bracket.

29. Case study: designing text to speech for maths
• Visual
• Auditory
• Kinaesthetic
Strengths
• Reading
• WritingTasks
• Financial
• Procurement
• Time-frame
Resources
• Prior knowledge &
experience
• Metacognition
Expertise
• Workplace / study /
living environmentEnvironment
• Text to speech /
e-ReadingTools
• Dexterity & mobility
• Cognition & processing
• Receptive / expressive
language
• Health
• Time, money & numeracy
• Training
• Peer & family support
• Professional support
• Technical support
• Personal preferences /
strategies
• Confidence
• Technology skills
• Perceived benefit
• System / operating
environment
• Compatibility
• Accessibility constraints
• Security & IT Policies

30. STREET: influencing factors on using text to
speech in high-stake school exams
Strengths, task, tools controlled by regulations
• Professional support
• Technical supportResources
Expertise
Environment
• Training
• Peer & family support
• Financial
• Procurement
• Time-frame
• Confidence
• Perceived benefit
• Metacognition
• Prior knowledge &
experience
• Personal preferences
• Technology skills
• System /Operating
Environment
• Security & IT Policies
• Accessibility constraints
• Compatibility
The student

31. Can we influence technology adoption?
Increase ease of use
Organisation
– Can I get the software
installed?
Technical
– Is the interface easy to use?
– Will I need technical support
all the time?
Personal
– Can I learn to use this tool?
Perceived benefits
Organisation
– Is this going to be worth the
money I spend on it?
Technical
– Is this going to bring the
benefits I need?
– Will it support the tasks I
need to undertake?
Personal
– Will I feel comfortable using
this?

32. Who does the heavy lifting?
• Support embedded across the institution /
organisation?
• Specialist disability / A.T. support available?
Operating
system
Browser,
App,
Content
Assistive
Technology
User
skills

33. Mainstreaming and side-streaming

34. Don’t leave AT behind
Credit: wigwam press The Image BankGetty Images

35. How can we influence AT adoption?
User-
centred
Ease of
use
Contextualized
benefits
User-centered
selection
Ease of use
Seamless
integration
Specialist
support
Specialist
solutions
training
innovation

36. Thank you!
Abi James
abi@assistivelearning.co.uk
a.james@soton.ac.uk