Why the article is helpful
- Struggles of assistive technology
- How assistive technology are delivered is just as important as its design
- Stresses the importance of further usability research
Even though assistive technology promises to increase social inclusion for those with disabilities, it has not become reality just yet. Within the last 30 years, unemployment rates are higher than ever and even though online education enrollment has increased, few have been successful finding a job and able to move into a independent lifestyle. The author found assistive technologies and how it is delivered was just as important as its universal design. He stressed the importance of usability research during assistive technology development as a way of developing more useful assistive tools to decreasing drop-off amongst disabled users.
Links to article
Wattenberg, T. (2004). Beyond standards: Reaching usability goals through user participation. SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing (79), 10-20.