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Objective:To explore national standard of occupational skills for assistive technology consultants in China based on the study of relevant international standards. Methods:After analyzing the international and some other national job content, work requirements, professional education and vocational training, and vocational standards of assistive technology consultants, the national occupational skills standard for assistive technology consultants in China was established referring to the compiling rules of national occupational skills standard. Results:According to the compiling rules of national occupational skills standard, the national occupational skills standard for assistive technology consultants in China included career situation, basic requirements, job requirements, and weight table, etc. Conclusion:The vocational development, structural framework and content of professional capacity for assistive technology consultants are studied. The draft of national occupational skills standard for rehabilitation assistive technology consultants has been compiled.
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Objective:To introduce the basic knowledge on assistive technology and World Health Organization (WHO) latest understanding of assistive technology. Methods:The literatures in the field of assistive technology, including relevant documents of WHO since its establishment in 1948, and ISO 9999, as well as related articles published were reviewed. Results:The understanding of assistive technology can be divided into four stages: early (ignored), midterm (disabled persons needed rehabilitation engineering), recent (persons with disabilities needed assistive technology), and the latest (all the human needed assistive technology). The basic knowledge of assistive technology, including definition, characteristics, classification, function, selection and application were also introduced. Conclusion:The awareness of assistive technology is improved with the in-depth understanding of rehabilitation. Rehabilitation has become a part of the health service system, which means assistive technology is a subset of health technology.
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Objective:To establish an Internet Plus intelligent assessment and assistive technology service system. Methods:Based on International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, we used new-generation information technology to establish a system for assessment and assistive technology service, and analyze the path of achieving Internet Plus and intelligence from the elements of the National Health Coverage Health Service System. Results:The architecture of assessment and assistive technology service system was proposed. Conclusion:A new kind architecture of assessment and assistive technology service system was established by using new-generation information technology.
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Rehabilitation technical aids have great significance in improving life quality of people with disability and reducing burdens of care for family and society. Nowadays, the policy, research funding and industrial environment in China all provide a good chance for rehabilitation technical aids research, which has already made great progress. Biomechanics plays an important role in design of rehabilitation technical aids. On the one hand, biomechanics can provide important references for measurement and evaluation on biomechanical characteristics of physical disabilities, so the design of rehabilitation technical aids can meet the requirements of maintaining or improving biomechanical functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. On the other hand, the biomechanical interaction between human body and rehabilitation technical aids should also be considered carefully during the optimization of design. As an introduction to this special issue on rehabilitation, this paper will briefly review the progress of rehabilitation technical aids research in recent years in China, and then introduce some biomechanical researches in development of rehabilitation technical aids.
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Objetivo: Identificar las barreras del entorno que afectan la inclusión social de una población con discapacidad motriz. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo en el que participaron 45 adultos con discapacidad motriz de miembros inferiores. La encuesta incluyó las categorías: a) sociodemográfica, de salud y características del entorno, b) del acompañante o cuidador, c) sobre los productos de apoyo, d) actividades y participación, y e) factores ambientales. Resultados: Un 98% pertenecía a los estratos socioeconómicos 1, 2 y 3, y en su mayoría (53%) activos laboralmente, con salarios que no sobrepasan el mínimo legal vigente en Colombia. La causa principal de la discapacidad (42%) fue la violencia. El 67% tenía alguna dificultad para acceder al entorno físico, la información y la comunicación. Las mayores barreras fueron el acceso a los edificios públicos (54%) y a la educación técnica (83%). Conclusiones: Las múltiples barreras que afectan la inclusión social sugieren que se debe abordar esta problemática desde la estructura y organización social del entorno en que se desempeña la persona y no solamente desde su deficiencia. Como en otros estudios en Colombia, se corrobora la simultaneidad de pobreza, violencia y discapacidad.
Objective: Identify environmental barriers that affect social inclusion of people with motor impairment. Materials and methods: We conducted a descriptive study involving 45 adults with lower limb motor impairment. The survey included the following categories: a) socio-demographic, health and environmental characteristics, b) companion or caretaker, c) as-sistive products, d) activities and participation, and e) environmental factors. Results: 98% of the people belonged to socioeconomic strata 1, 2 and 3, and most of them (53%) are working with salaries that do not exceed the national monthly legal wage in Colombia. The main cause of disability (42%) was violence. 67% had some difficulty to access to the built environment, information and communication. The biggest barriers were access to public buildings (54%) and to technical education (83%). Conclusions: The multiple barriers that affect social inclusion suggest that this problem must be addressed from the structure and social organization of the environment in which the person is engaged and not just from his/her deficiency. As in other studies in Colombia, it is confirmed the simultaneity of poverty, violence and disability.
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@#Persons with disability had been existed in the world since human being existed thousands years ago. They have to make some simple devices to compensate lost functions in order to exist in the world. Those are called as ancient assistive products. The history of assistive products is summarized in the paper based on collected some literatures and divided into three stages, i.e., ancient, middle and modern.
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@# In order to contribute to engineering for QOL, dualism of universal design (UD) and orphan products (OP) is discussed. UD is for larger market size without adaptation, and OP is for smaller market size with extensive adaptation. In this model of assistive products (AP), AP is in a spectrum of UD and OP at both extremes. Definitions of AP by ISO and by ICF are discussed and the difference is illustrated using this model. The position of AP in the spectrum shows expected market size and degree of necessary adaptation. R&D aspects of AP are also discussed. Technology transfer from mainstream is beneficial to AP. A hypothesis is presented that AP tend to move towards UD extreme on the spectrum, if it is relevant to environment.