Research and development work relating to assistive technology 2010-11: Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970

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Description/Abstract

Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 requires a report to be laid before Parliament each year describing the research activity the government has funded to improve equipment for disabled and older people, known as Assistive Technology. The definition for assistive technology is as follows: “Assistive Technology is any product or service designed to enable independence for disabled and older people.” This broad definition means that a wide range of products and services are eligible for inclusion in the report, both high and low tech. Technological advances mean that the breadth of work covered is constantly expanding. The research covers not only specific products, but also systems, combinations of technologies, and interfaces to new mainstream technology, for example the internet. The report aims to reflect research and development activity in relation to a wide range of impairments and health conditions and also to reflect the range of government funding programmes across health, social care, education, housing and employment. The report covers any aspect of research and development work in assistive technology, including service provision, research on motivation, cost or patterns of use, as well as technological development.