Assistive Technology Uses and Barriers in the Home and Workplace for Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Kristina N Randall, Hannah Drew, Elizabeth S Gilman and 1 others
PMID 39462768WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities used phones, tablets and smart speakers at home for entertainment, communication and routines.
At work, employer phone rules, limited training and job coaches' narrow view of assistive technology restricted use.
Key findings
01At home, participants reported using phones, tablets and smart speakers for entertainment, social media, religious activities, spelling help and alarms.
02In the agency work centre, participants reported no technology use at work; in community-based jobs, phones were used to contact job coaches or supervisors, set break alarms, check schedules, and contact coworkers, while a device helped track counted packages and an iPod held daily task lists.
03Barriers included employer rules about phones or smartwatches, difficulty with reading, typing, passcodes and fingerprint access, limited training for participants and job coaches, and job coaches viewing assistive technology as specialised devices rather than everyday phones.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study interviewed 25 people from one non-profit service provider, so the themes may not represent other organisations, regions, or employment systems. Only 3 job coaches took part, so their views about training and assistive technology may not reflect all job coaches. Participants had to communicate verbally with the lead researcher, so adults who communicate by alternative methods were not included. Staff identified eligible participants, and researchers could not check centre records, so the sample may have been biased toward people staff chose. Findings are based on self-reported perceptions in interviews, not on observed workplace use or records of accommodations. The study did not test whether any technology improves employment, independence, or quality of life, and the proposed workplace uses were inferred from home technology use.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding came from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and the National Institutes of Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that phones, tablets, smart speakers, or task lists have been shown to improve work outcomes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This paper reports perceptions of use and barriers in interviews, and the authors state that proposed workplace assistive technology needs future testing for efficacy.