Mainstream Technologies in Facilities for People With Intellectual Disabilities: Multiple-Methods Study Using the Nonadoption, Abandonment, Scale-Up, Spread, and Sustainability Framework.
Christian Menschik, Christophe Kunze, Gregor Renner and 1 others
PMID 39499922WHAT IT FOUND
Staff said residents need individually adapted devices and caregiver time.
Communication was the clearest benefit, but people who cannot state what they want may be left out. Disability-specific caregiver confidence was low.
Key findings
01Staff said being able to verbally express a wish to use technology is important, and residents who struggle with verbal communication seem to have less access.
02Communication was the life area mentioned most often for technology benefits, but voice interfaces were not seen as adequate when residents’ speech is slurred.
03Only 12/65 caregivers strongly agreed in the disability and technology area, and 40/65 reported no or rather no time for technology selection and accompaniment.
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 14 staff and surveyed 65 caregivers, so it cannot show how most facilities work. Staff with more experience or motivation to use technology may have been more likely to take part. The survey used an adapted questionnaire, not a validated measure of disability caregivers’ ICT competence. Residents themselves were not interviewed, so their own experiences and preferences are not directly reported. The facilities were in Germany and run by welfare associations, so other systems may differ. The survey was used only to complement the adopter domain, not to test outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not report funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that caregivers’ general digital skills are enough to support residents’ technology use. In the survey, the disability and technology area had the lowest strong agreement (12/65, 18%), and 40/65 reported no or rather no time for selecting and accompanying technology use.