Team collaboration is necessary to fully support school-age students who use assistive technology (AT). Teams should include the student, his or her family, and school professionals. Unfortunately, team collaboration is often not realized due to constraints that range from scheduling conflicts and language barriers to lack of defined roles and access to shared information. In addition, families and students are often passive participants in the educational planning process rather than active contributors. Groupware has been used in comparable areas of professional and peer collaboration to address similar barriers. The study resulted in a groupware model intended to enhance the collaboration of individualized education program (IEP) teams supporting students who use assistive technology (AT). The groupware model had a working title of CollaborAT. Through literature review, goal definition, prototyping of alternatives, panelist review and ranking of proposed attributes, and user testing, CollaborAT was be systematically designed, developed and evaluated. Through review and ranking of prototypes by a panel of 20 experts, the design phase of the study provides insight into the aspects of computer-mediated communication (CMC), content management, member profiling and scheduling supports that the intended audience values for collaboration related to AT and the IEP process. The study also provides insight into the viability of developing a groupware tool that consists of the attributes valued most by the intended audience. The CollaborAT model was built based on the design criteria established by the panel of experts. The model was presented to the panel for review and approval. With the approval criteria met, user testing was conducted with a small sample representing the target audience. The user test group consisted of 12 participants with varied IEP experience and role assignment. The user testing results provide initial evaluation data on the usability of CollaborAT. The study provides insight into the design, development and evaluation process for groupware tools. Through the application of a panel of experts, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), prototyping, and user testing, the design criteria were defined and validated. The study provides detailed information for those interested in replicating all or portions of this research-based approach for the design and development of similar products and supports.

According to the UNICEF report, up to ten percent of children in the world have affected specific learning disabilities (SLD) and the majority of these children are educated in general education classrooms. An important resource for children with learning disabilities to flourish in the classroom is access to assistive technology. To prepare children on how to utilize assistive technology in the learning environment is important for teachers. This systematic review focused on teacher perspectives on assistive technology regarding children with SLD. Six scholarly articles were used for this study. The information drawn from the articles showed that teachers are receptive to assistive technology in their classrooms. They perceived assistive technology as an important supportive device for improving the vital skills of reading and writing comprehension. However, it is clear from their perspectives that the teachers needed more support than they were able to access in order to feel comfortable to implement and use assistive technology in the classroom. Therefore the need for professional development and training and the integration of appropriate technical devices are vital to enhance the development of children with SLD. Future research will be focus on how pre-service teachers are being prepared for AT use as a part of their pre-service training program and professional development.

Esta pesquisa investigou as condições de acessibilidade às tecnologias de informação e comunicação oferecidas aos alunos com deficiência visual e física matriculados na rede municipal de ensino de São Paulo, como forma de garantir seu acesso e participação nas atividades curriculares. Para sua realização, optou-se pela abordagem qualitativa, por meio de análise da legislação e de documentos produzidos pelas equipes responsáveis pela Educação Especial e Informática Educativa, bem como entrevistas com os gestores destas áreas na referida secretaria municipal e nas regiões de Guaianases, Butantã e São Miguel. A análise dos dados considerou recomendações internacionais, das quais o Brasil é signatário, garantias legais nacionais e do município de São Paulo, além do referencial teórico referente ao direito à educação, à educação inclusiva e a importância das tecnologias na escolarização de alunos com deficiência. Observou-se que o município prevê em seus documentos legais a Educação Especial e a Informática Educativa e apresenta diversos aspectos relevantes para promover a acessibilidade as Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação e que o acesso a esses recursos pelos alunos com deficiência é considerado importante na visão dos profissionais que atuam na gestão dos projetos e no apoio aos alunos e professores, revelando algumas iniciativas de adaptação e aquisição de recursos e equipamentos para alguns alunos com deficiência. Como sugestões para o aprimoramento do trabalho realizado na referida secretaria foi apontada a necessidade de investimento em formação continuada e produção de materiais sistematizados a partir das práticas dos próprios professores, sendo, todo esse processo, construído a partir de um estudo mais detalhado das necessidades identificadas nas escolas da secretaria municipal com relação à acessibilidade as Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação Também são sugeridas estratégias para que a construção dessa proposta ocorra de forma articulada entre os profissionais das equipes de Educação Especial, Informática Educativa e Ensino Comum. Assim, espera-se contribuir com reflexões e com o planejamento das próximas ações tanto no referido município, como em outras localidades. / This research has investigated the conditions provided to the visual and physical impairment students enrolled in São Paulos municipal schools to access the information technology and communication as a way to ensure their access and participation in the curricular activities. In order to accomplish it, the qualitative approach was chosen by analyzing the legislation and documents produced by the teams responsible for Special Education and Information and Communication Technologies in Education, as well as interviews with the managers in these areas in São Paulo municipal secretariat and in Guaianases, Butantã and São Miguel zones. The data analysis took into consideration the international recommendations in which Brazil is signatory, national and São Paulo city legal warranties, and also the theoretical foundation referring to the right to have education, to the inclusive education, and the importance of the technologies in the education of disabled students. It was observed that the city predicts Special Education and Information and Communication Technologies in Education in its legal documents and presents several relevant aspects to promote the access to the Information and Communication Technologies. The access to these resources by the disabled students is also considered important from the professionals view, who perform in the projects management and support the students and teachers, revealing some initiatives in adaptation and acquisition of resources and equipment for some disabled students. As suggestions to the improvement of the accomplished work in the secretariat above, it was pointed the need of investment in continuing education and production of systematized materials for the practices of the teachers themselves, having all this process built from a more detailed study about the needs identified in the municipal secretariats school regarding the accessibility to the Information and Communication Technologies. It is also suggested strategies in order to make this proposal to be organized in an articulate way among the teams professionals in Special Education, Information and Technology Education and Regular Education. Thus, it is expected to contribute with reflections and with planning for the next actions both in São Paulo and other places.

Indivíduos com limitações funcionais decorrentes do Acidente Vascular Cerebral (AVC) tem dificuldades em curto e longo prazo na percepção e controle postural. A proposta do trabalho é descrever o desenvolvimento de uma tecnologia assistiva (TA), que auxilia na percepção e controle postural, para pessoas com hemiparesia decorrente do AVC e profissionais de reabilitação. Utilizou-se na pesquisa a metodologia de produtos, as necessidades dos grupos converteram-se em requisitos da tecnologia, geração de modelos, otimizações e testes nas populações alvo foram realizados. A TA denominada: Smartvest, constitui-se de uma aplicação para smartphone e uma vestimenta que permite a calibração de posturas do tronco e envia sinais corretivos. A Smartvest foi desenvolvida em parceria com o Instituto de Ciências da Computação e Matemática Computacional da Universidade de São Paulo (ICMC/USP). A satisfação dos usuários foi analisada pelo instrumento Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST 2.0) de forma adaptada, a percepção da amplitude de movimentos (ADM) do tronco (flexão/extensão, rotação e flexão lateral) pela TA foi comparada a dispositivo de análise cinemática e conduziu-se um estudo da viabilidade terapêutica no processo de reabilitação. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que a tecnologia na análise cinemática pelo sistema Plug-in Gait da Vicon® representa a ADM do tronco com diferenças menores que 10º (graus). A Smartvest foi considerada um recurso viável para os objetivos da reabilitação e facilitação da atuação dos terapeutas (100%), atendeu princípios de conforto (65%), facilidade de uso (60%) e eficácia (45%) para pessoas com AVC, em atividades cotidianas da reabilitação observou-se que pessoas com AVC recebendo as orientações da TA alcançaram 3,13 vezes mais posturas corretas com menos erros de deslocamentos do tronco (1,75 vezes). A Smartvest apresentou potencial uso terapêutico na reabilitação como recurso de facilitação da percepção da postura. / Individuals with functional limitations due to Stroke have short- and long-term difficulties in perception and postural control. The purpose of this study is to describe the development of assistive technology (AT), which assists in postural perception and control, for people with hemiparesis and rehabilitation professionals. The methodology of products was used in the research, the needs of groups were transformed into technology requirements, model generation, optimizations and tests in the target populations were performed. The AT called: Smartvest, is a smartphone application and a dress that allows the calibration of postures of the trunk and sends corrective signals. Smartvest was developed in partnership with the Institute of Computer Science and Computational Mathematics of the University of São Paulo (ICMC / USP). The users\' satisfaction was analyzed by the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST 2.0) in an adapted way, the perception of the trunk movement amplitude (flexion / extension, rotation and lateral flexion) by the AT was compared to a kinematic analysis device and a study of the therapeutic viability in the rehabilitation process was conducted. The results obtained demonstrate that the technology in kinematic analysis by the Vicon® Gait Plug-in system represents the trunk ADM with differences smaller than 10º (degrees). Smartvest was considered a viable resource for the rehabilitation and facilitation goals of therapists (100%), followed principles of comfort (65%), ease of use (60%) and effectiveness (45%) for people with stroke, in daily activities of rehabilitation, it was observed that people with stroke receiving the guidelines of AT achieved 3.13 times more correct postures with fewer trunk displacement errors (1.75 times). Smartvest presented potential therapeutic use in rehabilitation as a facilitator of perception of posture.

[pt] A evolução natural dos modelos de interface com o usuário ocorrida nas últimas décadas popularizou o padrão baseado em metáforas puramente visuais. Este processo impediu o acesso de deficientes visuais a computadores e a novas tecnologias. Algumas propostas foram feitas para reverter esta realidade. Entretanto, a maioria delas estava baseada em adaptações dos modelos já existentes, e não em modelos específicos para deficientes visuais. O desenvolvimento de aplicações para tais usuários é uma tarefa que requer a utilização de novas tecnologias, outras ferramentas e outras mídias de comunicação. Esta tese de doutorado propõe a utilização de dispositivos reativos no projeto e implementação de interfaces gráficas capazes de assistir usuários cegos na concretização de tarefas simples de interação em duas dimensões. Tais dispositivos permitem explorar a percepção tátil, geralmente muito apurada em cegos, aumentando a eficiência da comunicação entre o usuário e a interface. Além disto, este trabalho investiga a utilização de transformadas de distância como um poderoso mecanismo de suporte a diversas tarefas de interação bidimensionais. / [en] The natural evolution of user interface models that occurred in the last few decades ended up popularizing a standard model based almost exclusively on visual metaphors. This process has left visually impaired users unable to use computers and to access new technologies. Some actions have been made to revert this scenario. Most of them were based on adapting the existing models instead of creating specific solutions for the visually impaired community. The development of applications for such users requires the use of new technologies, tools and communication media. This thesis proposes the use of force feedback devices in the project and implementation of assistive user interfaces, helping blind users in simple 2D interaction tasks. By exploring the sense of touch, such devices can be used to improve the efficiency of the communication between the user and the interface. Also, this work investigates the use of distance transforms as a powerful mechanism to support many 2D interaction tasks.

Auditory overviews have the potential to improve the quality of auditory interfaces. However, in order to apply overviews well, we must understand them. Specifically, what are they and what is their impact? This thesis presents six characteristics that overviews should have. They should be a structured representation of the detailed information, define the scope of the material, guide the user, show context and patterns in the data, encourage exploration of the detail and represent the current state of the data. These characteristics are guided by a systematic review of visual overview research, analysis of established visual overviews and evaluation of how these characteristics fit current auditory overviews. The second half of the thesis evaluates how the addition of an overview impacts user interaction. While the overviews do not improve performance, they do change the navigation patterns from one of data exploration and discovery to guided and directed information seeking. With these two contributions, we gain a better understanding of how overviews work in an auditory interface and how they might be exploited more effectively.

xiii, 80 p. : ill. (some col.) / The design of successful assistive technologies requires careful personalization for individual users, as well as rapid, low cost cycles for product development and testing. My research brings two modern software engineering models to meet these challenges: Personal and Contextual Requirements Engineering (PC-RE) and Agile Software Development. We adapt these models to the assistive mobile navigation domain for the blind. This dissertation demonstrates that a Virtual Environment testing can significantly reduce testing time, yield meaningful testing results by fully controlling environmental variables, alleviate logistical and safety problems, and serve as an ideal platform for deep personalization. We developed a narrative NAvigation Virtual Environment (NAVE) and compared blind subjects' performance and behavior in wayfinding tasks with tactile maps under field testing versus testing in NAVE. Our experiments showed positive results to support our hypothesis that virtual environments can be useful in replacing field testing for personalized assistive technologies in agile development. / Committee in charge: Stephen Fickas， Chairperson； Art Farley， Member； Michal Young， Member； Amy Lobben， Outside Member

xi, 79 p. ： ill. (some col.) / Graphics provide a rich display medium that facilitates identification of spatial patterns but are inaccessible to people who are blind or low vision. Audio provides an alternative medium through which to display information. Prior research has explored audio display of lines representing functions and location of screen objects within a graphical user interface; however, presentation of spatial attributes of lines (angle, number of segments, etc.) of geographic data has received limited attention. This thesis explores a theoretical foundation for designing audio displays and presents an experimental evaluation of line symbology. Sighted users who were blindfolded and blind users performed a line following task and a matching task to evaluate the line symbology. Observed differences between the conditions did not reach statistical significance. User preferences and observed strategies are discussed. / Committee in charge: Dr. Michal Young， Chair

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2016-09-16T18:28:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Denise Lemes Fernandes Neves.pdf: 2188363 bytes, checksum: 4a1bd7219349e1f8e991cf4c160a63d2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-16T18:28:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Denise Lemes Fernandes Neves.pdf: 2188363 bytes, checksum: 4a1bd7219349e1f8e991cf4c160a63d2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-04 / This master thesis aims to understand the user with intellectual diversity to establish the requirements needed for software development aimed to this significant portion of the world population. They are people with Syndromes, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and other cognitive impairment. The part of this research that relates intellectual disability and software, there are no important findings on system requirements for the development of technology for the subject of study. A preliminary survey disclosed that technologies developed for "intellectual disability" tend to give emphasis on learning and teaching and, even when its creators argue that such technologies can develop the cognitive, help users memory and perception, they do not have clear and potential features that can in fact be attributed to disability. These are technologies that can be used by any user with difficulties in learning and not necessarily diagnosed with a cognitive disability and do not measure how much the cognitive of these people was changed after their use. To perform our study it will be used field research, diagnostic analysis, interviews with experts and research in specialized production. It will be pointed out important system requirements using theories of Human-Computer interface and Intelligent Systems, being a contribution for health, education and computing areas / Este trabalho busca conhecer o usuário com diversidade intelectual para estabelecer os requisitos necessários no desenvolvimento de software aplicado para essa significativa parcela da população mundial. Dela fazem parte pessoas com Síndromes, paralisia cerebral, retardo mental, entre outros comprometimentos cognitivos. No cenário da pesquisa que relaciona deficiência intelectual e software, não existem grandes apontamentos sobre requisitos do sistema para a criação de tecnologia para o sujeito de estudo. Um levantamento preliminar mostrou que as tecnologias desenvolvidas para a “deficiência intelectual” tendem a dar ênfase ao ensino-aprendizagem e, mesmo quando seus criadores defendem que tais tecnologias podem desenvolver o cognitivo, ajudar na memorização e percepção dos usuários, não apresentam características claras e potenciais que possam realmente ser atribuídas à deficiência. São tecnologias que podem ser utilizadas por qualquer usuário com dificuldades com a aprendizagem e não necessariamente com diagnóstico de deficiência cognitiva e também não mensuram o quanto o cognitivo destas pessoas foi alterado após seu uso. Para a realização de nosso estudo será aplicado pesquisa de campo, análise de diagnósticos, entrevistas com especialistas e pesquisas em material especializado. Serão pontuados importantes requisitos de sistemas usando teorias de interface Humano-Computador e Sistemas Inteligentes, sendo uma colaboração para as áreas da saúde, da educação e da computação

O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a distribuição de pressão, no assento e no encosto, relacionada à variação do ângulo de tilt da cadeira de rodas e contribuir para uma melhor prescrição de sistemas de adequação postural na posição sentada. Para tanto, estruturou-se uma pesquisa descritiva composta por procedimentos tipo estudos de casos. A pesquisa foi direcionada a usuários com diagnóstico de Paralisia Cerebral, nível motor IV e V (GMFCS) e que necessitam de um melhor posicionamento no sentar. Para as análises, foram utilizadas as almofadas pré-fabricadas que acompanham a cadeira em conjunto com as técnicas de mapeamento de pressão e termografia. As principais variáveis analisadas foram a distribuição de pressão e de temperatura, por meio de diagramas, bem como foram avaliados estatisticamente os respectivos valores médios. Os resultados demonstraram que nenhum dos 15 usuários avaliados apresentou postura adequada no sistema de assento e encosto padrão da cadeira de rodas. A distribuição da pressão mostrou-se inadequada, em geral, com picos importantes atribuídos à falta de estabilidade da pelve e do tronco. A utilização de cadeira de rodas com tilt é indicada, porém, faz-se necessária uma cuidadosa análise desse ângulo, bem como dos suportes de apoio ajustáveis às necessidades individuais. Recomenda-se a personalização das almofadas de assento, de encosto e de apoio de cabeça, através da moldagem do corpo do usuário. Destaca-se que os dados obtidos neste estudo podem auxiliar na identificação das necessidades dos usuários e, consequentemente, no projeto de assentos para cadeira de rodas, proporcionando maior qualidade de vida aos usuários. / The objective of this study is to evaluate the pressure distribution on the seat and backrest related to the angle variations of the wheelchair tilt-in-space. It also aims to contribute to a more suitable prescription of positioning systems. In order to do that, the descriptive research was structured by using case studies. The survey was targeted to users that had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, gross motor function (GMFCS) IV and V who are need of a more appropriate wheelchair seating. Furthermore, for the analysis, the prefabricated chair cushions, the pressure mapping techniques and thermography had been used. The main variables analyzed were the distribution of pressure and temperature, through diagrams, which were statistically evaluated mean values. The results showed that none of the 15 members evaluated had an adequate posture in the standard seating system. The pressure distribution proved inadequate in general with important peaks attributed to the lack of stability of the pelvis and trunk. The use of the tilting wheelchair is recommended. However, it is required a more careful analysis of this angle, as well as the adjustable support brackets to individual needs. It is recommended to customize the seat cushions, backrest and headrest, through the user's body contour. It is noteworthy that the data obtained in this study can help identify the needs of users and consequently the seat design for a wheelchair, providing a higher quality of life to the users.