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This research presents a proposal for the assessment of technology to manage antiretroviral treatment. The system called Cell-Life has been successfully tested at a pilot site in Gugulethu, Cape Town from September 2002 till date and offers a cost-effective solution for adherence monitoring, side effect management, effective home based care and reducing pill count dependence at the clinic. With the aid of the Cell-Life SIM card menu (please see Appendix A, page 63) on a cell-phone the therapeutic counsellor is equipped with a live-link to the clinic or doctor while visiting patients. The menu allows entering data about the patient's drug adherence, side effects and symptoms, scheduling visits to the clinic and alert messages. The data is sent using short message service (SMS) and stored in a database, which can be accessed via the Internet by a doctor who will receive a complete report on the patient's status quo. The main benefits of the system lie in creating a communication link between the clinic/doctor and the therapeutic counsellor at minimal cost. Another benefit is the collection of reliable data relating to drug adherence and the minimising of human error through preset menu options on the phone. The pilot study has shown that management of anti-retroviral therapy is possible in resource-constraint urban settings. But for a provincial or national rollout of the Cell-Life system, the challenge is the lack of the required infrastructure, technology, personnel and logistics for effective operation of the Cell-Life systems specifically in the rural areas of South Africa. This research investigated the availability of the Cell-Life requirements in the Western Cape. The findings showed that the Cell-Life systems could be implemented in the health regions investigated across the Western Cape. It was also shown that an in depth needs assessment study is required before implementing the Cell-Life system in any community.

<p>This study explored the history, present status, and future trends in assistive technologies and innovations in lower limb prosthesis. The study analyzed trends in patent filing and looked into how mainstream technologies such as additive manufacturing, advanced materials and robotic integrate with other enabling technologies such as IoT, AI, sensors etc. to advance technology innovation and improve the quality of life of people with limb impairment.</p> <p><br></p> <p>This research study is significant in helping to understand what is on the horizon for people with lower limb impairment given that this population tend to be neglected and their needs have not been fully addressed in many areas</p>

A significant achievement gap between students with disabilities and their peers without disabilities has led to increased inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Assistive technology (AT) has the potential to improve access to the curriculum for students with high-incidence disabilities. Teachers are challenged with learning about, recommending, and implementing AT; yet little is known about how teachers in New Hampshire use AT or the needs for professional development (PD) in AT utilization. The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to understand how teachers in small rural New Hampshire schools utilized AT with students with high-incidence disabilities and teachers' needs for PD in AT use. Data were collected via semistructured interviews of 5 general and 5 special education teachers from 6 small rural middle and high schools. Using levels of AT literacy as a conceptual framework, data were coded and analyzed to identify common themes. Findings showed that teacher awareness and working knowledge of AT varied. Independent use of AT in reading and writing provided access to the general curriculum, allowing students to be included with their peers. Teachers reported wanting to learn more about the AT available and how to universally integrate AT into the general classroom. Findings informed the design of PD workshops and a learning network created to improve teacher knowledge and skills in AT integration. This study has the potential to decrease the achievement gap by improving access to the general curriculum for students with disabilities through improved teacher use of AT.