Durante muitos anos, diversas pesquisas na área de Design no Brasil, constataram limitados investimentos no desenvolvimento de produtos para auxiliar as pessoas com deficiência. Diante disso, esta tese teve por objetivo propor uma abordagem para os equipamentos de auxílio à comunicação de crianças com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA) por meio do Design e da Realidade Aumentada (RA). Para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa foram realizadas pesquisa bibliográfica, pesquisa documental, Estudo de Caso e experimentos. Também foram realizadas observações das crianças com TEA, no ambiente da Associação de Pais e Amigos do Autista (AMA) da cidade de Florianópolis, para embasar a proposta de projeto de Prancha de Comunicação Alternativa e Aumentativa. A proposta resultante teve como base comum o produto prancha de comunicação que foi utilizada com aplicativo que utiliza Realidade Aumentada e está disponível no mercado. Nesta prancha de base o usuário aponta o dispositivo móvel para o pictograma e assim acessa e visualiza o vídeo que estabelece a comunicação transmitindo a ação que a criança realmente deseja executar. A base para a análise dos resultados foi a descrição detalhada dos casos por meio da apresentação de painéis representativos de cada criança por dia de aplicação e painéis comparativos de todas as crianças durante a realização do estudo. Evidenciam-se assim, os elementos indicadores de que a solução proposta apresenta vantagens em relação a algumas pranchas atualmente existentes e que pode contribuir para facilitar a comunicação e a interação não só das crianças com TEA, mas também de outras crianças com limitações na comunicação. / For many years, several studies in the area of Design in Brazil have founded limited investments in product development to help people with desabilities. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to propose an approach to the equipment to aid the communication of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through Design and Augmented Reality (AR). For the development of the research were carried out bibliographic and documental researches, case studies and experiments. Observations were also made of the children with ASD in the Association of Parents and Friends of the Autistic (AMA) of Florianópolis to base the project proposal of the Alternative and Increasing Communication Board. The resulting proposal was based on the common product board that was developed together with an Augmented Reality mobile application available on the market. On this basis board the user points the mobile device to the pictogram and thus accesses and visualizes the video which establishes the communication and transmittes the action that the child really wants to perform. Thus, there is evidence that the proposed solution has advantages over some existing boards and can contribute to facilitate the communication and interaction not only of children with ASD, but also of other children with communication limitations.

Esta tese apresenta a nova classificação do Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA), segundo Grananã, (2014), a partir da atualização do DSM - V, (Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition - Manual Estatístico e Diagnóstico de Transtornos Mentais - quinta edição). Resgatou-se historicamente a Formação de Professores e a Comunicação Alternativa, articuladas com a tecnologia assistiva no âmbito das Políticas Públicas da Educação. Tem como principais objetivos: propor e investigar uma formação de professores com recursos tecnológicos em Comunicação Alternativa, para auxiliar o professor em sua práxis docente nas salas de recursos multifuncionais – SRM de estudantes com TEA na rede municipal de ensino de São Luís – Maranhão. A pesquisa realizou-se sob a perspectiva sócio-histórica com observações, visitas em 05 (cinco) escolas e entrevistas com docentes - partícipes, aplicação de questionários, (antes, durante e depois) da formação presencial “Tech Educ Especial”, implementada em 03 (três) processos formativos, (presencial, móvel itinerante, e de consulta). A metodologia desenvolvida enquanto estudo de caso, foi a DCC, Desenvolvimento Centrado nos Contextos de uso do software e suas correlações, e base teórica relevante e multidisciplinar conforme o encontrado nos contextos escolares maranhenses e a partir da questão de pesquisa: De que maneira uma formação de professores com a utilização do Sistema de Comunicação Alternativa contribui para a práxis docente nas salas de recursos multifuncionais dos alunos com TEA – Transtorno do Espectro Autista ? Trinta (30) professores responderam os questionários aplicados, dos quais 03 (três) deles tornaram-se multcasos, pois fazem Atendimento Educacional Especializado - AEE com práticas de comunicação alternativa. Constatou-se modificações favoráveis ao desenvolvimento discente e na postura docente durante o planejamento de atividades pedagógicas, e na ação pedagógica, bem como no interesse de estudos afins, e na história sociocultural do contexto em que o professor de AEE está inserido, o que se elenca como principais contribuições da pesquisa. / This thesis presents the new classification of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (TEA), according to Grananã, (2014), from the DSM - V update (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition - Statistical Manual and Diagnosis of Mental Disorders - fifth edition). Historically, Teacher Training and Alternative Communication have been rescued, articulated with the assistive technology in the scope of Public Policies of Education. Its main object ives are: to propose and investigate a training of teachers with technological resources in Alternative Communication, to assist the teacher in his praxis teaching in the multifunctional resource rooms - SRM of students with ASD in the municipal network of education of São Luís - Maranhão. The research was carried out under a socio-historical perspective with observations, visits in 05 (five) schools and interviews with teachers -participants, questionnaires (before, during and after) of the "Tech Educ Especial" classroom training implemented in 03 (three) training processes, (face-to-face, roving, and consultation). The methodology developed as a case study was the DCC, Context-Centered Development of software use and its correlations, and a relevant theoretical and multidisciplinary basis as found in the school contexts of Maranhão and from the research question: In what way a formation Of teachers with the use of the Alternative Communication System contributes to the teaching praxis in the multifunctional resource rooms of students with ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder? Thirty (30) teachers answered the questionnaires applied, of which 03 (three) of them became mulcasos, because they make Specialized Educational Assistance (AEE) with alternative communication practices. It was observed favorable modifications to the student development and in the teaching position during the planning of pedagogic activities, and in the pedagogical action, as well as in the interest of related studies, and in the sociocultural history of the context in which the ESA teacher is inserted, which as the main contributions of the research.

Dispositivos móveis como smartphones e tablets são, atualmente, equipados com componentes de hardware que podem ser utilizados para a criação de soluções que auxiliam diversas atividades de pessoas com deficiência. Por exemplo, os sensores de um celular na mão de um usuário com deficiência motora podem ser utilizados para identificar movimentos da mão desse usuário e movimentar uma cadeira de rodas elétrica. Apesar de o uso de dispositivos móveis para fins de criação de soluções de acessibilidade ser explorado e documentado por muitos pesquisadores, verifica-se carência de infraestruturas que facilitem a criação de soluções para usuários com deficiência com base no uso dos recursos computacionais dos dispositivos móveis. Este trabalho apresenta um framework nativo para sistema operacional Android que provê bibliotecas para uso e integração dos diversos recursos desses dispositivos, como sensores, microfone e câmera, para auxiliar usuários com deficiência motora. O framework foi proposto com base em requisitos levantados por profissionais da área da saúde que trabalham no Centro Integrado de Reabilitação (CIR) pertencente ao Hospital Estadual de Ribeirão Preto (SP), e que reabilitam usuários com hemiparesia decorrente de Acidente Vascular Encefálico (AVE). Aplicações usando a infraestrutura proposta foram implementadas como provas de conceito que evidenciam a possibilidade de criação de soluções que usam e integram os principais componentes dos dispositivos móveis para auxiliar os usuários reabilitados. Apesar de o escopo de requisitos limitar-se a pessoas que tiveram AVE, testes realizados com desenvolvedores de software de diferentes níveis de experiência demonstraram que o framework agiliza a implementação de soluções diversas, inclusive para pessoas sem deficiência. O framework, que pode ser adaptado para diferentes sistemas operacionais, foi implementado para auxiliar a construção de aplicativos para o sistema operacional Android. / Nowadays, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are equipped with hardware components that can be used to create solutions that support various activities of people with disabilities. For example, the sensors of a mobile phone in the hand of a user with motor disability can be used to identify movements of that users hand and, then, to move an electric wheelchair. Although the use of mobile devices for the creation of accessibility solutions is deeply explored and documented by many researchers, there still is a lack of infrastructures to facilitate the creation of solutions for users with disabilities by relying on the use of the computational resources of mobile devices. This work presents an Android-native framework that provides libraries for the use and integration of the various resources of these devices, such as sensors, microphone and camera, to assist users with motor disabilities. The framework was proposed based on requirements raised by health professionals who work at a Rehabilitation Center that belongs to the State Hospital of Ribeirão Preto (SP, Brazil), where they rehabilitate users with hemiparesis due to stroke. Applications using the proposed infrastructure have been implemented as proofs of concept that demonstrate the possibility of creating solutions that use and integrate the main components of mobile devices in order to assist the rehabilitated users. Although the scope of requirements of our project is limited to people who have had stroke, tests performed with software developers of different levels of experience have shown that the framework speeds up the implementation of diverse solutions, including the ones for people without disabilities. The framework, which can be adapted for different operating systems, has been implemented to help build applications for the Android operating system.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivos investigar a forma de avaliação do ambiente domiciliar de pessoas com deficiência física, com ênfase na atuação interdisciplinar entre terapeutas ocupacionais e projetistas no ato de planejar e executar a acessibilidade desse ambiente; identificar e investigar, se os terapeutas ocupacionais gestores atuantes em reabilitação física fazem uso de algum instrumento de avaliação do ambiente; categorizar a formação de terapeutas ocupacionais gestores que atuam em centros de reabilitação para a avaliação do ambiente; verificar se os centros de reabilitação investigados têm algum procedimento para avaliação do ambiente domiciliar para pessoas com disfunções físicas; analisar as ferramentas de avaliação de desempenho do ambiente utilizadas na Terapia Ocupacional e na Arquitetura. Metodologia: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo e exploratório, com abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa, centrados na pessoa, tendo como cenário: a) Centros de Reabilitação públicos e privados de São Paulo; b) arquitetos especialistas em acessibilidade e c) pessoas com deficiência física que modificaram suas residências. Dividiu-se o estudo em três etapas, a saber: a etapa 1, que consistiu na coleta de dados por meio de um questionário aplicado a terapeutas ocupacionais gestores nos centros de reabilitação de São Paulo; a etapa 2, de questionário aplicado a arquitetos especialistas em acessibilidade da cidade de São Paulo e a etapa 3, de entrevista com pessoas com deficiência física que adequaram sua residência. Para análise dos dados utilizou-se o software de estatística Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS versão 18) da empresa International Business Machines (IBM). Também foi utilisado o recurso Split File (dividir arquivo) para examinar, primeiramente de forma conjunta e depois separadamente, as opiniões dos diversos públicos pesquisados (arquitetos, terapeutas ocupacionais e usuários). Nas entrevistas dos usuários, após a sua transcrição utilizaram-se os aplicativos Sphinx em métodos de análise, caracterizados por análise lexical e aplicação online da IBM ManyEyes para uma visualização sintética das falas dos usuários. Resultados: os principais resultados sugeriram uma necessidade de investimento na formação para atuar na área, para ambos profissionais, arquitetos e terapeutas ocupacionais. A partir das falas dos usuários, identificou-se que, os mesmos destacaram a importância do ganho funcional, a partir da modificação de suas casas. Como conclusão, aponta-se a necessidade de atuação interdisciplinar. A presente pesquisa pretende trazer contribuições para a área de arquitetura, terapia ocupacional e reabilitação de pessoas com deficiências, enfatizando a importância da ação interdisciplinar e tendo como objetivo final, a melhora da funcionalidade e qualidade de vida da pessoa com deficiência em seu habitar. / The present study aimed to investigate: (1) how to evaluate the home environment for people with physical disabilities, with emphasis on interdisciplinary team between occupational therapists and designers in the act of planning and executing the accessibility of this environment; (2) identify and investigate if occupational therapists managers working in physical rehabilitation make use of an instrument to assess the environment; (3) verify if the rehabilitation centers have investigated some procedure to evaluate the home environment for people with physical dysfunctions; and (4) analyze the assessment tools used in the performance environment and Occupational Therapy in Architecture. Methodology: This was a descriptive study, with quantitative and qualitative approach, focusing on the person as a backdrop: a) public and private rehabilitation centers in São Paulo city b) architects, experts in accessibility and c) disabled individuals that had their residences changed ramodelled. The study was divided into three stages: step 1, which consisted of data collection through a questionnaire with managers occupational therapists in rehabilitation centers of São Paulo, step 2- questionnaire answered by architects experts in accessibility from the city of São Paulo and step 3, interviewing with people with physical disabilities who have adapted their residence. For data analysis the statistical software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS versão 18) by International Business Machines (IBM). was used Split File (file sharing) was also applied to examine, first jointly and then separately, the opinions of various stakeholders surveyed (architects, occupational therapists and users). Was used in interviews after their transcription. Results: The main findings suggested a need for further training to work in this specific field, for both architects and occupational therapists. They reported having difficulties in assessing environments with respect to their accessibility, however, the difficulty was higher among occupational therapists. From the statements of users, we found that regardless cost and time to adapt, they report and agree with the importance of the functional gain from the modification of their homes. In conclusion, we present a proposal for interdisciplinary action. This research might provide contributions to the field of architecture, occupational therapy and rehabilitation of people with disabilities, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary action on the improvement of functionality and quality of life of people with disabilities in their dwelling.

For people without speech, voice output communication aids are an assistive technology––but can also be restrictive: whilst Text-To-Speech synthesis can say anything, it affords little choice of how this is spoken. An absence of nuanced tone of voice can inhibit social interaction. This research explores this profound but relatively overlooked issue in augmentative and alternative communication through the lens––with the sensibilities and skills––of interaction design. Tone of voice is such an elusive and intangible quality: difficult for even phoneticians to define, let alone AAC users and carers to discuss in the context of their everyday lives. Therefore the activities of design exploration and design practice have been employed to visualise tone of voice, in order to catalyse new conversations, through two original research projects: Six Speaking Chairs, curated with Andrew Cook, is a collection of interactive artefacts that illustrate alternative models of tone of voice developed by academics and practitioners as diverse as sociolinguists and playwrights;Speech Hedge, created with the assistance of Ryan McLeod, is a visualisation of how someone might interact with nuanced tone of voice using a conventional communication aid in combination with an interface on a smart phone. Audience responses to each project have illuminated the perspectives from which laypeople conceive of tone of voice, challenging the conventional emotional model that dominates speech technology in favour of something more complex and heterogeneous. In order to reconcile such complexity with simplicity of use, design principles have been distilled that could inspire future user interfaces but also inform further research. This research has been published and presented within different academic fields, including design research, interaction design and augmentative and alternative communication.

Com o aumento da expectativa de vida em quase todos os países do mundo, inclusive no Brasil, o número de pessoas idosas vem crescendo de forma considerável. Consequentemente, as doenças degenerativas comuns às pessoas com idades avançadas também tendem a aumentar correspondentemente, tornando doenças, como o Alzheimer, cada vez mais comuns. O cuidado a esses idosos é de extrema importância. Infelizmente, um dos problemas enfrentados pela sociedade, é que o número de cuidadores nesse contexto não segue um aumento proporcional, resultando então em cuidadores altamente sobrecarregados. Acredita-se que o uso de tecnologia para algumas tarefas dos cuidadores (e.g. registro do dia a dia), possa amenizar essa sobrecarga, mas, o que se tem visto é a carência de ferramentas tecnológicas que possam auxiliar nas atividades de cuidado ao paciente idoso. Apesar da importância de estudos nessa direção, poucas iniciativas de pesquisas abordam questões relacionadas às ferramentas tecnológicas para apoiar cuidadores de idosos, sem que essa os traga uma sobrecarga ainda maior. Uma das tarefas que pode ser feita com o auxílio da tecnologia é o registro de informações diárias do idoso, como por exemplo, alimentação, medicação e higiene. A partir das informações coletadas, é possível gerar visualizações que podem potencializar as análises feitas pelos médicos, e consequentemente, prover colaboração entre os cuidadores e os diferentes profissionais de saúde (e.g. psicólogos, nutricionistas, terapeutas ocupacionais, enfermeiros). Com o objetivo de entender melhor as reais necessidades dos cuidadores na coleta das informações do dia a dia, foram conduzidos alguns estudos que consistiam, basicamente, na realização de entrevistas e aplicação de questionários avaliativos. Diante dos resultados obtidos nesses estudos, foi desenvolvida uma ferramenta nomeada Day2Day que utiliza técnicas de visualização de informação e conceitos colaborativos como solução. A fim de avaliar se o Day2Day atingia os objetivos propostos, foi possível implantar a ferramenta em dois ambientes reais distintos, um lar para idosos e duas residências particulares. No total, sete profissionais de saúde fizeram uso da ferramenta por aproximadamente 25 dias, gerando informações diárias de oito idosos. Os resultados dessa avaliação indicam que o Day2Day atende em conformidade com as expectativas propostas, como por exemplo, a redução do tempo gasto para registro das informação. / Nowadays, the number of elderly people has grown considerably is almost every country in the world, including Brazil. Thus, many degenerative diseases that affect elderly people, such as the Alzheimer, also tend to increase and becomme more common. Taking care of elderly is extremelly important, however one of the problems faced by society is the fact that the number of caregivers does not follow this proportional increase, overloading most of the professionals. A possible solution may be the adoption of technology to help elderly caregivers in their tasks, such as recording day to day activities, and addressing these needs in a context where there is a lack of technological tools. Despite the importance of studies in this area, few research initiatives deal issues related to technological tools in order to support elderly caregivers, and in general they bring an even greater overhead in their tasks. One activity that can be done using technological tools is the record daily information of the elderly, such as feeding, medication and hygiene times. From the information collected, it is possible to generate useful views that can enhance the analysis made by doctors, and consequently provide more collaboration among caregivers and different health professionals (phycologists, nursers and so on). In order to better understand the real needs of caregivers in their day to day tasks, interviews and the application of evaluation questionnaires were conducted. Based on these results a so called Day2Day tool has been developed. It uses information from visualization techniques and collaborative concepts. In purpose of assess Day2Day has reached its goals, the tool was deployed in two real different environments: a home for elderly people and two private homes. A total of seven health professionals used the tool for 25 days, producing daily information of eight elderly. The results of this study have shown that the Day2Day tool meets in accordance with expectation proposals, such as reducing the time spent for recording information.

Early reading literacy is foundational to all other academic learning. It is imperative that elementary students with and without disabilities be provided with evidence-based reading instruction. Elementary students with developmental disabilities (DD) and complex communication needs (CCN) benefit from evidence-based reading instruction that incorporates individualized, explicit instruction and appropriate assistive technology. Research to identify evidence-based practices for students with DD and CCN is necessary to assist teachers to close the gap in overall achievement for this group of learners. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of the early reading program Go Talk Phonics (Ahlgrim-Delzell, Browder, &Wood, 2014) that incorporated evidence-based systematic instruction delivered through assistive technology to teach reading to elementary students ( n = 2 ) with DD and CCN. The two participants in this single-case designed study did not make adequate progress toward the objectives of Lesson One of the intervention in order to continue on to Lessons Two and Three. Although the participants in this study were less successful in the objectives of the lesson than participants in the Ahlgrim-Delzell et al., (2014) study, there were differences in the participants, assistive technology, and design of the experiment. Important considerations were revealed when selecting academic interventions for students with CCN and DD. Assessment of broader aspects of the students' skills and literacy experience, as well as differential reinforcement procedures specific to instructional demands may be necessary to see gains from instruction.

Special education (SPED) service providers in the military are often underprepared to use the needed assistive technology (AT) in the classroom. This concurrent mixed-method study sought to explore the attitudes, skills, and quality indicators of assistive technology (QIAT) among 19 currently employed military SPED certified multidisciplinary team members. The conceptual framework of this study was based on the professional learning community model, which holds that the team members work collaboratively to educate the families it serves. All team members completed a quantitative QIAT survey and open-ended questionnaire, and individual qualitative interviews were conducted with a subsample of 8 volunteer staff. QIAT survey data were descriptively analyzed, while questionnaire data were transcribed, open coded, and thematically analyzed. All data were triangulated and member checking and peer debriefing were used to strengthen validity and credibility of the findings. Survey data revealed teachers' willingness to utilize AT in the classroom, although qualitative data suggested that the multidisciplinary team lacked the knowledge to consistently and confidently utilize AT within their classes daily. Additional emergent themes included collaboration, viable resources, unifying guidelines, AT support, training, and guidance. Administrators at the local site can use these findings as guidance in the development of in-service and district AT trainings and support. Through consistent usage of these interventions, the military community can impact positive change in the lived experiences of SPED service providers and the families that it serves.

Dans certaines circonstances, une personne peut être privée de ces capacités à des degrés divers, peut-être en raison de l'amputation des membres, lésions de la moelle épinière ou de maladies dégénératives. Dans ces cas, les appareils fonctionnels sont des outils pertinents pour aider les personnes à améliorer leurs capacités fonctionnelles. Particulièrement adapté dans le cas des personnes atteintes de déficience motrice grave, biosignaux électriques ont été utilisées avec succès pour faire fonctionner les appareils de communication alternatifs. Depuis plus d'un demi-siècle, l'information extraite du signal électromyographique pour operer un dispositif n'a pas examiné les informations fournies par l'unité de base du muscle: l'unité motrice. L'objectif de cette étude est d'examiner comment accéder à l'information au niveau de l'unité motrice permettrait d'améliorer les performances de l'opérateur au cours de la tâche de contrôle du curseur. L'objectif de cette étude est de déterminer si l'accès aux informations au niveau de l'unité motrice permettrait d'améliorer les performances de l'opérateur au cours de la tâche de contrôle du curseur. L'hypothèse est que la méthodologie proposée permettrait de générer des commandes de contrôle plus précises, par rapport aux approches traditionnelles en s'appuyant sur l'information globale obtenue par l'acquisition du signal sEMG conventionnel. Un système pour détecter les potentiels d'action d'unités motrices à partir du signal électromyographique a été conçu, y compris la conception de l'électrode, et la performance évaluée en mesurant le temps pris pour effectuer plusieurs tâches de contrôle du curseur. Les spécifications des tâches ont été extraites d'une étude précédente, qui a utilisé la méthode traditionnelle de traitement du signal électromyographique. La comparaison, basée sur la difficulté de la tâche estimée par la loi de Fitts, a indiqué que le signal de commande généré par la nouvelle méthode a fourni une meilleure précision que celle générée par l'approche traditionnelle, étant 27% plus rapide dans la tâche plus difficile / In some circumstances, a person may be deprived of natural abilities, such as walking and speaking, perhaps due to limb amputation, spinal cord injuries (SCI), or degenerative diseases. Assistive technology devices allows motor-impaired people to overcome their limitations promoting greater independence. Particularly suitable in the case of people with severe motor impairment, electrical biosignals have been successfully utilised to operate alternative communication devices. For over half a century, information extracted from the electromyographic signal for the purpose of operating a given device has not considered the information provided by the basic unit of the muscle: the motor unit. The objective of this study is to investigate how accessing information at motor unit level would improve the operator's performance during a given task. The hypothesis is that the proposed methodology would allow generating more precise control commands, when compared to traditional approaches relying on global information obtained by conventional electromyographic signal acquisition and processing. A system to detect motor unit action potentials from the electromyographic signal was devised, including the electrode design, and the performance evaluated by measuring the time taken to perform several cursor control tasks. The specifications of the cursor control task were extracted from a different study, which used the traditional electromyographic signal-processing approach. Comparing the results from both studies proved that the novel approach provides better control than the traditional one, being 27\% faster in the most difficult task

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