Extrinsic Enablers of Assistive Technology

The use of assistive technology has boomed over the past few years. Rapid development of many technical devices has increased advancement considerably. Many people however, are concerned that professionals who are involved in recommending particular extrinsic enablers of assistive technologies are not completely understanding of these devices and their potential uses.

For clarification, extrinsic enablers of assistive technology simply refers to an assistive device or service that represents someone helping someone in one form or another by using one or a variety of assistive technologies.

These may be technologies that aid in motor output of communication, mobility, the use of motor skills or any number of other devices that help people with difficulties to lead a more normal existence.

Many people remain concerned that it is often too difficult to predict the level of skill that an individual will attain using specific technologies because the person in question will be influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

This leads to concerns that people may become so dependent on assistive devices that they will soon lose focus of what they can actually do without the device. They become so dependent on the device that they are no longer an individual themselves but a collaboration of person and technology.

Even with these concerns it has been proven over and over that extrinsic enablers provide a basis for which human performance can be improved when they are dealing with specific disabilities. Consumer assistive devices include a wide range of products from shower seats to mobility scooters.

These devices help people with disabilities to function more independently giving them back the freedom of movement and independence that many lost when they became disabled. Mobility scooters are a widely popular assistive device that many elderly and disabled individuals use frequently to enjoy movement that they simply could not accomplish without the use of their extrinsic enabling assistive device.

In most disability cases it is best to determine just what the individual can do on his/her own without any help from others or assistive devices. Using this information will help greatly in determining which assistive technologies are best used with specific individuals.

Simply deciding that one device is best for all would be like assuming that everyone in the world can thrive on a particular food. Each individual is different and what may work brilliantly for one disabled individual may not work at all for another.

Choosing among the available assistive technologies and keeping in mind what the individual can do instead of what the disability typically takes away, will help greatly in determining which devices should be used by particular individuals to give them the freedom of mobility that they need.

The physical components of the disability in general will need to be considered, however. For instance Polio, although not a threatening disease in many areas now, may be widespread in some places.

The disease itself impairs movement and mobility in many people. Taking into account what the disease actually destroys will also aid in finding an assistive device to help the individual with their mobility difficulties.

With the research and development of new extrinsic enablers of assistive technology currently being conducted, and taking into account the growth that many have seen in this industry over the past several years, it becomes a question of what new devices are being developed and how these devices will enable those with disabilities to lead a more normal life in terms of mobility and many other aspects.