Tutorial eight: Assistive technology

A couple of weeks ago in Participation in Occupation, we had a visit from Dave Speden (you may have heard of him – ex male model??). Dave had quite a dramatic life change and now works at Kimi Ora School as an OT. Kimi Ora is a school for kids who have quite severe disabilities.  They get not only top notch education, but access to intensive therapy daily. As the OT there, Dave works a lot with assistive technology, enabling the kids to engage in their meaningful occupations as independently as possible.

What is assistive technology?
Assistive technology refers to a “broad range of devices, services, strategies, and practices that are conceived and applied to ameliorate the problems faced by individuals who have disabilities” (Cook & Hussey, 1995). It's used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Check out this site  which has specific reference to assisstive technology and kids. Basically, assistive technology is any piece of technology which helps people with a disability to engage in meaningful occupation and get the most out of their lives as independently as possible. It covers things such as communications devices, switching devices, wheel chairs and mobility aids, computer programs and heaps more. 

Switching devices
....are extremely cool! They were probably the simplest thing we were introduced to in our sessions with Dave, but I just LOVE how much they can turn a child’s life around: fostering independence, ownership of activities and communication. Watch this video:

 

!!!!!!!!!

We've been asked to give you a quick run down of the size, cost and function of switches. They come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes, depending on their use and the individual. For a switch to be usable, the individual must have consistent and reliable movement in one body part. Switches can be large for individuals with poor gross motor control who can move their arm or hand, smaller and less resistant for those who can move a finger, head mounted so all the individual has to do is move their head slightly, or attached to the skin and sensitive to an eye-brow twitch. They come in various shapes, colours, textures and resistances. For kids with sensory difficulties, the switches may be texture to encourage feeling and manipulation. There are switches that talk to you when pressed, light up or play music.


This website has quite a good cross section of all the different sorts of switches available in NZ.

 

I haven't been able to find specific prices, but Dave says switches can be really affordable, and go up in price depending on requirements.  Here is a website for one of the leading switch supplier in NZ (DTSL), where you can look at the huge variety of switches provided, and request a quote. 

Basically, the OTs job is to find the best switch for the individual, and tailor it to their needs. Dave focused on how important it is for us as OTs to be client-centred, and gave us the best approach for this when looking at assistive technology:

Student (physical, cognitive, emotional)
Environment (physical and social)
Tasks (they want to participate in)
Technology/Tools (must be the last decision: not the first)

I guess there is a risk of us turning into magpies, and getting so excited by a shiny new piece of technology that we forget that it doesn't matter how flash or cutting edge the technology is, if it doesn't actually do for the client what the client wants to do, it's not actually that useful. 

References 


A1 Wheelchair Solutions (2008). Switching. Retrieved from http://www.a1wheelchairservices.co.nz/A1_Wheelchair_Services_2007_Ltd_Switching.php 

Cook, A., & Hussey, S. (1995). Assistive technologies: Principles and practice. St. Louis: Mosby. 


DTSL Assistive Technology (2011). Home/capability switches. Retrieved from http://assistive.dtsl.co.nz/category/87-capability-switches.aspx

Kimi Ora School (2009). Kimi Ora School. Retrieved from http://www.kimiora.school.nz/

McKenzie Centre (n.d.). What is assistive technology. Retrieved from http://www.mckenziecentre.nzl.org/41/pages/5-assistive-technology

'misterfehr' (2009). Assistive technology: Enabling dreams. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ5CkpgVQJ4

Tutorial six: Online communities

What is a community?

My dictionary defines community as “body of people living in one district; the public; joint ownership; similarity” (“Community,” 2000). To me, a community is a group of people with something in common that threads them together: who do life together. 

We have been asked to choose a topic of particular interest, from an OT practice area, a fieldwork experience, or a personal occupation. Last week at polytech we had a guest speaker, Anna Baker, who was instrumental in designing and developing a new active movement program for pre-school age kids called Headstart. I am so glad I went – what a learning opportunity!! Although I have no idea what area of OT I want to practice in (it changes weekly), I loved hearing Anna’s story. She works with a complete cross-section of children and their parents, and has become totally involved in her community. Therefore, for this blog post I’ve decided to focus on online community within the realm of “paediatric OT”. Sweet!

1.       http://www.facebook.com/pages/Head-Start-active-body-active-brain/149008228465262?sk=wall#!/pages/Head-Start-active-body-active-brain/149008228465262?sk=wall

So the first community I’m looking at is Anna’s Facebook page for the Head-Start group. I can’t claim any epic scholarly reasoning or explanations – Anna talked about the purpose of being on Facebook on Wednesday. The group has an info page for prospective Head-Start parents and those interested in the service. It seems like a really good networking and publicising tool. It’s also a means of keeping in touch with parents throughout the week. 

Services provided
Like I said, the Head-Start group is really informative for those interested in finding out about the service. It links them to the main website, provides enrolment details and links to theory that backs up the practice. More than just being purely informative, this group is really all about community.
Anna talked about the potential for motherhood to be quite isolating when you have small children. None of us were created to do life by ourselves; rather, we’re here to build each other up and do life together. The interactive Facebook group is a really modern and effective way of doing this. While mothers may not have the energy or time to meet up with other mothers and friends, Facebook is pretty much always at their fingertips.  It’s a really interactive site in which the mum’s can communicate with each other and with the service coordinators anytime. Anna and the other coordinators update the statuses regularly, and parents can comment on these. They can get access to each other’s personal Facebook pages, chat as a group in the chat function, or use the discussion forums. The contributions I’ve seen are really varied. There’s lots of feedback on the activities offered at the program, questions about logistics, feedback on their child’s performance, encouragement and topics for further discussion.  

Why it’s used and the benefits
As the online communities learning package (reference) outlined, online communities can often supplement real-life communities. I’d assume that this is the main reason for why people chose to contribute here. While it may not be feasible to meet up during the week to bounce ideas off each other and talk about the things that matter, or feedback on the programme, it gives the mums a means to do this that is accessible to them. This is the core benefit of the online community. The other benefits are that potential parents have access to lots of information – and fast! They can also get a real sense of the community atmosphere that’s created by the Head-Start coordinators and parents just by flicking through the site. They can silently observe and suss out the community for themselves before pursuing it further.  The information is very reciprocal – Anna does a lot of posting and questioning, but many parents reply and have discussion with coordinators, and amongst themselves. This is another huge benefit – Coordinators of the program can make announcements in the form of status updates which are immediately available.

This is an example of how the site is used - Mum feeding back on their session and getting some feedback from the therapists.

The ethical issues and the negatives
The negatives of this community are few, but mainly tied very closely with ethical issues. The one that stands out to me comes back to social justice (see Tutorial one). The digital divide is present even in our Dunedin society, and with such a strong online community, are the parents that don’t have access to the Facebook group disadvantaged in anyway? The other big negative about many discussion type websites is the lack of quality information and the potential for misinformation. Anna has this well sorted, as program coordinators seem to use the Facebook page on a very regular basis. 

2.        http://community.advanceweb.com/blogs/ot_4/default.aspx

This is one of the blogs that is included in the Advance OT Website. It states its purpose as being a place to share “therapy ideas & strategies, inspirational stories, and offer a place to discuss the challenges and inspiration that comes with working in the paediatric occupational therapy field” (Spoor-Hof, 2011).

Services provided
This site isn’t as interactive as the Head-Start site. It is the blog of a paediatric OT, who shares lots of her insights and challenges. Comments are left on blog posts, which trigger discussion. I guess you could think of the blogger as a bit of a mentor who provide examples of her own practicing experiences to inspire and challenge other OTs. 

Why it’s used and the benefits
The benefits are much the same as for the Head-Start Facebook group, although the blog doesn’t contain information pertaining to a specific event. It can be used as an educational and support tool for practicing OTs, and a trigger for discussion surrounding issues in paediatric OT.

The ethical issues and the negatives
As this blog isn’t about a particular service, the info provided is much more subjective. Content isn’t monitored by the Advance website, it is just trusted that the OT is knowledgeable. Unlike journal articles, the blog isn’t peer-reviewed – so could be slightly misinformative or bias. I guess there is room for some breaches of privacy if a case is looked into and the client or family are able to draw parallels between themselves and the blog post. This would need to be monitored carefully. The blog is a professional development tool, but must still respect the privacy and rights of clients/families.

2.        http://www.facebook.com/DanaJohnson.OT?sk=app_6261817190#!/DanaJohnson.OT?sk=info

                          and

           http://www.autismchildtherapy.com/

This is another Facebook page and website which are all about an OT who is working with children who have autism and their families. 

Services offered
Just like the above!!  Dana also includes heaps of links to new research and sites of interest. This may trigger discussion and expand on people’s understanding of topics.

Why it’s used and the benefits
This is getting quite repetitive!! The benefits are much the same, and as this is a public Facebook group everyone can find out more about Dana’s work in paediatric OT. It comes across as more accessible than the Advance OT blog, as it’s on a more mainstream website and doesn’t include screeds of writing. Dana uses her website to link with the families she works with and other OTs interested in the field.

The ethical issues and the negatives
Of all the online communities I’ve looked at, this appears the most ‘professional’ for want of a better word. The Facebook page and website don’t look at specific case studies, so there isn’t so much risk of breaches of privacy. The sites are not designed to take the place or complement a physical community, so no issues arise around this.

References

Anonymous. (2011). Head start – active body, active brain. Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com   /pages/Head-Start-active-body-active-brain/149008228465262?sk=wall#!/pages/Head-Start-active-body-active-brain/149008228465262?sk=wall

Community. (2000). In L. Gilmour (Ed.), Collins pocket dictionary and thesaurus. Scarborough: HarperCollins Publishers/

Johnson, D. (2011). Dana L. Johnson, MS, OTR/L: Pediatric occupational therapy services - Tampa Bay area. Retrieved from http://www.autismchildtherapy.com/

Johnson, D. (2001). Pediatric occupational therapy - Dana Johnson. Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/DanaJohnson.OT?sk=wall

Spoor-Hof. (2011). A pediatric perspective. Retrieved from http://community.advanceweb.com/blogs/ot_4/default.aspx

Tutorial Four: Making Videos!

Tutorial four required us to make our own silent film. Two of my flatmates are studying film and TV and are both extremely talented camera men and editors, so the opportunity to have a wee go myself was pretty exciting! The given theme was "Overcoming Adversity". We had a very limited time frame to both film and edit the movie, as my group all missed the first film tutorial and had the 1 and a half hour catch up session to do just that. What a good effort!!

Before filming, we did a very rough story board. Following Mike's expert advice, we started with an establishing shot and then zoomed in a bit closer. We could have done a few more close ups in retrospect to show variation in the shots and demonstrate our pro creative ability. Never mind. It was definitely good to start off with an idea of what we were going to be producing and how the shots were going to follow on, as it meant we didn't get a whole host of random shots which had to be edited out.

Our group worked together extremely well as a team, which was very cool. Editing was lots of fun, I almost had an identity crisis and thought maybe I wasn't in the right field. Then I remembered I don't really like computers... it was a good experience anyway =)

Tutorial Five: Videos!

YouTube is like a great big library of videos. Any video you want, you can pretty much find it on YouTube. YouTube is a medium for sharing and viewing videos. Every day people like you and me can upload videos on to it, of anything from an online tutorial to a blog to a home video. When someone types in one of your chosen key words, BANG! Up pops your video for all the world to see.  Of course, some videos are slightly more legal than others. No one really has a problem with you posting a video of you having a rant about Brittany Spears (other than the fact it’s ridiculously annoying) or a unicorn excursion to Candy Mountain (see previous parenthesis). However, if you did want to watch Harry Potter, I’m sure you could – but watch the guilty conscience that comes from stealing a movie (you WOULDN’T steal a car...)

YouTube can be used for aaaaaaall sorts of purposes. It can be very educational. If you don’t believe, see my second blog posting. Now tell me you don’t get what OT is! Ha! There are even more educational videos that teach you about anatomy, maths, chemistry....
Some people use YouTube as a way to keep in touch with family and friends – as a blogging medium in a way. I think this would be a much more energy efficient way... if you were prepared for every man and his dog to hear all the ins and outs of your life.
There are lots of online tutorials on YouTube. I quite like that random people, out of the goodness of their hearts, choose to share some of their knowledge with me. It was YouTube that taught me to play ‘Need You Now’ by Lady Antebellum on the guitar one day when I was bored. It was YouTube that taught me how to change the direction my pois were swinging in one day too.
YouTube is great if you want to listen to a song you don’t have, or see the video clip. Avid fans of different TV shows often upload old episodes, so you never have to run behind on Home and Away.
Some people use YouTube to get famous (think Rebecca Black). Gosh.

I have been asked to share with you five videos linked to a topic of interest (of mine, obviously). I don’t really use YouTube an awful lot, but when I do it’s usually for music purposes. I do like music. I am going to show you how clever I am and embed a  video in this post – then I’m going to list the others as hyperlinks underneath. This is for space conservation (I’m all about trees), and to show off my multidimensional blogging skills.

The above video my brother introduced me to in the holidays.I love it a lot. Man, some people are clever!!

Check out the following links too...

Always - Mia Fieldes

I love this song - it's the most beautiful prayer.

Firework & Grenade - Sam Tsui

They actually fit really well together!!

Phil Collins/Gorilla

As if Phil Collins wasn't cool enough anyway...!

Love Song - Scouting for Girls

These guys have a song for every occasion. Love it!

Oh dear.... time for bed!

Personally, I though this was hilarious. Maybe a sign of my sleep deprived state?

Q: How many Occupational Therapists does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: None. We’d teach the lightbulb to change itself.

HAHAHAHAHA!

Tutorial seven: Links to other blogs

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Check out how I managed to make links to a list of other people's blogs!! Thanks James!

To your right is a list of blogs that I tracked down, and quite enjoyed reading/didn't really read but thought looked interesting/useful.

Pip's OT Blog

I have to link to another class mates blog, so I thought I'd link to Pip's. Pip is really cool. I like her. Well, really I just like the fact that someone is fighting an even greater internal battle against blogging than I am. 

(B)e(LO)n(G), OT

Loooooook at all those exciting links!! This an American OT, who even links to Merrolee and Linda Robertson's blogs. This means they must be very important. Gosh! It also has quite nice content. Skim through it.

Advance OT

This is an online community which links to lots of different blogs. All about OT! Next time I'm bored, I'm going to find some really exciting ones to link you directly to. This site is cool, as people post about whatever they feel compelled to, so there's heaps of content and useful information about all different aspects of OT. As student OTs and new grads, we're going to need the guidance of older, more experienced therapists. This online medium is a great way of accessing resources. I like it.

Kat and Mike's blog

This blog has been put together by Mike, who's wife has a big CVA four years ago. It is such an insightful look into their journey through acute care, rehabilitation, faith, all the different medical disciplines, and OT! (Of course!!) It's really cool for us as OT students to get an inside look at what our clients go through, and how we can impact on their lives both positively and negatively.

Mark and Jo's Nepal Mission Trip

This is the blog that I linked back to in Tutorial 2. Mark and Jo are from NZ and are working at a hospital in Nepal. How exciting!! Check out  this website to find out more about the hospital.

OT around the world

This OT is also working over seas. It's a bit outdated, but I get excited at the prospect of working overseas where we're reeeeeeaally needed. Bring it on!

Otago OT

Here goes another of our famous lecturers!

Set a Man on Fire…

I like the title!! Go to his blog before you judge... it's not actually about being a pyromaniac. This guy is from NZ, and an OT honours student. His dissertation is about Web 2.0 and blogs. So that is VERY relevant to us. Read it.

Confessions of an OT Nerd

This is another really good blog for learning from more experienced OTs. It's really cool reading about the dilemmas and breakthroughs that real-life OTs have, so we can learn from them and be challenged by them.

OT Student Blog
This is one of the Advance OT blogs. It's so cool to read about another OT students experience of her study's. Even though she is studying in the US, it's so reassuring to see that some of the questions, excitements, stresses and wonders I have are not something I'm alone in. And it's also just really excited to read about other people who are so passionate about their field.

Thanks bye!

Tutorial Two: Digital imaging

 Up the top, right under my description, you’ll see a row of five pictures. They’re all attached to awesome memories of various adventures. But, yes, they do have more relevance than that to my blog! They are examples of digital imaging – the focus of this week’s blog. 

What is digital imaging? 

Wikipedia is SO good at this defining business... what a shame we can’t use it in assignments!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_imaging
There’s also a really good YouTube video that introduces digital imaging. It won’t let me imbed it into my blog, so follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBH3dPYfsLc  

Basically, digital imaging is the creation of computerized images and how they are used. 

Hardware and software
Digital imaging utilises lots of software and hardware. One of the tutorial tasks this week is to give you a quick rundown of the software and hardware that I am comfortable using. I was going to provide a nice bullet-pointed list for your viewing pleasure, but then realised I’d already answered this question in the previous post. Please see “Technology and Me!” below. 

Record keeping
Humans are record keepers. When I was overseas on my gap year, uploading photos onto Facebook was an awesome way to share my adventures with family and friends at home. I really struggle keeping a journal as I tend to get so carried away and write so much that I never have enough time to sit down and write. Popping a couple of photos on from each notable thing I did in an album meant Mum could log on to MY Facebook and get excited about whatever I was doing. I would link you to it, except all my settings are private. Sorry! 

I’m pondering whether I want to go on a “medical mission” over the summer when I graduate. Check out http://markandjoinnepal.blogspot.com.These guys are working at one of the hospitals I think it would be epic to be at, which specializes in leprosy. In a month, the OT and physio departments see an average of 200-250 outpatients and about 60 in-patients. They use lots of photos to show their family, friends and anyone else who’s interested what they have been up to and the new world they’ve found themselves in. 

“A new technology is rarely superior to an old one in every feature”
Really? This is a controversial statement, which I think has pretty weighted arguments both ways. In order for me to have photos to share with Mum and Dad when I was overseas, I needed to purchase a digital camera. Yes… there are some extremely flash looking ones out there. Mum was very amused when I decided I’d quite like to take up photography, and thought I needed a camera with a “nose”. I later learnt that “lens” was more the correct term. And so the hunt for a camera began. I was amazed at the variation in image quality, usability and price. I found a camera I was really happy with – which far outshines the family camera Mum and Dad brought a few years ago for the same price. However, out of the twenty odd cameras I looked at, only one had a view finder. The shop assistants assured me they really were becoming a thing of the past for entry level cameras, that I’d get used to using the digital screen, and that this was the only camera on the market for less than $1000 with a view finder. I had to compromise and decide that a better camera without a viewfinder was probably preferable. It took a while though – I really like the idea of having the option of having a view finder! I also quite like chunky things, as I have a tendency to drop things. A lot. Camera’s are rather expensive, and don’t like to be dropped. It was difficult finding a camera that didn’t feel like I could just snap it in half in an angry fit. Not that I ever get angry…
The other thing I have noticed is that with digital cameras and computers and photo programs is that I had to make a conscious effort to compile a photo album. I love looking through Mum and Dad’s albums of when we were little. They had no choice but to get their photos printed. It’s so easy for me to just load them on the computer, clog up my hard drive and carry on.
All in all, technology does progress and without a doubt get better. But in the constant striving for superiority, do we lose some of what makes technology unique and useful?  

Ethical issues
Digital technology is so prevalent and so easily shared, so it’s not surprising there are so many ethical issues that surround it. Remember how Google thought it would be a good idea to take aerial photos of the whole world, and make your house available for the world to see? I think it’s a brilliant idea! But as we saw last time, there are some pretty enormous breaches of privacy when people are caught off guard, or when the photos aren’t censored and made ambiguous enough.

Without starting big law suits and corporal ordeals, have you ever felt like your privacy has been breached by digital imaging? The ability to tag people in photos of Facebook is a brilliant idea if you’re a supermodel and consistently take wonderful photos. However, I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes there are photos you just don’t want the world to see!

And… The use in OT
There are heaps of examples of ways digital technology can be used in OT practice.
I saw blogs the other day that were created specifically for students at school. Their teachers and therapists recording all the significant learning experiences and daily happenings on here, so their families could be kept in the loop and comment on posts.

Digital images can be a really good outcome measure when practice as an OT. They can record where a client was to begin with, and how they have progressed.

Digital images can be used as a therapy tool if the occupation of photography is meaningful to the client.
Digital images are also gold in provider websites. An OTs job may include lots of equipment prescription, and as we constantly strive to better our practice, OTs are always on the look out for better technologies.  I really enjoyed browsing the following sites, which are just a couple of examples of how OTs may source their equipment. Having a photo makes the product much more sellable for the retailers, as we can be impressed by the fabulous design or colours, and really get a feel for the piece of equipment.

• Medifab New Zealand  - Medifab is one of the big equipment providers in NZ. OTs make requests either privately, or more often than not, through a funding organisation to provide their clients with the best possible equipment.
• Ministry of Health Equipment List - A list of all the MoH approved equipment provided through accessable, the funding organization for if you live in the Auckland/Northland reigon. 

Alice out =)