Implementing Assistive Technology on Wearable Computers

The article presents the author's work in developing assistive technology for disabled users. He makes a case for wearable computers and focuses on design strategies that accommodate the users' changing needs. He points out that what might seem perfectly intuitive to a young rehabilitation engineer designing assistive devices might not be intuitive at all to a disabled or elderly person experiencing a serious loss of function for the first time. When designers understand the complex nature of disabilities, they're more likely to meet the disabled users' needs. The author describes impaired people's needs and offers design strategies to accommodate them. He presents his research on developing and testing a wearable computer-based orientation and wayfinding aid for the severely visually impaired.