R1 Needs Assessment & Technology Use

Principal Investigator

Wendy Rogers, Ph.D.

Team

Lyndsie Koon, Ph.D., Kara Mumma, B.S/B.A, Elena Remillard, M.S., Shraddha Shende, Ph.D., & Jenny Singleton, Ph.D.

Students

Maya Dye, Erin Heniff, B.S., Kyra Miller, Bethanie Sharp, B.S., & Tooba Umar, MBBS.

Partners

AGE-WELL Canada; Anthem; Association of Late Deafened Adults (ALDA); Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI) Atlanta; Deaf Seniors of America; National Multiple Sclerosis Society; OSF Healthcare; Post-Polio Health International

Overview

From assistive technologies (e.g., wheelchairs, screen readers) to emerging new technologies, such as smart phones applications, and voice-activated assistants (e.g., Amazon Alexa), technology holds great potential to support the health, wellness, and independence of people with long-term disabilities so they can age-in-place in their home and community of choice. For these types of technologies to be effective in supporting aging-in-place, researchers and designers must understand the needs of the people who will use them. Building upon previous research, we are continuing efforts to understand activity challenges in-depth among older adults with long-term vision, hearing, and mobility disabilities. We are expanding participatory research studies, including interviews and surveys, to identify critical technology needs among a larger and more diverse sample of people. This project will provide the groundwork to drive new research and guide the design of new smart technologies, including those being developed in other TechSAge projects.

Woman talking to couple using sign language using video conferencing   blind man touches smart phone with finger

man in wheelchair holding smart phone

Project Status

  • Data collection is complete for the second phase of the Aging Concerns, Challenges, and Everyday Solution Strategies (ACCESS) study. We expanded data collection to three distinct target populations of adults aging with disability: individuals who are late-deafened, individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), and individuals with vision loss (due to macular degeneration or glaucoma). We achieved our goal of enrolling 60 individuals in each group (total N = 180).
  • Check out the ACCESS Study Poster with recent updates.
Screenshot of ACCESS research study poster

 

  • Advice from Others: Hear advice from participants in the Aging Concerns, Challenges, and Everyday Solution Strategies (ACCESS) study on dealing with challenges related to aging with disability.

 

Select Publications

Ramadhani, W., & Rogers, W. A. (2022). Understanding home activities challenges of older adults aging with long-term mobility disabilities: Recommendations for home environment design. Journal of Aging and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1080/26892618.2022.2092929 

Nie, Q., & Rogers, W. A. (2022). Understanding Health Self-Management Challenges and Needs for Older Adults with and without Mobility and Sensory Disabilities. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care, 11(1), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/2327857922111006

Remillard, E.T., Campbell, M.L., Koon, L.M., Rogers, W.A. (2022) Transportation Challenges for Persons Aging with Mobility Disability: Qualitative Insights and Policy Implications. Disability and Health Journal, 5(1), Supplement. Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2021.101209 

Gudur, R., McDonagh, D., Harris, M. T., & Rogers, W. A. (2020).  Design as a catalyst: A pedagogical framework.  22nd International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education. Denmark. https://doi.org/10.35199/EPDE.2020.42 

Gudur, R. R., McDonagh, D., T. Harris, M., & A. Rogers, W. (2020). Sparks of innovation: transforming challenges into opportunities. In K. Christer, C. Craig, & P. Chamberlain (Eds.), Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Design4Health 2020 (1), 162-169. Sheffield Hallam University. https://research.shu.ac.uk/design4health/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/D4H-Proceedings-2020-Vol-1-Final.pdf#page=162 

Nie, Q., Koon, L.M., Khamzina, M., Rogers, W.A. (2020). Understanding Exercise Challenges and Barriers for Older Adults with Mobility Disabilities. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting. 64(1): 1297-1301. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1071181320641308 

Rogers, W. A., Ramadhani, W. A., Harris, M. T. (2020).  Defining aging in place: The intersectionality of space, person, and time.  Innovation in Aging, 4, 1–11 https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaa036  

Koon, L.M., Remillard, E. T., Mitzner, T. L., & Rogers, W. A. (2020).  Aging Concerns, Challenges, and Everyday Solution Strategies (ACCESS) for adults aging with a long-term mobility disability. Disability & Health Journal, 13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2020.100936

Remillard, E. T., Griffiths, P. C., Mitzner, T. L., Sanford, J. A., Jones, B. D., & Rogers, W. A. (2020). The TechSAge Minimum Battery: A Multidimensional and Holistic Assessment of Individuals Aging with Long-Term Disabilities. Disability and Health Journal, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2019.100884 

Bixter, M., Blocker, K., Prakash, A. Mitzner, T. L., & Rogers, W. A. (2019).  Understanding the use and non-use of social communication technologies by older adults: A qualitative test and extension of the UTAUT model.  Gerontechnology, 18, 70-88. https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2019.18.2.002.00

Singleton, J. L., Remillard, E. T., Mitzner, T. L., & Rogers, W. A. (2019). Everyday technology use among older deaf adults. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 14(4), 325-332. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2018.1447609

Remillard, E. T., Mitzner, T L., Singleton, J. L., & Rogers, W. A. (2018). A qualitative approach to understanding user needs for aging with disability. Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Universal Accessibility in the Internet of Things and Smart Environments (SMART ACCESSIBILITY 2018), 18-22. 978-1-61208-622-4  

Preusse, K. C., Gonzalez, E. T., Singleton, J. L., Mitzner, T. L., & Rogers, W. A. (2016). Understanding The Needs of Individuals Aging with Impairment. International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics, 4(2), 144-168. 10.1504/IJHFE.2016.082246

Harrington, C. N., Mitzner, T. L., & Rogers, W. A. (2015). Understanding the role of technology for meeting the support needs of older adults in the USA with functional limitations. Gerontechnology, 14, 21-31. 10.4017/gt.2015.14.1.004.00

Project Alumni

Laura Barg-Walkow, Ph.D.,  Megan Bayles, M.S., Divya Bhookya, Faith Burnham, Alyse Bondarowicz, B.S., Patricia (Suzanne) Eastwood, B.S., Christina Harrington, Ph.D., Rebecca Goneh, Saahithya Gowrishankar, B.A., Maurita Harris, M.S., Jordan Hartley, MPH, Rob Kistenberg, M.S., Christopher Kovac, B.S., Lisa Le, B.A., Jennifer Lee, B.S., Jade Marks, Tina Nie, Ph.D., Brian Pastor, M.S., Kimberly Preusse, M.S., Ahmad Rathor, B.S., Arijana Sovsic, Emily Spoolstra, Rachel Stuck, Ph.D., Shreya Vellala, Amy Wing-Lam Chong, M.S., Renee Alnoubani, & Widya Ramadhani, M. Arch.

 

 

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