Integrating assistive technologies: current practices and future possibilities

Many people with multiple impairments need to use a powered wheelchair, voice output communication aid, environmental control, and access information technology. Integrating and mounting such assistive devices on a powered wheelchair can be time-consuming, expensive and result in compromised performance. This paper offers a concept of assistive device integration, based around a continuum ranging from wholly discrete systems to fully integrated systems. Using practical examples, advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to integration along this continuum are identified, particularly with regard to control characteristics of different types of assistive technology. Limitations of current practices and technologies are discussed and measures suggested to enable systems to achieve better integration.