Fortnightly review: Environmental control systems for people with a disability: an update

It is of great importance that disabled people should have sufficient help to achieve their potential.There are many ways of reducing handicap.Aids for mobility and communication are well known, but the use of "environmental control systems" is less well described. 1he collaboration of technologists, engineers, therapists, and medical staff has led to the development of systems that enable people with a wide range of impairments to control their home environment and offer some choice to the individual (R S F Schilling, unpublished). MethodThis review is based on a literature search in late 1995 and was financed by the NHS research and development programme for people with physical and complex disabilities.In view of the paucity of publications on the subject, we used a wide range of sources.We searched the following on-line and CD ROM databases: Medline, CINAHL, PsychLIT, BIDS, ASSIA PLUS, ERIC.We included early work on environmental control systems and case reports to give a historical perspective.We have highlighted the technological aspects of equipment design by including papers on microelectronics and robotics.We also included several official publications to provide an insight into the organisational aspects of provision of environmental control systems.Finally, much valuable information came from personal contact with colleagues interested in environmental control systems, disability organisations, and manufacturers.