Date: Monday, July 24, 2023 11:00 AM- Monday, July 24, 2023 12:00 PM
Location: RESNA Conference 2023
New Orleans Marriott
555 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
Lead/Instructor: Lauren Kennedy, OTD (Thomas Jefferson University)
Session Author: Lauren Kennedy, Kimberly Mollo, PhD, Alia Boynton, OTD, Danielle O'Connell, Sarah Chu, BSEd, OTD, Eric Schneider, MS, Tod Corlett, MID, IDSA
Effective assistive technology (AT) development requires knowledge of materials, design, and how to meet user needs. Occupational therapy (OT), a health profession that enhances participation in daily life, promotes insight in user-centered design. Interdisciplinary co-design combines the skills of OTs and designers to meet end-user needs. Collaboration rates remain low, despite the promising outcomes from research in co-design approaches.
This session presents evidence-based practice guidelines for collaboration between OTs and designers. Presenters will outline a theoretical framework, educational modules, and share practical applications, developed during a 9-month embedded educational program between OTD and MS industrial design students in the design of assistive technology for individuals with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), a genetic disorder that causes hardening of the ligaments, tendons, and muscles leading to progressive immobility.
Learning Objectives:
- 2 benefits of interdisciplinary education between occupational therapy and design fields.
- By the end of this program, learners will be able to structure an interdisciplinary collaborative design process in order to increase the usability of assistive technology.
- By the end of this program, learners will be able to identify 2 existing barriers to cultural inclusivity in multidisciplinary projects and 1 feasible solution for each barrier identified.