Everyone, regardless of ability or disability, deserves the right to an education, gainful employment and basic services, such as access to transportation to get where they need to go. Read how two different SHRS programs are using assistive technology to reduce barriers and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, both today—and in the future.
Human Factors Engineering: Rethinking the Transportation of the Future
In his new Inclusive Mobility Research Lab, Assistant Professor Clive D’Souza, Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, is re-imagining how technology works for people, especially in the field of transportation.
“We know that transportation is important to everyone,” notes D’Souza. “Whether they use buses or cars or curb-to-curb services such as the ACCESS vans seen around Pittsburgh, people rely on transportation to get to work or pick up groceries—or to take them places where they can have important social interactions.”
“Transportation as we know it can be a big barrier to people achieving their goals and needs,” he continues. “By collecting evidenced-based data and employing human factors engineering methods, we can influence how the transportation industry moves forward to ensure that everyone, including those with disabilities, can access safe and reliable transportation.”
D’Souza is currently focusing on automated driverless shuttles—a specific category of shared-use automated vehicles (AV). “The concept driverless shuttles we’ve evaluated to date are not ADA compliant. They don’t consider if and how individuals with disabilities will use them,” says D’Souza. “Furthermore, we have shown that for the automated vehicle industry to retrofit AVs would not be cost-effective and might result in unsatisfactory tradeoffs in vehicle performance.”
“We are convinced accessibility must be considered from the onset. The end goal is inclusive design.”
Clive D’Souza
Through his current research, D’Souza wants to work with end users and transform the data he is collecting into design information that AV manufacturers, standards developers and policy makers can use.
A full-scale mockup of an automated driverless shuttle stands in his lab. “We are taking a person-centered approach,” he continues.
The shuttle is completely reconfigurable, so engineers and scientists can study how users across a range of disabilities might interact with driverless vehicles in order to shape the design of these vehicles. Technologies to accommodate passengers with different needs consider wheelchair clearances and different ramp slopes for entry/exit, even in-vehicle information displays—all in an effort to make transportation of the future accessible for everyone.
D’Souza’s work bridges the gap between what people use and need, and the information engineers and designers can use toward addressing those needs. For example, he says while some people might initially not feel safe using a driverless vehicle, they might feel safer if there were an onboard attendant, either an actual person or technology that could provide help if needed.
“A person serving as an onboard attendant might have completely different skills than today’s bus or shuttle driver, skills that are more focused on assisting the passenger,” notes D’Souza.
“These new technologies provide us an opportunity to think differently about travel and mobility for all.”
Clive D’Souza
He is already working with the U.S. Access Board, a federal agency that helps inform new ADA standards for accessible design.
Caitlin Bowman, a student in the Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics program, shares D’Souza’s excitement. She helped to develop a survey about the current use of transportation in Pittsburgh and barriers to accessibility.
“There is such an unmet need for affordable, reliable, accessible and safe transportation for individuals with disabilities,” says Bowman. “I have seen this firsthand from my prosthetic and orthotic patients, and from my own experience and that of my family.
“Once you see this need, it’s hard to ignore. Creating technology that is accessible from the start, rather than being made accessible as an afterthought, will ease access to care and increase justice and access to medical and rehabilitation care for everyone, not just persons living with disabilities,” concludes Bowman.
You can learn more about D’Souza’s research at www.includable.org.
Reducing Barriers to Post-Secondary Education and Employment
Victoria Huston, graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, says she recently felt a fire spark deep inside her to work in the rehabilitative side of counseling.
“I have fallen in love with puzzle-piecing together solutions to find assistive technologies that are the best fit for people with disabilities,” explains Huston.
At the Center for Assistive and Rehabilitation Technology (CART), Huston helps to evaluate the needs of students at the Hiram G. Andrews Center (HGAC) in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where students have a variety of physical and cognitive disabilities.
Counseling program, helps a client at the Hiram G. Andrews Center.
HGAC is the first and largest vocational rehabilitation facility in the state. It provides quality individualized post-secondary education through the Commonwealth Technical Institute. Pennsylvania’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) refers individuals with disabilities to HGAC for pre-employment transition and support services as they pursue their goals of employment and independence.
“Operating in a world that is inequitable is often discouraging for these individuals.”
Victoria Huston
“However, once they are introduced to assistive technologies that can provide them with equal opportunities for success, many students report gaining confidence in their strengths and are more willing to advocate for themselves in the future,” she continues.
Jamie Kulzer, associate professor, Counseling, says CART provides the expertise needed to keep ahead of the changing face of rehabilitation.
“CART provides access to assistive technology that HGAC students might not have had before,” explains Kulzer. “If a student has difficulty typing, for example, CART can provide a modified keyboard or special software that converts text to speech. That can make all the difference in the world as to whether or not that individual can succeed in an academic class or in a particular job.”
She continues, “We just need to eliminate the barriers to their success.”
CART Coordinators Roger Little and Tamra L. Pelleschi with Assistive Technology Specialist Chad Schaffranek provide evaluations to determine an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, environment and goals in order to help them perform activities of daily living. This includes helping them improve their computer access and assists with executive functions such as memory and organization.
“Everything we do is personalized to the needs of our clients,” notes Little, who also serves as an instructor in Pitt’s Counseling program. “Although we offer a wide range of accommodations, we want to make sure our clients choose the ones that work best for them. We stock a ‘loaner closet’ full of devices that students can borrow, based on our recommendations. They try them out before they request a purchase through OVR.”
“Connecting people with technologies has a profound impact on their lives.”
Jamie Kulzer
In addition to cognitive and learning technologies, CART offers evaluation and training in wheelchair seating, home and worksite evaluations and modifications, including ergonomics, low-vision, pre-driving and accessibility assessments.
