FAQ
The field of assistive technology and the EASTIN search engine
The field of assistive technology is an Interdisciplinary field of expertise that traverses sectors, disability groups, age groups, professional groups, and branches of trade. The field continuously constitutes itself in relations to and in interaction with the general societal and technological development. An assistive product is a product that optimizes a person’s functioning and reduces disability (cf. ISO 9999, 2022). This definition is based upon a dialectic understanding of the notions of functioning and disability, in which functioning encompasses the human properties and skills as a precondition to an ideal for the interaction and potentials for interaction between the individual and the environment, while disability encompasses human properties and skills being limited in relation to same ideal (cf. ICF, 2001, WHO). Thus, an assistive product can be a product produced and marketed as an assistive product or a mainstream product with characteristics, which in a given context contribute to optimizing a person’s functioning and reducing a disability. Hence, assistive products are not limited to products provided according to a certain part of legislation, or products included in a specific directive. The provision of assistive products is a process that ideally leads to a person acquiring an assistive product that optimizes the person’s functioning and reduces disability. The provision of assistive products encompasses the uncovering of the problem, selection, adjustment, counselling, and provision of assistive products including appropriate follow-up. The stages are part of the provision process and require professional knowledge and practical experience apart from the use of therapeutic, educational, and health professional methods. Accessibility for persons is about facilitating access to performing activities, to living independently, and to participating in society and social life.
Universal design represents a principle of design directed towards human diversity and focused on solutions that meet various personal needs. Universal design is about designing the environment, services and products, diminishing barriers for activity and participation, and reducing the need for assistive products. Thus, we are dealing with a dynamic interplay between accessibility, design, and the utilization/development of assistive products in relation to an ideal society with optimum opportunity for activity and participation for all. The international standard for classifying assistive products is "ISO 9999: Assistive products - Classification and terminology". The last version was published in 2022. All products and related information in EASTIN are classified on the basis of this standard. The ISO 9999 classification has three levels: Each level of the ISO 9999 classification has a numerical code. The first two digits represent the class, e.g., “12”, represents “Assistive products for activities and participation relating to personal mobility and transportation”. The first four digits represent the subclass, e.g., “12.22” represents “Manual wheelchairs" and six digits represent the division, e.g., “12.22.18” represents “Push wheelchairs”. You are free to include the link to the EASTIN search engine (https://www.eastin.eu/) within your website or other digital media (online documents, social media etc.). However, you can also do much more. EASTIN offers a powerful method to activate product searches from your website or media, by simply including links having the following syntax: https://www.eastin.eu/la-CU/searches/products/list?iso=XXYYZZ where "la-CU" stands for a valid code of "language-culture" (see the language-cultures recognized by EASTIN in section "change language") and "XXYYZZ" stands for a valid code of the ISO 9999:2022 classification of assistive products. For instance: https://www.eastin.eu/nl-BE/searches/products/list?iso=122306 returns all products found by the EASTIN search engine on the current date, belonging to ISO category 12.23.06 (Electrically powered wheelchairs with electronic steering), displayed in the Belgian variant (culture code "BE") of the Dutch language (language code "nl") https://www.eastin.eu/en/searches/products/list?iso=122306 returns the same results in the culture-independent version of the English language (language code "en"). The same can be done for searching Companies: https://www.eastin.eu/la-CU/searches/actors/companies/list?iso=XXYYZZ Articles: https://www.eastin.eu/la-CU/searches/associatedinfo/articles/list?iso=XXYYZZ Case descriptions https://www.eastin.eu/la-CU/searches/associatedinfo/casedescriptions/list?iso=XXYYZZ Ideas: https://www.eastin.eu/la-CU/searches/associatedinfo/ideas/list?iso=XXYYZZWhat is an assistive product?
What is provision of assistive products?
What is accessibility?
Assistive products and assistive technology provision can contribute to enhanced accessibility by making adaptations.What are ISO 9999 codes?
How to link to EASTIN?
