Assistive technology education for end-users: guidelines for trainers

This book - also known as the EUSTAT Guidelines - is intended for people who organise and carry out educational programmes for end-users of Assistive Technology (AT). These may be user organisations, self-help groups, rehabilitation or social services, mixed user and professional organisations, or AT providers. The book helps reflect about establishing priorities, focusing goals, and clarifying the role of AT in the users’ empowerment process. It also offers methods and tools for designing and implementing educational initiatives. This book is divided into six chapters. Chapter One (Guidelines in brief) clarifies the objectives of this book and the intended readership. It also offers a general overview of the concepts explored in the other chapters, so it can be used as a checklist for organisers of educational initiatives. Chapter Two (Basic concepts) clarifies some basic terms related to disability and AT that educators should know before undertaking any educational initiative. Chapter Three (Setting objectives and adopting methods) helps organisers of educational programmes to set objectives, label them according to a consistent terminology, and take decisions about priorities and critical factors. Chapter Four (Organising educational initiatives) addresses the organisation of educational initiatives, including the design process, the selection of topics to cover, pedagogical methods and styles, and practicalities. Chapter Five (Gearing to the audience) discusses factors to consider so as to meet the learning pace of trainees and ensure that the knowledge delivered will be useful in their daily life context. Chapter Six (Case studies) offers three case studies that may be useful as concrete examples of educational activities for end-users. These are based on experiences carried out by three EUSTAT partners in Belgium, France and Italy in 1998.