Service Delivery System in Europe: Position Paper 2013

The purpose of this paper is to indicate a framework for exploiting the role of assistive technology (AT) in supporting care and participation of people with disabilities and elderly people through appropriate service delivery systems (SDS). The first chapter (Background) discusses the reasons why the Scientific Society AAATE and the EASTIN Association deemed useful to produce a position paper on this issue, based on the findings of an international workshop held in Copenhagen in 2012. The second chapter (The scope of an AT SDS), discusses the concept of assistive solutions – intended as individualised interventions providing users with appropriate environmental facilitators (AT products, personalised environmental modifications, personal assistance) to overcome disability and enable participation in all aspects of life – and the mission of a SDS – ensuring that all people with disabilities can access appropriate assistive solutions that are able to support autonomy in their life environment. The paper also points out that AT service delivery policies should be well coordinated with accessibility policies i.e. those related to infrastructural interventions ensuring that the mainstream environment, products and services are usable by all people, including those with reduced function or who depend on assistive technology. The third chapter (Basic features of an AT SDS) discusses why public SDS are needed for AT, what the main AT SDS models are, and how a SDS process can be described and monitored in terms of quality. The discussion is organised into answers to eight research questions. The last chapter (Some recommendations) provides a number of useful recommendations for those who are engaged in the design, development and implementation of AT SDS policies. The recommendations are clustered round the six SDS quality indicators suggested by the European HEART Study: Accessibility, Competence, Coordination, Efficiency, Flexibility, User Influence.