Date: Monday, March 20, 2023
Category: General Session
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.