Abstract:

Previous research (e.g. Atack et al., 2019) provided evidences of the benefits of deinstitutionalization and community living on the quality of life of people with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). The current accent to the rights of people with ID to pursue autonomy and participation in society (see the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006), emphasizes the need to rethink the concept of accessibility. In that sense, a flourishing line of research investigates how technologies may help in supporting the autonomy of people with ID (e.g. Evmenova et al., 2018). Many attempts are made to increase the use of technologies in order to make the contexts of life more accessible, not only from the point of view of the physical access, but also in terms of access to knowledge. However, previous literature lacks an evidence-based investigation, and a participatory research approach is missing.

This study aims to present a participatory research methodology through which people with disabilities are involved in the co-construction of strategies that can facilitate independent life in community living through the use of recent low-cost devices (i.e. Google home with video display). The study was carried out with 2 participants with ID, who have lived for about a year in an apartment designed for independent living. Participants were tested through a focus group aimed at investigating:
(i) their motivation in introducing technology for supporting their daily life management;
(ii) what difficulties they usually encounter in managing autonomy;
(iii) and how technology could help solve these difficulties.

From the analysis of the focus groups a strong enthusiasm emerged from the participants in the use of technology for supporting autonomy in independent living. When asked about the difficulties they usually encounter in daily life and which are the main reflections on how technologies may help in overcoming the listed obstacles, three main thematics have emerged:
(i) the difficulties in recovering procedural information (i.e. how to prepare a recipe) could be supported by the possibility of having instructions;
(ii) the difficulties in recovering specific information that obstacle the appropriate management of work and medical aspects, could be exceeded, for example, by the possibility of having time reminders before appointments;
(iii) the difficulties in managing frustration, could be overcome by the possibility of receiving positive thoughts, encouragements.

This exploratory phase allowed an analysis of the obstacles that people with ID usually encounter in the independent living and their ideas and perceptions on how the proposed device could help in supporting their autonomy. In the next research phase, the subjects will participate to the co-planning of the contents for the device. The contents will be created using an easy-to-read language (e.g. see http://easy-to-read.eu/?page_id=17) and the written information will be accompanied by significant images for supporting learning and memory processes. The present study emphasizes the importance of a participatory approach in the creation of inclusive strategies and tools that favor the construction of an accessible environment, whose purpose is to offer to the majority of people the most appropriate tools for access to knowledge, and to each the possibility of expressing one's own potential.

Keywords:

Intellectual disability, independent life, autonomy, technologies.