Develop Technological Interventions to Overcome Barriers to Independence and Community Participation TASK GROUP DESCRIPTION Background

Technology has and will continue to affect people in different settings with different levels of functioning. The setting may be at home, providing personal support and help for daily living. It could be a neighborhood, where the systems help a person to engage in community activities. Or it could be more societal, where a person commutes to work and contributes to society through employment. In each setting, technology may provide different forms of functionality: enhancing dexterity and mobility, helping with some home chores, supporting aspects of memory, coaching through particular job functions, and helping to drive vehicles, for example. In other words, technology may touch almost all aspects of human living. Initial Challenges to Consider • Identify technological interventions needed for people to continue to live active lifestyles and to support healthy aging with a disability. • What are the barriers (social, cultural, socioeconomic status, policy, clinical) to using current and future technologies? • Where can technology be applied most effectively for education, monitoring, healt