Biomedical Engineering Reference
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other to propel the chair. Technology levels the playing field, a point often
made in reference to computer access technology. As one study participant
indicated [ 5 ]:
“We are all given the exact same abilities in the digital environment ... And when
you are online, nobody knows you have a disability so it [the disability] never really
comes into it—it has a very big appeal to me.”
When technology is viewed as a tool, as something that is a necessary and
integrated part of daily life, it becomes an enabler of activity. However, far
too often, technology is seen as a reminder that the user cannot participate
in their community as they wish.
2.2.2 Assistive Technology as a Visible Sign
of Disability
When assistive technology is perceived to signal to others that the user is
disabled, it can become a barrier to participation in daily activities or be
abandoned. The technology reinforces a discrediting attribute and enhances
the perception of stigma. The technology becomes the focus of attention
rather than the person using the technology. The influence of the technol-
ogy on others' perceptions is seen in the following quote by a 22-year-old
university student [ 5 ]:
“People see the chair and make certain perceptions and there's certain understanding
of what it means to be disabled.”
Some people will avoid the use of technology and either not go to certain
community locations or, if they do so, will limit what they do because they
do not want to be seen as someone with a disability. The following quote
from a 25-year-old social worker illustrates this point [ 5 ]:
“the other night...I chose to like suck it up and walk the best I could without my
cane, because I would rather them not see me like that.”
Similar ideas were expressed by people who refused to use a white cane or a
powered wheelchair because of the image of disability these devices conveyed.
AT can be seen as a source of isolation in a number of ways. It can
physically isolate the user as in the experience of a woman who reported
that she and her husband were located in a back corner of a restaurant, out
of sight of other patrons or when people who use wheelchairs are relegated
to specific areas of a theatre or stadium that are accessible, but that do
not necessarily allow them to sit with their companions. Technology such as
augmentative and alternative communication devices or wheelchairs, by the
nature of their design and use, are an actual physical barrier between the user
and others in their environment, reinforcing a state of liminality.
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