Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
ATA process is drafted here to better understand how to set the practice according to the
target. In fact, psychologists can usefully contribute to the professional team during the
six steps of the ATA process, working on representations and thereby improving service
effectiveness.
8.7.3.1 The User
The user who comes to a center for technical aid has his or her own representation of the
center and of the service provided, which sets his or her requests, behavior, attitudes, and
expectations. This representation will influence his or her relationship with the profession-
als of the center, hindering or facilitating their work. Hence, the psychologist could start
his or her work from the incoming user request for technical aids. He or she should explore
which needs pushed the disabled user to ask for technical aid at that particular moment
of his or her life. If the professionals take for granted the answer to the user's request, the
intervention will be focused on the user's disability rather than on the representation he
or she has of his or her problem. Accordingly, only the “bio” and “social” dimensions of
disability are focused on, omitting the “psycho” dimension, which influences the way that
the user builds his or her own relationships.
The user's representation of the service provided by the center determines his or her
request. In fact, two users with the same disability can differently represent their prob-
lems and expect a different reaction (service) from the center. Therefore, one of them could
focus on the right he or she has to obtain the technical aid because of his or her disability,
setting his or her request as a claim for damages and pretending reparation from the pro-
fessionals. The other could focus on his or her passive and dependent role because of his
or her inability, limiting extremely his or her participation and complaining and distrust-
ing professionals. Both of these users would not benefit entirely from the service and the
professionals would probably face difficulties in working with them, being limited in their
effectiveness by the users' representations.
Integrating the ATA process with psychologists that are trained to seize, interpret, and
make representations more functional could facilitate the professionals' work and make it
more effective. In fact, psychologists can work on users' representations of the center for
technical aid and of the disability, promoting a functional development of their represen-
tations so as to facilitate their active participation in the process.
8.7.3.2 The Family
Families also have their representations of the center and of the disability, which can hin-
der or facilitate the disabled user and increase or decrease center effectiveness and the
professionals' work. Some families are overprotective whereas others are less protective.
They might have expectations overestimating or underestimating the outcomes, which
will condition their relationship with the disabled user and the professionals.
In fact, relatives' representations of disability can help or limit the disabled person's
independence, influencing their expectations of his or her abilities. In some rehabilitation
centers performing ATA, a day's role play session has been set up to put relatives in the
same condition as the person with the disability, helping them to face the same challenges
(Greco in press). At the end of the day, participants have an interview with a psycholo-
gist aiming to reorganize their representations of disability. This process helps relatives
to develop a more functional representation, overcoming their fears about disability.
