The match between the demand of everyday technology in public space and ability to use everyday technology: a comparison of people with acquired brain injury and controls

The accessibility and usability of everyday technology (ET) i.e., mechanical, technical, electronic artefacts and services as cell phones and internet based service can be considered as condition for participation in most... [ view full abstract ]

The accessibility and usability of everyday technology (ET) i.e., mechanical, technical, electronic artefacts and services as cell phones and internet based service can be considered as condition for participation in most tasks in the digitalized society of today. The aim was to determine and compare levels of perceived access to and difficulties in the use of common ET in the public space between people with acquired brain injury (ABI) with different functional outcome and controls. Method: The Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (ETUQ) was used to investigate access to and difficulty in the use of 14 ETs commonly used in the public space in a sample with ABI (n=59) and matched controls (n=52). Rash-generated measures from the ETUQ were used in comparison statistical analyses. Result: The access to the ETs was high in both groups. Difficulties in the use of ET differed significantly between the controls and those with ABI in eight of the fourteen examined ETs. The difficulties were more pronounced in those who were more severely disabled following the ABI. Conclusion: The people with ABI had as high access to ETs in the public space as the controls. However, the match between the users with ABI and the demand of ET was not always optimal as they had significantly more difficulties compared to the controls. To enable participation and inclusion in the digitalized society it is not only important to provide access to ET but also consider the usability.