The project involved a comprehensive study into the effects of motor, visual and process skills when using switch access technology, the development of a new SAM tool and supporting materials including online training and a certified course for clinicians, therapists, special educators and researchers.
Switches are assistive technology interfaces used by people living with physical disability that offer critical independence and can be used for a range of different purposes, including accessing technology for communication, accessing the internet for research and schoolwork as well as social media, controlling a powered wheelchair or lighting and appliances in the home.
Switches vary in design and purpose depending on how the user activates them using part of their bodies including hands, head, elbows, and feet. For some users, using switches, eliminates the need to use a computer keyboard or mouse.
Prior to the SAM, there was no standardized or reliable method to inform the switch type and set up that works best for a client, and trialing switch set-ups was time consuming and a costly process.
As a result of Novita’s Switch Access Measure (SAM) project, over 90 clinicians and special educators (nationally and internationally) have completed the SAM training and now have a reliable tool to measure switching skills of children with physical disabilities and any change in skills over time, to support them to achieve more independence in their community.
More information can be found via the NovitaTech website - Switch Access Measure | NovitaTech
Links to publications/websites:
Nguyen, T., Tilbrook, A., Sandelance, M., & Wright, F. V. (2021). The switch access measure: development and evaluation of the reliability and clinical utility of a switching assessment for children with severe and multiple disabilities. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 18(5), 673–684. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2021.1906961
Presented at Australasian Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AusACPDM) 9th Biennal Conference and Australian Assistive Technology Conference (AATC).