Assistive Technology Studies (ATS)

Assistive Technology, is any device or product, that can have a range of technical complexity from none to high, used by a person with special needs to improve and maintain their functioning for themself and in any environment. The term 'Assistive Technology' also includes device or product related services that are crucial to sustained use by the persons with disabilities (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/assistive-technology). 

Today, there are many assistive technology products and devices for various areas of functioning as required by specific disabling conditions. There are many companies that make and sell these assistive technology products. There are research labs in institutes that work on R&D for assistive technology products. There are government schemes that work to provide access to assistive technology products to persons with disabilities who are in the lower socio-economic range in the society. There are also philanthropic organizations who sponsor assistive technology products to persons with disabilities who need them but cannot afford them. 

With the burgeoning numbers of assistive technology products, and the grassroots situation of users unknown, many questions come up. For example: 

1. To what extent are people with disabilities in the society aware of assistive technology products?

2. To what extent are people with disabilities in the society having access to assistive technology and / or related information?

3. How well are families of persons with disabilities aware of the benefits of assistive technology?

4. What is the role of assistive technology for persons with disabilities? Is it working as a remediation or a compensation? 

5. How can we know whether users are actually benefitting from using their assistive technology products?

6. What challenges and barriers do users of assistive technology products face?

Assistive Technology Studies (ATS) at Agate Infotek is establish with the goal of ensuring that all individuals who may be benefitted in anyway through use of assistive technology must be able to acquire, access and sustainedly use it, thereby, live a life with full participation and inclusion for themselves and in the society. Towards this, it undertakes and collaborates with other similar-minded organizations on address the above and many other issues regarding assistive technology. 

We are currently embarking on a pilot project to understand the grassroots levels status of need and use of assistive technology products as well as develop and implement a system to provide assistive technology services, the crucial but least addressed companion of assistive technology products. 

Any researcher or research scholar interested in pursuing assistive technology related studies is welcome to connect with us. The various ways you can connect with us are:

• Collaborator

• Participant

• Internship