At the occasion of the PhD defence of Lorenzo Desideri, the Centre of Expertise of Innovative Care and Technology of Zuyd University in the Netherlands organised a Mini-Symposium. The aim was to explore current innovations in technology applied to developmental disabilities, and to address the challenges associated to technology-based interventions for both service delivery and policy development.
This event took place at October 21, 2015 in Maastricht for a group of ~30 persons. Researchers of the Centre of Assistive Technology in Bologna (Italy) and of the Centre of Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare in Sheffield (UK) were attending the meeting. And of course researchers, therapists, students and therapists working in the area of children with disabilities in the Netherlands.
I had the permission of Serenella Besio and Pedro Encarnação to present the work of LUDI at this meeting, although it was not an official dissemination action. I’ve talked about LUDI’s objectives, the interdisciplinary transnational European cooperation and the work of the different working groups.
The LUDI presentation was fitting in this discourse with interesting research projects about assistive technology service delivery, and the use of robots to stimulate play for children with disabilities.
The summary emphasized the need to support use and service delivery of assistive technology with research data. There are currently quite some concerns about the hugh technological developments and the difficulties for users to get the devices and services, as well as limited evidence based data to support the use of assistive technology devices. We received the suggestion to explore the connection of LUDI database to Eastin (European Assitive Technology Information Network http://www.eastin.eu/en-GB/searches/products/index )
More info rianne.jansens@zuyd.nl
Rianne Jansens
LUDI WG 2 leader