Hasil untuk "Vocational rehabilitation. Employment of people with disabilities"

Masoume Pourmohamadreza-Tajrishi, Rohollah Mirzaee, Bagher Ghobari Bonab

Objectives: Numerous studies have documented the effectiveness of play therapy in helping children modify their thoughts and behaviors. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral play therapy (CBPT) in addressing internalizing problems in children aged 8–10 years.  Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test and post-test design with a control group, involving 391 students selected through cluster sampling. Students were assessed using the child behavioral checklist (CBCL), multidimensional anxiety scale (MASC), and child depression inventory (CDI). Among 153 students whose scores were T≥63 in CBCL, ≥60 in MASC and ≥18 in CDI, 42 individuals diagnosed as having internalizing disorders through the psychiatric interview and assigned randomly and equally to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group attended 14 therapeutic sessions (once a week, 45 minutes each session) and received CBPT, but the control group did not. After the last session, all participants were reassessed using the CBCL, MASC, and CDI. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results: The results showed that the internalizing behavior problems of the experimental group reduced after attending CBPT sessions. According to the eta coefficient, 40%, 69%, 69%, 72%, 55%, and 62% of the variation in internalizing behavior problems and their factors (anxiety/depression, withdrawal/depression, somatic complaints [SC]), anxiety, and depression in the experimental group were due to participating in CBPT. Discussion: It can be concluded that the CBPT is a useful therapeutic technique to reduce internalizing behavior problems and their negative effects on academic performance in 8–10-year-old children.

Valerie Sinason

No abstract available.

Claudia Valderrama-Ulloa, Ximena Ferrada, Felipe Herrera

Accessible housing plays a vital role in promoting independent living and quality of life for people with disabilities. However, the existing design standards often fail to address the specific needs of diverse disability groups. This study aims to establish architectural and habitability criteria for housing adapted to various disabilities, including wheelchair users, individuals with achondroplasia (little people), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Down syndrome, individuals with visual and hearing impairments, and older adults, by integrating international frameworks and prior research. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to prioritize key factors in the housing design. The factors analyzed included autonomy, independence, safety, comfort, communication, and mobility. Findings reveal that autonomy consistently emerged as the most relevant criterion across groups, particularly for older adults (61.8%), wheelchair users (83%) and little people (64%). Secondary priorities varied: mobility was emphasized by wheelchair users (77%), communication by visually impaired individuals (64%), and comfort by deaf and hard of hearing participants (43%). The results underscore the need for housing solutions that reflect the priorities of each disability group. This study contributes by validating user-centered design criteria and offering a framework to guide inclusive housing policies and practices. By highlighting needs, it bridges the gap between generic accessibility standards and design. These findings support policy development and enrich the literature by incorporating unique resident-centered perspectives and overlooked indicators of housing accessibility and inclusive residential design.

Maozeng Zhang, Ke Shi, Huijun Li et al.

Stroke-induced motor impairment often results in substantial loss of upper-limb function, creating a strong demand for rehabilitation robots that enable safe and transparent physical human-robot interaction (pHRI). Variable stiffness actuators are well suited for such applications. However, in most existing designs, stiffness is coupled with the deflection angle, complicating both modeling and control. To address this limitation, this paper presents a variable stiffness actuator featuring decoupled stiffness and output behavior for rehabilitation robotics. The system integrates a variable stiffness mechanism that combines a variable-length lever with a hypocycloidal straight-line mechanism to achieve a linear torque-deflection relationship and continuous stiffness modulation from near zero to theoretically infinite. It also incorporates a differential transmission mechanism based on a planetary gear system that enables dual-motor load sharing. A cascade PI controller is further developed on the basis of the differential configuration, in which the position-loop term jointly regulates stiffness and deflection angle, effectively suppressing stiffness fluctuations and output disturbances. The performance of prototype was experimentally validated through stiffness calibration, stiffness regulation, torque control, decoupled characteristics, and dual-motor load sharing, indicating the potential for rehabilitation exoskeletons and other pHRI systems.

Tamim Ahmed, Zhaoyi Guo, Mohammod Shaikh Sadid Khan et al.

Through participatory design, we are developing a computational system for the semi-automated assessment of the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) for stroke rehabilitation. During rehabilitation assessment, clinicians rate movement segments and components in the context of overall task performance. Clinicians change viewing angles to assess particular components. Through studies with clinicians, we develop a system that includes: a) unobtrusive multi-camera capture, b) a segmentation interface for non-expert segmentors, and c) a rating interface for expert clinicians. Five clinicians independently captured 1800 stroke survivor videos with <5$\%$ errors. Three segmentors have segmented 760 of these videos, averaging 20 seconds per segment. They favor the recommended camera view $>$ 90\%. Multiple clinicians have rated the segmented videos while reporting minimal problems. The complete data will be used for training an automated segmentation and rating system that empowers the clinicians as the ratings will be compatible with clinical practice and intuition.

Amir Yunus, Peng Rend Gay, Oon Teng Lee

This study examines the development and deployment of a Generative AI proof-of-concept (POC) designed to support lecturers in a vocational education setting in Singapore. Employing a user-centred, mixed-methods design process, we co-developed an AI chatbot with lecturers to address recurring instructional challenges during exam preparation, specifically managing repetitive questions and scaling feedback delivery. The POC achieved its primary operational goals: lecturers reported streamlined workflows, reduced cognitive load, and observed improved student confidence in navigating course content. However, the deployment yielded unexpected insights into student learning behaviours. Despite enhanced teaching processes, performance data revealed no significant improvement in overall student assessment outcomes. Deep analysis of interaction logs identified concerning patterns, including self-efficacy-driven dependency, "metacognitive laziness" (cognitive offloading), and divergent usage strategies. While high-ability students leveraged the tool for strategic verification, low-ability students frequently used it to bypass cognitive effort, potentially exacerbating performance gaps. These findings suggest that Generative AI's educational influence extends beyond instructional efficiency to shape cognitive engagement, self-regulation, and learner equity. The study raises consequential design questions regarding how AI tools can be engineered to minimise dependency, scaffold metacognitive development, and calibrate support across varying ability levels. We conclude that while Generative AI can substantially enhance the teaching experience, achieving meaningful learning gains requires rigorous attention to learner behaviour and the equitable design of AI-supported environments.

Tianle Ni, Xiao Chen, Hamid Sadeghian et al.

This paper proposes a tele-teaching framework for the domain of robot-assisted tele-rehabilitation. The system connects two robotic manipulators on therapist and patient side via bilateral teleoperation, enabling a therapist to remotely demonstrate rehabilitation exercises that are executed by the patient-side robot. A 6-DoF Dynamical Movement Primitives formulation is employed to jointly encode translational and rotational motions in $\mathbb{R}^3 \times \mathit{S}^3$ space, ensuring accurate trajectory reproduction. The framework supports smooth transitions between therapist-led guidance and patient passive training, while allowing adaptive adjustment of motion. Experiments with 7-DoF manipulators demonstrate the feasibility of the approach, highlighting its potential for personalized and remotely supervised rehabilitation.

Selidji Caroline Tossou

In this paper, I investigate the 2017 labor market reform in Benin, which reduced firing costs and allowed firms to renew short-term contracts indefinitely. Using micro-data from the Harmonized Household Living Standards Surveys and a two-way fixed effect approach with nearby countries as the control group, I assess the reform's impact on employment, worker tenure, contract types, and wages. My empirical results reveal a 2.6 percentage point (24.5 percent) increase in formal sector employment and a 2.8 percentage point (3.2 percent) reduction in informal employment. Formal sector tenure decreased by 0.23 months for short-term contract workers, reflecting higher turnover, while long-term contract tenure increased by 0.15 months. The likelihood of securing a permanent contract rose by 23.2 percentage points (41.6 percent) in the formal sector, indicating that firms used long-term contracts to retain high-productivity workers. Wages in the formal sector increased by 33.6 USD per month on average, with workers on short-term contracts experiencing a wage increase of 19.6 USD and those on long-term contracts seeing an increase of 23.4 USD. I complement these findings with a theoretical job search model, which explains the mechanisms through which lowered firing costs affected firm hiring decisions, market tightness, and the sorting of workers across sectors. This study provides robust evidence of labor market reallocation and highlights the complex trade-offs between flexibility, employment stability, and wages in a developing country context.

Frank Elavsky, Marita Vindedal, Ted Gies et al.

Accessible design for some may still produce barriers for others. This tension, called access friction, creates challenges for both designers and end-users with disabilities. To address this, we present the concept of softerware, a system design approach that provides end users with agency to meaningfully customize and adapt interfaces to their needs. To apply softerware to visualization, we assembled 195 data visualization customization options centered on the barriers we expect users with disabilities will experience. We built a prototype that applies a subset of these options and interviewed practitioners for feedback. Lastly, we conducted a design probe study with blind and low vision accessibility professionals to learn more about their challenges and visions for softerware. We observed access frictions between our participant's designs and they expressed that for softerware's success, current and future systems must be designed with accessible defaults, interoperability, persistence, and respect for a user's perceived effort-to-outcome ratio.

A. C. Florence, Reilly Mulcahy, Jennifer L. McLaren et al.

Mohammad Hani Mansoori, Mohammad Karimizadeh Ardakani, Mitra Omidi et al.

Objectives: The visual system plays a crucial role in controlling the posture of individuals by updating information on the positions and movements that different parts of the body perform. This study aimed to investigate and compare the role of vision in balance recovery strategies between healthy, prone to injury, Coper, and chronic ankle instability (CAI). Methods: The current research was of an applied and comparative type, which was conducted on male athletes in the age group of 18 to 30 years. Subjects were divided purposefully into four groups including CAI (n=15), Coper (n=15), prone to ankle injury (n=15), and healthy group (n=15). In this study, treadmills were used to create disturbance in the subjects’ postures in both anterior and posterior directions, and Kinovea software to record kinematic information about subjects during sudden disturbances. Paired t-test was used to compare the scores of the subjects in open and closed eyes. Results: The results of the paired t-test showed that in the variables of ankle oscillations, hip oscillations, and the ratio of the hip to ankle oscillations in both anterior and posterior disturbances in the groups of CAI, Coper, prone to injury, and healthy, there was a significant difference between open eyes (P=0.001) and closed eyes (P=0.001). The order of most fluctuations in all variables was from CAI group to Coper, prone to injury, and healthy, indicating the greater effectiveness of balance recovery strategies by eliminating visual feedback in the CAI group. Discussion: To summarize the research findings, compared with uninjured and Coper participants, those with CAI had less balance and more functional limitations. Therefore, in training programs for ankle sprain rehabilitation, special attention should be paid to balance recovery strategies and the role of visual feedback to control posture.

Brigitte J. Clark, Willene A. Holness, Ruth T. Nyamadzawo et al.

Background: The immediate implementation of early childhood education (ECE) for children with disabilities in South Africa and Kenya has been impeded by obstacles. Major gaps in implementation remain. We investigate, firstly, the widely held, but in our view fallacious, belief that the implementation of inclusive ECE can be progressively realised only when there are available resources. Secondly, we examine the other fallacious belief that children with severe and profound intellectual disabilities are ineducable, and thirdly, the belief that the provision of inclusive ECE is merely a regulatory governmental function, implying that accessibility and reasonable accommodation requirements for children with disabilities do not rest primarily on the state. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the gaps in both countries between the policies and legislation and effective implementation, to show that these gaps are exacerbated by the perpetuation of these fallacious beliefs and by information vacuums at governmental level. Method: A critical analysis of inclusive ECE was undertaken on relevant law and policy processes in both countries to expose both governments’ reasons for their lack of effective implementation of inclusive ECE. Results: The factors contributing to the lack of immediate and significant implementation of inclusive ECE for children with disabilities in both countries have been investigated. Conclusion: Accountability and transparency need to be implemented at the governance level to ensure that both governments fully implement and prioritise inclusive ECE. Contribution: This article establishes that mistaken premises and information vacuums may be used by governments in an attempt to renege on their international and constitutional obligations to implement inclusive ECE.

Maryam, Abdur Rahman, Salah Uddin Khan et al.

This study explores the relationship between self-esteem and body image in individuals undergoing disability rehabilitation, focusing on gender differences and program implications. The research aims to understand the impact of participation in rehabilitation programs on self-esteem and body image perceptions. A purposive sample of 104 participants, including 52 men and 52 women, was divided into two groups based on their participation in rehabilitation programs. The study utilized the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Body Image States Scale, and the Body Shape Questionnaire as assessment tools. Statistical analyses, including correlation tests and independent samples t -tests, were conducted to analyze the data. The results revealed a significant correlation between self-esteem and body image, with notable differences between participants engaged in rehabilitation programs and those who were not. Gender-specific variations were also observed in self-esteem and body image perceptions. This study discusses the implications of these findings for disability rehabilitation programs and suggests future research directions while acknowledging study limitations.

Mohammad Rezaul Karim, Md Irfanul Haque Siddiqui, Abdulaziz K. Assaifan et al.

Nanomaterials are revolutionizing prosthetic device development. Nanotechnology has made prosthetic devices that replicate natural limb behavior and respond to users’ intentions possible. Nanomaterials improve prosthetic functionality, comfort, and lifespan. Nanocomposites, smart sensors, and medication delivery systems have addressed mechanical strength, control, and biocompatibility, resulting in enhanced prosthetic devices that improve user freedom, mobility, and quality of life. Biomedicine and materials science have helped nanomaterials reach their full potential, enabling their seamless integration into prosthetic devices and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations that advance prosthetics. The literature study shows substantial advances in nanomaterials for prosthetic devices; however, various gaps in present research and possible future research areas are indicated. First, long-term biocompatibility studies are needed to understand nanomaterials’ long-term effects on humans. Nanomaterial-based prosthetic devices must be tested and researched to assure safety and efficacy in real-world situations. Second, nanocomposites and nanoscale components must be standardized and quality-controlled to enable consistency and scalability in prosthetic devices. Third, nanoscale sensor and neural interface ethics must address privacy, security, and user consent issues. The nanomaterial-based prosthetic devices must be made more inexpensive and accessible to more disabled people. The study design was carried out to incorporate significant literature on the application of nanotechnology related to prosthetic devices. The literature was filtered from the Scopus database. The selected literature belongs to the original articles in which experimental work was carried out. Future research could combine nanotechnology with other developing technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics to produce more advanced and adaptable prosthetic devices.

Harshul Brahmbhatt

Objectives: This is a need assessment study conducted on wheelchair users with limited locomotion ability in the legs in the Ahmedabad urban region in India. The results describe the unmet needs in the indoor and outdoor settings. Even though India is a large country with huge diversity in local climate and terrain and big socio-economic disparity, need assessment studies for assistive technology across various socio-economic or with region specificity are extremely scarce. Accordingly, this study aims to understand the needs and requirements of mobility assistive technology users that are not met by their current devices. Methods: Data from 69 participants having physical disabilities were collected through interviews and 6 of the participants were video-tapped to observe their daily routine. Meanwhile, a qualitative analysis of the collected data was carried out. Results: The analysis highlights problems of participants, such as working in the kitchen, inability to perform everyday indoor tasks, inaccessibility of toilets and public transport, etc. Discussion: A mixture of qualitative and quantitative data analysis showed that the major features that the Indian wheelchair users wanted were the ability to adjust the height of the chair, the ability to reach objects without too much maneuvering of the wheelchair, ease of transfer from wheelchair to toilet seat and back and also meet outdoor needs. Hence, a wheelchair that can be used in both indoor and outdoor settings is one of the most imminent needs for such wheelchair users.

Jiri Mekyska, Katarina Safarova, Tomas Urbanek et al.

Graphomotor and handwriting disabilities (GD and HD, respectively) could significantly reduce children's quality of life. Effective remediation depends on proper diagnosis; however, current approaches to diagnosis and assessment of GD and HD have several limitations and knowledge gaps, e.g. they are subjective, they do not facilitate identification of specific manifestations, etc. The aim of this work is to introduce a new scale (GHDRS Graphomotor and Handwriting Disabilities Rating Scale) that will enable experts to perform objective and complex computeraided diagnosis and assessment of GD and HD. The scale supports quantification of 17 manifestations associated with the process/product of drawing/ handwriting. The whole methodology of GHDRS design is made maximally transparent so that it could be adapted for other languages.

Etienne Joubert, Charlotte Sève, Stéphanie Mahévas et al.

Conservation measures are implemented to support biodiversity in areas that are degraded or under anthropogenic pressure. Over the past decade, numerous projects aimed at rehabilitating a fish nursery function in ports, through the installation of artificial structures, have emerged. While studies conducted on these solutions seem promising on a very local scale (e.g., higher densities of juvenile fish on artificial fish nurseries compared to bare port infrastructures), no evaluation has been undertaken yet to establish their contribution to the renewal of coastal fish populations or their performance compared to other conservation measures such as fishing regulation. Here, we used a coupled model of fish population dynamics and fisheries management, ISIS-fish, to describe the coastal commercial fish population, the white seabream (Diplodus sargus) in the highly artificialized Bay of Toulon. Using ISIS-Fish, we simulated rehabilitation and fisheries management scenarios. We provided the first quantitative assessment of the implementation of artificial structures in ports covering 10% and 100% of the available port area and compared, at population level and fishing fleets level, the quantitative consequences of these rehabilitation measures with fishing control measures leading to strict compliance with minimum catch sizes. The rehabilitation of the nursery function in ports demonstrated a potential to enhance the renewal of fish populations and catches. When the size of projects is small the outcomes they provide remain relatively modest in contrast to the impact of regulatory fishing measures. However, we have demonstrated that combining fishing reduction measures and rehabilitation projects has a synergistic effect on fish populations, resulting in increased populations and catches. This study is the first quantitative assessment of fish nursery rehabilitation projects in port areas, by evaluating their effectiveness in renewing coastal fish populations and fisheries and comparing their outcomes with fishing control measures. Small-scale port-area nursery rehabilitation projects can support fish populations, but are less effective than controlling fisheries.

Hansa Srinivasan, Candice Schumann, Aradhana Sinha et al.

Capturing the diversity of people in images is challenging: recent literature tends to focus on diversifying one or two attributes, requiring expensive attribute labels or building classifiers. We introduce a diverse people image ranking method which more flexibly aligns with human notions of people diversity in a less prescriptive, label-free manner. The Perception-Aligned Text-derived Human representation Space (PATHS) aims to capture all or many relevant features of people-related diversity, and, when used as the representation space in the standard Maximal Marginal Relevance (MMR) ranking algorithm, is better able to surface a range of types of people-related diversity (e.g. disability, cultural attire). PATHS is created in two stages. First, a text-guided approach is used to extract a person-diversity representation from a pre-trained image-text model. Then this representation is fine-tuned on perception judgments from human annotators so that it captures the aspects of people-related similarity that humans find most salient. Empirical results show that the PATHS method achieves diversity better than baseline methods, according to side-by-side ratings from human annotators.

Elena Olmos, Antonia Cascales-Martínez, Manuel Contero González

Encontrar indicadores cuantificables para caracterizar a la población con Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) es una prioridad para avanzar en el conocimiento de la afección. Por ello, medidas como la Actividad Electrodermal (EDA) en Entornos Virtuales Inmersivos (EVI) pueden reportar medidas objetivas obtenidas en contextos con la capacidad de obtener una respuesta similar a la de la realidad. El objetivo de este estudio fue estudiar la usabilidad de un EVI y una pulsera EDA y qué fases de la misma tienen capacidad de detectar a la población TEA en un contexto estimular multisensorial. Se llevó a cabo un diseño experimental mixto con un factor intersujetos y un factor intrasujetos. Para ello se contó con una muestra de 46 participantes TEA y 40 normotípicos. Los resultados mostraron una elevada adaptabilidad de uso del EVI y de la pulsera de medición EDA. Además, la componente electrodermal Ratio fue la que obtuvo la capacidad de diferenciar el comportamiento fisiológico entre grupos. Por ello dichos dispositivos son susceptibles en su generalización clínica, mientras que la medida Ratio apunta hacia una mayor percepción de los olores por parte de la población TEA, lo que puede estudiarse como un indicador de la afección.

Elton H. L. Yeung, Yingxian Chen, Wilton W. T. Fok et al.

Timely and adequate rehabilitation is critical in facilitating post-stroke recovery. However, the organization and delivery of rehabilitation are resource-demanding, and are only available to approximately 25% of stroke survivors in low-to-middle-income countries. Improving access to stroke rehabilitation services through innovative solutions is therefore urgently required. Tele-rehabilitation, which transits care to home- and community settings, has emerged as a promising solution. However, current approaches using video tutorial, teleconference, or other specialized devices face inherent shortfalls that limit their uptake. In this study, we proposed and validated the use of an open-source, markerless motion capture model with consumer-grade devices to overcome these challenges. Our solution enables reliable measurement of the end range of motion during upper limb exercises with near-perfect waveform similarity and intraclass correlation to that of the gold standard Kinect approach. Our multidisciplinary team developed an automated telerehabilitation framework incorporating the validated markerless technique to facilitate a seamless telerehabilitation process. It enables personalized rehabilitation plans with real-time feedback, and individual progress reports using objective quantitative and qualitative features to improve patient monitoring and management, and home-based rehabilitation service uptake and compliance. This study serves as a proof-of-concept in preparation for the future development of a detailed model of care, and feasibility, usability, and cost-effectiveness studies of an automated telerehabilitation platform and framework in improving the state of post-stroke rehabilitation and functional outcome.