Applying a universal design approach to empower children with multiple impairments in assistive technology assessment

Rapid developments in technology, coinciding with the shift in educational ideology towards the inclusion of children with multiple disabilities, has led to increased calls for a Universal Design (UD) approach to promoting, user-friendly, proactive, transparent, and accessible environments and to the importance of Assistive Technology (AT) applications. For children with disabilities, technologies provide opportunities for greater and more flexible access to activities then traditional interfaces if applied and matched successfully. Relatively high abandonment rates of assistive technology have been documented, often due to a lack of user involvement in the assessment process. The field of Universal Design is showing that collaborative approaches enable users to be active participants and enhance their engagement in activities and social inclusion. This paper provides a background to AT service provision in Ireland and outlines the adaptation of the Irish Matching Person with Technology (IMPT) tool from text based to a multimodal digital format for children with disabilities through a universal design approach.