INTERNET AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY: LOCAL COMMUNITY NETWORK

Dagmar Amtmann, M.A Kurt L. Johnson, Ph.D., C.R.C. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

ABSTRACT

The Assistive Technology Discussion Forum developed in Washington State is an electronic discussion group focused on assistive technology (AT) and disability related issues. This electronic network provides consumers, professionals, service providers, and other community members with a convenient way of connecting with resources, and sharing information and experiences. We present here strategies to increase the level and breadth of participation by consumers, professionals, service providers, and others. We also discuss the training and technical assistance required to support the forum and ways for participants without access to the Internet to participate. Finally, we review efforts to reach out to various groups of consumers.

BACKGROUND

The capacity of electronic networks to link people and information resources without reference to time and place is more than a matter of convenience. In many cases it is the only way that people living in rural areas, mobility limitations, speech impairments, and other disabilities and circumstances can link up with other people and information resources around disability issues. This networking can facilitate increased awareness of and access to creative solutions, imrpoved advocacy, and increased quality and availability of services.

OBJECTIVES

By creating a dynamic local electronic discussion group we sought to achieve the following objectives:

(1) Connect people with AT information, resources and services, as well as with knowledge, and experiences of others. (2) Identify gaps in local resources and services, and facilitate the creation of new resources. (3) Provide a safe, convenient, and constructive forum for consumers and service prov iders to share their perspectives on AT devices and services. (4) Help consumers to become more effective users of electronic resources, increasing access to information, advocacy resources, etc. (5) Create a group of consumers who are effective users of electronic resources to serve as role models and trainers for others. (7) Create a tool for mobilizing and organizing local communities around critical advocacy issues.

APPROACH

As we developed the forum we considered the following factors:

a) The forum must be developed in the context of providing useful and practical information. b) People without computers, modems, and/or internet access must be access to the forum c) Consumers (especially those using alternative access to computers) must be provided with initial on-site technical support and training. Continued on-going technical support and training may be necessary. d) Training needs to include teaching consumers how to use electronic networks to access information relevant to individual needs, beyond AT or disability issues. e) A community outreach effort must be mounted to attract the "critical mass" of consumers and professionals.

METHOD

The Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) located at the University of Washington in collaboration with a local service provider established the electronic discussion forum to facilitate increased access to AT information and services in Washington State. Three access points were established:

a) A USENET newsgroup (topic) named "wash.assistive-tech" was created. In this system, messages are collected by topic and stored/swapped by computers called "news servers". To access a given newsgroup, it is generally necessary to have an account on a system that "carries" it (each server recognizes the existence of only a limited number of the thousands of topics under discussion all over the world). Special "newsreader" software of some sort is also required.

b) A "listserv" list (automatic e-mail distribution system) was set up on the U.W. mainframe computer. Any message sent to the list address is automatically posted to the USENET group, in addition to being copied to all the other "subscribers" of the mailing list

c) The ATRC advertises the fact that it will act as a go-between for those who don't have computers or otherwise wouldn't be able to participate.

Participants.

We recruited eight consumers of AT who already owned and used computers to serve as "community consultants on the forum. We offered them modems and training in exchange for their participation on the forum and asked that they serve as "mentors" for other participants joining the forum.. Being life long AT users, the community consultants had extensive knowledge of the local service delivery system. Because speech and/or communication devices are laborious and slow, the community consultants had found that their past advocacy efforts had been difficult and were excited about the potential efficiency afforded using electronic information systems. A university student knowledgeable about software and hardware was hired to visit each community consultant and install a modem, set up communication software, and train community consultants in the use of electronic mail and networks. Three to five technical assistance visits to each community consultant were necessary for training, dealing with incompatibilities of software and hardware, access issues, and programming macros to increase the automation of the on-line system. When programming a communication system was necessary, a speech pathologist donated her time to help.

Although we eventually succeeded in solving almost all the technical problems encountered and provided Internet access to each community consultant several consultants have not yet contributed a posting to the forum. We attribute this to the individuals' limited literacy skills, to the cumbersome on-line systems, and to the difficulties in defining the role of a community consultant.

A network of AT professional consultants was also created and members were asked to screen the postings on the group and respond to inquiries. Many professionals were already users of electronic mail and had access to the Internet although some technical assistance was still necessary to help them participate in the electronic discussion.

Outreach efforts.

The effort to involve more consumers, professionals, and service providers in the electronic discussion has been ongoing and predates the establishment of the forum. Demonstrations, presentations, newsletter articles, fliers, and word of mouth have all been employed to increase participation. Technical assistance continues to be available to professionals and consumers. The ATRC regularly uses electronic networks to solicit donations of used modems and distributes those as necessary.

The I&R Connection

The forum has been tied in to the information and referral (I&R) network operated by the Tech Act grant in Washington State. Inquiries received by the ATRC are routinely posted to the discussion forum and any responses posted to those inquiries are passed on to the callers in any format requested (by phone, fax, computer disk, Braille etc.). This approach serves three main functions. First, it facilitates the electronic discussion by continually providing new inquiries. Second, it offers a means for tapping into the information and knowledge available in the community while ensuring that the AT Resource Center is not perceived by the community as an information gate keeper. Third, it serves as a convincing argument for the usefulness and practical value of electronic networks, convincing some I&R callers to consider the viability of on-line resources.

RESULTS

The AT Discussion Forum was established in June 1995. There are currently an average of four postings/messages a day to the group, and this number continues to rise. Typically, postings come from individuals with disabilities and professionals seeking advice on identifying, obtaining, and funding assistive technology devices and services. Various disability and commercial groups post inquiries seeking personal experiences people with various disabilities encounter (for instance, difficulties encountered in air travel or when using computer software). Community events announcements are posted along with postings by people offering and seeking employment opportunities. It took four months to generate the first one hundred messages, but it took only one month to generate the second hundred. The first one hundred messages were generated mostly by the founders of the group and by members of the network of consultants and AT professionals. The majority of the messages in the second hundred postings were generated by the general public. The discussion up to date has been productive, constructive and informative. A number of individuals have been connected with information and resources. For instance, an individual seeking a source for renting gel batteries was able to locate a vendor offering the service, a person with limited financial resources was able to find a volunteer to repair his computer, a list of shareware/freeware software useful for disabled users was compiled, participants learned about opportunities for talking with their legislators, etc.

DISCUSSION

The process of establishing and managing the discussion forum highlighted several important issues. (1) Creating a vehicle for electronic exchange of information (whether it is a bulletin board, listserv distribution list, or a USENET newsgroup) may not bring in broad participation and discussion. To secure initial consumer participation, technical assistance must be available to all that are not familiar with or are unable to select, install, and set up a modem and appropriate communication software package, and especially to consumers who use alternative computer access. (2) It is important to recognize that participation in an electronic discussion requires a sufficient level of functional reading and writing skills, accompanied by sufficient computer skills (including word processing), and knowledge about networks (how they are organized, how they function, the network etiquette etc.). Negotiating the Internet environment requires particular skills that are usually not acquired automatically and need to be taught. (3) Getting on line, and overcoming the initial difficulties in participating in an electronic discussion requires persistence and continuing technical support and training. It is helpful to assist community consultants with determining different ways in which electronic networks may enhance an individual's life. (4) Hardware and software problems the community consultants experienced clearly pointed out the need for creating a support network of (perhaps) volunteers who could help with computer repair. Otherwise, the founders of the group and the providers of the training will remain the only known source of technical assistance, creating a dependency on systems that may not be permanent arrangements. (5) Freenets are a terrific resource and a very important way of assuring access to electronic networks to a large part of the population that would otherwise be left behind. However, due to limited funds and resources, the operating system used by the Seattle Community Network (freeport) proved to be very cumbersome and difficult to navigate. In addition to that, SCN does not provide an 800 number for those calling from outside the larger Seattle area, leaving a large part of the state without access to this resource (plans are under way for every public library to provide access to SCN, but it is unclear how long it will take). SCN users also experience a frequent busy signal, which combined with a 45 minute limit per session, discouraged participation.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The U.W. Assistive Technology Resource Center is partially supported by grants from National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research #H224A30006 (funded through the Washington Department of Vocational Rehabilitation) and the Administration of Developmental Disabilities #90DD0307 Administration for Children and Families to the University of Washington Child Development and Mental Retardation Center University Affiliated Program

The establishment of the discussion forum was made possible by the vision, dedication, expertise, and effort of Patricia Dowden, Ph.D., Director of Speech Pathology at Children's Hospital and Medical Center and Tom Zeiler, a graduate student in Information and Library Sciences at the University of Washington.

Dagmar Amtmann, MA Kurt L. Johnson, Ph.D. AT Resource Center UAP and Dept. of Rehabilitation Medicine University of Washington, Box 357920 Seattle, WA 98195-357920 USA (206) 685-4181 V/TTY uwat@u.washington.edu (Internet)

Internet and Assistive Technology: Local Community Network