Ohio Partners with University for Technology Evaluation and Development
The Ohio Technology Project is a collaborative enterprise between the Department of Developmental Disabilities and The Ohio State University Nisonger Center. The project aims to take an in-depth look at the role technology, including remote monitoring, plays in the lives of people with developmental disabilities and their families, create a vision for how the use of technology may be improved and expanded upon, and identify technological advances that might benefit people with developmental disabilities by increasing their independence.
The Technology Project can be separated into 3 parts:
- Conduct Focus Groups and Interviews regarding remote monitoring
- Conduct a national review of technologies that currently enable people with developmental disabilities to live and participate in their communities with less direct support from caregivers
- Identify areas of future technology development that might benefit people with developmental disabilities
The focus groups and interviews will provide detailed insight into the reception and use of Remote Monitoring. We will discuss the topic with people who have used the service, people who are closely associated with those using the service, and people who have never used it. This will provide insight into what people like and dislike about Remote Monitoring as well as provide insight into what sort of stigmas may be associated with the service.
In order to write a national review of technology, external resources will be leveraged to gain an understanding of the technology landscape. These resources will be everything from news articles to interviews with experts and technology conferences. The review will document the use and reception of technology as well as an analysis of its accessibility and ability to facilitate independence among persons with developmental disabilities.
Through the Technology Project, a plan will be developed to introduce an independence facilitating technology into the lives of people with developmental disabilities.