ATOB Volume 17  Call for Manuscripts: April 1, 2022 – July 1, 2022

Projected Publication Date: Winter 2023

Volume 17 Theme: Best Practices for the Design and Development of AT Products

For many decades members of the industrial, university, and non-profit sectors have participated in diverse paradigms to design, develop, and commercialize assistive technology (AT) products. These paradigms have evolved to meet the complex and divergent needs and expectations of persons comprising niche disability markets, across diverse societal and physical contexts, while often tightly constrained by available resources, funding, and market potential. Paradigms used for product design and development continue to assimilate concepts and tools, to integrate emergent technologies, and to build upon the capacities of ubiquitous information, telecommunication, and other infrastructures.

Four concepts broadly relevant to these paradigms are usable design (UD), participatory design (PD), localization (LO), and sustainable development (SD). In UD, designers and developers consider the extent to which “a product can be used by specified users to achieve specific goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use” (International Organization for Standardization [ISO/TS], 2018). In PD, product users work collaboratively with designers and developers at all stages to clarify needs and abilities, anticipate tasks and task flows, identify contextual and environmental factors, and operationalize usability concepts. In LO, product design, development, production, and distribution are optimized to fit localized individual, contextual, social, and economic needs, constraints and resources. Finally, the ISO defines SD as meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (ISO, 2010). SD is about “integrating the goals of a high quality of life, health and prosperity with social justice while maintaining the earth’s capacity to support life in all its diversity” (ISO, 2010). Finally, some individuals with disabilities can benefit from usable mainstream products or product systems. Successful paradigms pertaining to the design, development, provision, and use of ‘non-AT products’ to such individuals is also a topic of interest.

This volume of ATOB invites authors representing Voices from Academia, Voices from Industry, and Voices from the Field to submit manuscripts pertaining to the design and development of hardware, software, or hybrid products benefiting individuals with disability. Research articles from academia, case studies from the industry, as well as experiences from AT Makers are all welcome to contribute to Volume 17.

This issue also includes articles from the broad scope of assistive technology research as part of ATOB’s mission to bring together the latest research in assistive technology in its annual issue.

Manuscripts should be up to 25 pages (double spaced) including title page, abstract, references, but excluding  tables/figures, and prepared in accordance with the ATOB Manuscript Guidelines.

For any questions, please contact ATOB Editor-in-Chief at: atobeditor@atia.org

References

International Standardization Organization. (2018). Ergonomics of human-system interaction — Part 11: Usability: Definitions and concepts (ISO 9241-11:2018, §3.1.1). Retrieved from https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:9241:-11:ed-2:v1:en

International Standardization Organization. (2010). Guidance on social responsibility (ISO 26000-2:2010, §2.23). Retrieved from https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:26000:ed-1:v1:en

Guest Editor: Stephen Bauer

Stephen Bauer, PhD is a former research scientist at the State University of New York at Buffalo and program officer at the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. In the context of disability and assistive technology, his interests span the intersections of design and development, models and classifications, services and products, technology transfer, and public policy.

 

For general information about ATOB’s Editorial Policy and Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for Authors, please review:
ATOB’s Editorial Policy and Manuscript Author Guidelines

ATOB Manuscript Submission Form & Author Agreement

ATOB Manuscript Submission Form & Author Agreement
  • 1) Please provide the details of the lead author for this manuscript submission. A full list of authors should be included in the manuscript itself and the Author Agreements. Email communications about the manuscript will be with the lead author.
  • Articles may be submitted under three categories—
    • Voices from the Field - Articles submitted under this category should come from professionals who are involved in some aspect of AT service delivery with persons having disabilities (e.g., educators, related service, and care providers) or from family members and/or AT consumers with disabilities. Submissions may include case studies, project or program descriptions, approaches to service delivery, or consumer perspective pieces. All submissions should have a clear message about lessons learned from the experience and be written with enough detail to allow generalization of results to other situations. Voices from the Field manuscripts are peer-reviewed, but do not require the same level of scientific rigor as submissions in other categories. A more informal writing style with an emphasis on rich, detailed descriptions of experiences, procedures and implications is expected. Authors of Voices from the Field manuscripts are not required to support their personal perspectives with objective data or peer-reviewed literature. However, any personal viewpoints presented as generalized statements of fact should appropriately cite supporting research. Plagiarism and unsupported extension of such personal viewpoints to make general claims are not permitted. Reviews of literature that highlight the specific personal experiences are appropriate. Authors submitting to the Voices from the Field category may request ATOB to find a Sponsor among the Editorial Board members and ATOB reviewers who would provide an opportunity to discuss and improve a manuscript draft before submission. If you are interested in finding a sponsor, please contact: atobeditor@atia.org.
    • Voices from the Industry - Articles submitted under this category should come from professionals involved in developing and marketing specific AT devices and services. Case studies, design, marketing research, or project/ program descriptions are appropriate for this category. Voices from the Industry manuscripts may present the results of the research (and thus, follow the same outline as Voices from Academia) or present project/program descriptions (and thus, follow the same outline as Voices from the Field).
    • Voices from Academia - Articles submitted under this category should come from professionals conducting research or development in an academic setting. The style of writing should adhere to guidelines generally used in scientific journals. Submissions are likely to include applied/ clinical research, case studies, and project/ program descriptions. Sample outline for the Voices from Academia article is available in the Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for Authors.
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