/ Seminar on improving access to assistive technology
Milano April 27-29, 2015

GATE / EASTIN Seminar

Milano April 27-29 at Fondazione Don Gnocchi

Preparatory Survey

Please fill in this questionnaire with information on your country in preparation of the GATE/ EASTIN seminar. The survey consists of four sections.

The first two sections are intended to give an overview of the assistive technology provision policies in each country that will form the basis for an informed discussion during the seminar.

Section three can be filled-in only if you have access to figures on the amount of assistive product provided in your Country.If you don't have such data or have only some of them, fill-in all the fields you can and leave the others blank.

The fourth section is intended to prepare your mind for the main discussion topic of the seminar, which is related to the identification of priority assistive products.

You may wish to fill-in this survey alone or in consultation with other experts in your Country. We'll keep only your name as contact person.

Please e-mail back the filled-in questionnaire within ThursdayApril 23 to Chapal Khasnabis (), Andrea Pupulin () and Renzo Andrich ().

We are aware that your agenda is busy and we are asking you for a difficult work in short time. However, the Seminar will tackle big challenges that require preparation. Moreover, the data collected by means of this survey will be helpful also for all EASTIN partners. Please do the best you can. Of course you can leave blank those sections on which you don't have sufficient information and can't find any other colleagues able to answer. Especially, we recommend the ranking exercise proposed in the fourth section: it will be very helpful to prepare your mindfor the discussion at the Seminar.

Thanks a lot for your kind collaboration and look forwards to meeting you in Milano.

Full Name:

Email:

Country:

Phone:

Part 1

AT in your Country: governance, financing and service delivery

In your country there may be just one single scheme for public provision of assistive technology, or more schemes (depending on the type of assistive technology, on the groups of people who are eligible, on the responsible Body, on the geographical location etc.). Please list all themost important schemes and give an acronym and a title to each of them (for instance: "NHS - Prosthetic Assistance Scheme of the Italian National Health Service").

Acronym / Name of the scheme

In case of more schemes, add as many rows as you need. Should their number be too high and you don't have sufficient time to describe all them, please select the most important ones (according e.g. to the number of people served).

Now, for each scheme listed in the table above, please fill-in the following table.

Acronym and name
Legislation references
Responsible Authority
Target population (who is eligible)
Assistive products (what is provided)
Assessment process (please describe how it works and who does the assessment)
Decision/authorization process (pls describe how it works and who decides)
Implementation process (delivery, fitting, training, management, follow up)
Funding policy (registry of products/tariffs, forms of reimbursement...)
Total annual expenditure (in case you avail this figure)

Part 2

AT in your Country: resources and competences

Facilities

Please briefly describe the main entities responsible for distribution and support, the number of Assistive Technology Centers at different levels (primary, secondary, tertier), etc.

Information

Please briefly describe how information is provided to citizens and professionals on available assistive technology and related services, procedures and rights.

Personnel

Please briefly describe who are the professional workers involved in the assistive technology service delivery processes in your Country (e.g. occupational therapists, prosthetists, audiologists, social worker etc.). For each of them, please provide also an estimate of their number in your Country, in case you avail this information.

Education/training

Please briefly describe the education/training opportunities available in your Country for assistive technology providers. In case of specific courses please specify the kind and duration for the training.

Part 3

AT in your Country: provision figures

Please fill in the table below with the most provided assistive products by domain and their approximate costs (Enter the top 6 for mobility, the top 4 for vision and hearing, the top 3 for communication and cognition and the top 5 products for environment and personal care). Refer the figures to the latest year on record.

Most Common Assistive Product Provision
Mobility
Assistive Product / Annual provision (# items) / Approximate cost of device (€)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Vision
Assistive Product / Annual provision (# items) / Approximate cost of device (€)
1
2
3
4
Hearing
Assistive Product / Annual provision (# items) / Approximate cost of device (€)
1
2
3
4
Communication
Assistive Product / Annual provision (# items) / Approximate cost of device (€)
1
2
3
Cognition
Assistive Product / Annual provision (# items) / Approximate cost of device (€)
1
2
3
Environment and personal care
Assistive Product / Annual provision (# items) / Approximate cost of device (€)
1
2
3
4
5

Source of Data:

Part 4

Ranking exercise

This following table has been created to help you prepare your mind for the major challenge to be tacked in the Seminar: the identification of assistive products to be considered as "top priority" in provision policies. Please consider it as a pure exercise or game: fill-in it on the basis of your personal experience as expert in the disability and assistive technology field. You may wish to perform this exercise alone or in consultation with colleagues of your team. The data that you are going to provide in this questionnaire will be used only for the purpose of this Seminar and will never be published. Thus please don't be afraid of possible misunderstandings with your data.

In order to help you better "play this game", imagine the following:

"You have been just appointed as Minister of Welfare and Health, and you want to improve the assistive technology provision system in your Country. In order to start the debate, you want first to classify assistive technology products in three categories:

  • PRIORITY 1: products that are definitely "essential" i.e. that must be made available to all those who need them, to avoid survival risks or inacceptableparticipation restrictions;
  • PRIORITY 2: products that are also "essential" to a certain extent, however can be considered as a second priority in case of budgetary or organizational constraints that make it difficult to make everything available;
  • LESS PRIORITY: all other assistive products, which cannot be considered "essential" although often very important and useful."

In the first two columns of the table below, please mark all assistive products categories that in your view fit priority 1 or priority 2. Don't mark categories that are "less priority".In case of products that are not listed in the ISO 9999 classification, but you consider "assistive", please add them at the end of the list and mark them accordingly.

For each "priority 1" or "priority 2" category, please mark the last columnif you think that the actual assistive productprovided to the user should be installed/fitted by - or under the supervision of - a certified professional specialist (for instance a prosthetist).Please do not markthis column if you think that a certified professional specialist is not strictly necessary,and you don't see major problems for the user to self-manage installation/fitting/learning.

Of course this exercise is quite simplistic: you may be tempted to find justifications to escape answering ("the second level ISO is not detailed enough to identify an assistive products category...","we need more evidence..", depends on local environment..", "priority may depend on volumes of provision.." ). Please reject this temptation; in this moment you are not the Minister, this is just a game to help think about possible ranking criteria and come to the workshop better prepared for the discussion.

Prior ity 1 / Prior ity 2 / Iso 9999 Subclass / Name of the Assistive Products category / Professional specialist needed
04 / ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS FOR PERSONAL MEDICAL TREATMENT
O / O / 04 03 / Assistive products for respiration / O
O / O / 04 06 / Assistive products for circulation therapy / O
O / O / 04 07 / Assistive products for scar formation prevention / O
O / O / 04 08 / Compression garments for body control and conceptualization / O
O / O / 04 09 / Assistive products for light therapy / O
O / O / 04 15 / Assistive products for dialysis therapy / O
O / O / 04 19 / Assistive products for administering medicines / O
O / O / 04 22 / Sterilizing equipment / O
O / O / 04 24 / Physical, physiological and biochemical test equipment and materials / O
O / O / 04 25 / Cognitive test and evaluation materials / O
O / O / 04 26 / Assistive products for cognitive therapy / O
O / O / 04 27 / Stimulators / O
O / O / 04 30 / Assistive products for heat treatment or cold treatment / O
O / O / 04 33 / Assistive products intended to manage tissue integrity / O
O / O / 04 36 / Assistive products for perceptual training / O
O / O / 04 45 / Assistive products for spinal traction / O
O / O / 04 48 / Equipment for movement, strength and balance training / O
O / O / 04 49 / Wound care products / O
05 / ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS FOR TRAINING IN SKILLS
O / O / 05 03 / Assistive products for communication therapy and communication training / O
O / O / 05 06 / Assistive products for training in alternative/augmentative communication / O
O / O / 05 09 / Assistive products for continence training / O
O / O / 05 12 / Assistive products for training in cognitive skills / O
O / O / 05 15 / Assistive products for training in basic skills / O
O / O / 05 18 / Assistive products for training in educational subjects / O
O / O / 05 24 / Assistive products for training in the arts / O
O / O / 05 27 / Assistive products for training in social skills / O
O / O / 05 30 / A.p. for training in control of input units and handling products and goods / O
O / O / 05 33 / Assistive products for training in daily living activities / O
06 / ORTHOSES AND PROSTHESES
O / O / 06 03 / Spinal and cranial orthoses / O
O / O / 06 04 / Abdominal orthoses / O
O / O / 06 06 / Upper limb orthoses / O
O / O / 06 12 / Lower limb orthoses / O
O / O / 06 15 / Functional neuromuscular stimulators and hybrid orthoses / O
O / O / 06 18 / Upper limb prostheses / O
O / O / 06 24 / Lower limb prostheses / O
O / O / 06 30 / Prostheses other than limb prostheses / O
O / O / 06 33 / Orthopaedic footwear / O
09 / ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS FOR PERSONAL CARE AND PROTECTION
O / O / 09 03 / Clothes and shoes / O
O / O / 09 06 / Body-worn assistive products for body protection / O
O / O / 09 07 / Assistive products for body stabilization / O
O / O / 09 09 / Assistive products for dressing and undressing / O
O / O / 09 12 / Assistive products for toileting / O
O / O / 09 15 / Assistive products for tracheostomy care / O
O / O / 09 18 / Assistive products for ostomy care / O
O / O / 09 21 / Products for skin protection and skin cleaning / O
O / O / 09 24 / Urine diverters / O
O / O / 09 27 / Urine and faeces collectors / O
O / O / 09 30 / Assistive products for absorbing urine and faeces / O
O / O / 09 31 / Assistive products to prevent involuntary urine or faeces leakage / O
O / O / 09 33 / Assistive products for washing, bathing and showering / O
O / O / 09 36 / Assistive products for manicure and pedicure / O
O / O / 09 39 / Assistive products for hair care / O
O / O / 09 42 / Assistive products for dental care / O
O / O / 09 45 / Assistive products for facial care / O
O / O / 09 54 / Assistive products for sexual activities / O
12 / ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS FOR PERSONAL MOBILITY
O / O / 12 03 / Assistive products for walking, manipulated by one arm / O
O / O / 12 06 / Assistive products for walking, manipulated by both arms / O
O / O / 12 07 / Accessories for assistive products for walking / O
O / O / 12 10 / Cars, vans and trucks / O
O / O / 12 11 / Mass transit vehicles / O
O / O / 12 12 / Vehicle accessories and vehicle adaptations / O
O / O / 12 16 / Mopeds and motorcycles / O
O / O / 12 17 / Alternative motorized vehicles / O
O / O / 12 18 / Cycles / O
O / O / 12 22 / Manual wheelchairs / O
O / O / 12 23 / Powered wheelchairs / O
O / O / 12 24 / Wheelchair accessories / O
O / O / 12 27 / Alternative human powered vehicles / O
O / O / 12 31 / Assistive products for transfer and turning / O
O / O / 12 36 / Assistive products for lifting persons / O
O / O / 12 39 / Assistive products for orientation / O
15 / ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS FOR HOUSEKEEPING
O / O / 15 03 / Assistive products for preparing food and drink / O
O / O / 15 06 / Assistive products for dishwashing / O
O / O / 15 09 / Assistive products for eating and drinking / O
O / O / 15 12 / Assistive products for housecleaning / O
O / O / 15 15 / Assistive products for making and maintaining textiles / O
18 / FURNISHINGS AND ADAPTATIONS TO HOMES AND OTHER PREMISES
O / O / 18 03 / Tables / O
O / O / 18 06 / Light fixtures / O
O / O / 18 09 / Sitting furniture / O
O / O / 18 10 / Accessories for sitting furniture / O
O / O / 18 12 / Beds / O
O / O / 18 15 / Assistive products for height adjustment of furniture / O
O / O / 18 18 / Supporting handrails and grab bars / O
O / O / 18 21 / Gate, door, window and curtain openers/closers / O
O / O / 18 24 / Construction elements in the home and other premises / O
O / O / 18 30 / Assistive products for vertical accessibility / O
O / O / 18 33 / Safety equipment for the home and other premises / O
O / O / 18 36 / Furniture for storage / O
22 / ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS FOR COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION
O / O / 22 03 / Assistive products for seeing / O
O / O / 22 06 / Assistive products for hearing / O
O / O / 22 09 / Assistive products for voice production / O
O / O / 22 12 / Assistive products for drawing and writing / O
O / O / 22 15 / Assistive products for calculation / O
O / O / 22 18 / Assistive products that record, play and display audio and visual information / O
O / O / 22 21 / Assistive products for face-to-face communication / O
O / O / 22 24 / Assistive products for telephoning and telematic messaging / O
O / O / 22 27 / Assistive products for alarming, indicating, reminding and signalling / O
O / O / 22 30 / Assistive products for reading / O
O / O / 22 33 / Computers and terminals / O
O / O / 22 36 / Input devices for computers / O
O / O / 22 39 / Output devices for computers / O
24 / ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS FOR HANDLING OBJECTS AND DEVICES
O / O / 24 06 / Assistive products for handling containers / O
O / O / 24 09 / Assistive products for operating and controlling devices / O
O / O / 24 13 / Assistive products for controlling from a distance / O
O / O / 24 18 / Assistive products to assist or replace arm, hand or finger function / O
O / O / 24 21 / Assistive products for extended reach / O
O / O / 24 24 / Assistive products for positioning / O
O / O / 24 27 / Assistive products for fixation / O
O / O / 24 36 / Assistive products for carrying and transporting / O
27 / ASSISTIVE PROD.FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT AND ASSESSMENT
O / O / 27 03 / Assistive products for environmental improvement / O
O / O / 27 06 / Measuring instruments / O
28 / ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS FOR EMPLOYMENT AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING
O / O / 28 03 / Workplace furniture and furnishing elements / O
O / O / 28 06 / Assistive products for transporting objects in the workplace / O
O / O / 28 09 / Assistive products for hoisting and repositioning objects in the workplace / O
O / O / 28 12 / Assistive products for fixing, reaching and grasping objects in the workplace / O
O / O / 28 15 / Machines and tools for use in the workplace / O
O / O / 28 18 / Devices for testing and monitoring in the workplace / O
O / O / 28 21 / Ass.prod. for office administration, info storage and management at work / O
O / O / 28 24 / Assistive products for health protection and safety in the workplace / O
O / O / 28 27 / Assistive products for vocational assessment and vocational training / O
30 / ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS FOR RECREATION
O / O / 30 03 / Assistive products for play / O
O / O / 30 09 / Assistive products for sports / O
O / O / 30 12 / Assistive products for playing and composing music / O
O / O / 30 15 / Assistive products for producing photos, films and videos / O
O / O / 30 18 / Handicraft tools, materials and equipment / O
O / O / 30 21 / Assistive products for gardening and lawn care for private use / O
O / O / 30 24 / Assistive products for hunting and fishing / O
O / O / 30 27 / Assistive products for camping and caravanning / O
O / O / 30 30 / Assistive products for smoking / O
O / O / 30 33 / Assistive products for pet care / O
ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS THAT ARE NOT MENTIONED IN THE ISO 9999 CLASSIFICATION
O / O / … / O
O / O / … / O
O / O / … / O
O / O / … / O
O / O / … / O
O / O / … / O
O / O / … / O
O / O / … / O

Final questions

You may have filled-in the table just by intuition - of course not coming from the blue but from your expertise - or based onprovision data or scientific evidence . Whatever the case:

Please try to describe in one or two sentences the criteria you have used to distinguish among "priority 1", "priority 2" and "less priority":

Please try to describe in one or two sentences the criteria you have used to distinguish the assistive products whose purchase and fitting need the intermediation of a professional specialist, from those that can be directly purchased and fitted by the users themselves:

If you know about scientific articles or reliable surveys published in English language that provide useful evidence for the purposes of the GATE initiative, please list them below according to a recognised literature reference format.

/ Organized by: / / / European Assistive Technology Information Network