The Assistive Technology Blog

The Assistive Technology Outcomes Measurement System (ATOMS) Project was launched by a five year assistive technology (AT) outcomes and impacts project funded in part by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) under the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) program. Its website hosts one of the largest resources specifically related to assistive technology outcomes. As the website states:

The need for AT outcomes are comprehensive and urgent. Specific indications of the need include: - Consumers of outcome information have almost no outcome data and reports - Virtually no studies on costs of AT (cost-benefit was assumed to be obvious) - Few valid and reliable AT outcome instruments - Lack of understanding about the causes of abandonment - Challenges in AT Outcomes Research

Creating AT outcomes information is a daunting task, but the project is ready to face and address the challenges including:
- Diversity of populations
- Diversity of AT service settings and environments
- Many interpretations of what outcome is from different stakeholders
- The urgent need for outcomes
- Few available outcomes models in AT
- New models require crossing disciplines
- Developing outcomes that are person centered rather than service model centered

Read more at http://www.r2d2.uwm.edu/atoms/index.html.