Serenella Besio

An Italian research project to study the play of children with motor disabilities: the first year of activity.

Purpose : The paper presents the main outline of a new research project carried out by the SIVA research team concerning the development of methodologies to select and use assistive technology to allow children with motor disabilities to play with toys. Conclusion : Giving them the same opportunities to play as their peers without disabilities can best enhance their cognitive and social development. A review of the literature in the field is also included.

Being informed, demanding and responsible consumers of assistive technology: an educational issue

Purpose : Awareness and knowledge of Assistive Technology (AT) are key factors in supporting empowerment of people with disabilities. They also greatly contribute to the success of AT solutions. Based on the findings of the EUSTAT study--an international project within the Telematics Application Programme of the European Commission--this paper offers a synthesis of the guidelines developed for those who organize educational activities on AT addressed towards end-users. Results : The educational process is looked at within an empowerment perspective rather that as a mere transmission of notions. The effectiveness of education should be evaluated in relation to the increased ability of end users to make use of AT knowledge for improving their quality of life, and becoming informed, demanding and responsible consumers of AT products and services. Conclusion : To such end a number of critical factors are identified, and ways to address them are discussed. Finally, a case study is reported as an example of an effective AT educational curriculum for end-users.

Prompt-fading strategies in robot mediated play sessions

Play is the primary way for children to acquire cognitive, social and relational skills. However, children with disabilities risk to be deprived of their freedom and their right to play in spite of the efforts made by adults in the familiar, educational and rehabilitation context. This work investigates the adults’ role in letting children with Cerebral Palsy acquiring play skills through a playful interaction with a robot. The originality of this research lies in evaluating the prompt fading technique in a playful environment given that this strategy has so far, in fact, only been applied to contexts of rehabilitation and learning.

Mainstream robotic toys and children with physical impairment: what about playfulness?

Although play is recognized as the main drive for the childs physical, cognitive and social development, it is first of all a unique source of pleasure, fun and recreation. Playfulness, the individual intrinsic involvement in play has been described as a measurable characteristic of these aspects of play. Play and playfulness can be limited in children with physical impairment (PI) and robotic toys might offer good options and opportunities for playing. Five robotic toys of the mainstream market were proposed to seven children with PI to verify their playfulness and their usability. Playfulness was coded according to the Test of Playfulness (Bundy & Skard, 1997). Results show that all the robots were playful and interesting to the children; however, the role of the adult expert play companion proved crucial both as assistive agent and as a scaffolding partner, to assure a high level of playfulness to the play activity. A first discussion proposal of the results on the basis of the playfulness construct and of their constituent elements is presented, with the aim of laying the foundations for new reflections and deepening studies in the field of play and children with disabilities.

Using robots in education and therapy sessions for children with disabilities: guidelines for teachers and rehabilitation professionals

Within the co-funded European pr4oject IROMEC (IST-FP6- 045356), aiming at developing and experimenting an innovative robotic toy to be used in play intervention addressed to children with motor-based, cognitive and developmental disabilities, specific guidelines for using robots in educational and rehabilitation environments have been developed. The guidelines are addressed to therapists, teachers and researchers aiming to promote inclusion in play of children with disabilities and are meant as a tool to apply robotics in play-based intervention.

Making mainstreaming videogames more accessible: a pilot study applied to Buzz! TM junior monster rumble for playstation

In this article the authors analyse the critical factors concerning accessibility of the videogame Buzz!TM Junior Monster Rumble for the Playstation console. The objective of the study is to propose a series of modifications that, on the one hand, do not change the graphic and playability features of the game and, on the other, expand the target of users to include children with cognitive and/or motor disabilities. If this method turns out to be feasible and applicable it could also be extended to more complex games in terms of functions and required skills, contributing to a more inclusive approach within the research and study of videogame accessibility. The reasons for choosing this particular game are an essential precondition for a comprehensive study.