Dimensions of diversity in design of telerehabilitation systems for universal usability

Abstract

Telerehabilitation is defined as the application of multimedia technologies to deliver rehabilitation services to consumers at a distance — and to support independent living for individuals with disabilities. The panelists are members of the r&d team of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Telerehabilitation, the center on this topic funded in October, 1998 by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). They address the challenges to universal usability posed by the diversity of consumers and professionals in telerehab, illustrating their comments with their own projects. They also take part in a real-time design-for-usability exercise and engage the audience in their deliberations.