O'Day B L, Corcoran P J
Florence Heller School of Social Welfare Policy, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1994 Oct;75(10):1165-9. doi: 10.1016/0003-9993(94)90096-5.
Assistive technology (AT), defined as any device or product system that increases the physical functioning or independence of persons with disabilities, is transforming the way disabled Americans live and work. Numerous studies show increases in independence, employment, and life satisfaction; yet, the acquisition of AT presents many problems for disabled persons, such as lack of funds to purchase AT, no centralized information and evaluation system, fraud and abuse by some providers, and denials of needed equipment by third-party payers. The proposed Health Security Act could provide a potential mechanism to address these problems, but whether AT should be covered under the Act has received little national attention. In this article we document the need and current funding alternatives for AT, and suggests possible short and long-range strategies to make AT more available for individuals with disabilities.
辅助技术（AT）被定义为任何能够增强残疾人身体机能或独立性的设备或产品系统，它正在改变美国残疾人的生活和工作方式。大量研究表明，残疾人在独立性、就业和生活满意度方面都有所提高；然而，获取辅助技术给残疾人带来了许多问题，比如缺乏购买辅助技术的资金、没有集中的信息和评估系统、一些供应商存在欺诈和滥用行为，以及第三方支付者拒绝提供所需设备。拟议中的《健康安全法》可能提供一种解决这些问题的潜在机制，但辅助技术是否应纳入该法案在全国范围内很少受到关注。在本文中，我们记录了辅助技术的需求和当前的资金来源，并提出了可能的短期和长期策略，以使残疾人更易获得辅助技术。
