Inclusive rehabilitation and assistive technologies development: An exploration of considerations, principles, and stakeholder engagement

This piece is provided in honor of the late Brooke Ellison, a brave advocate within the disability and paralysis community.The integration of rehabilitation and assistive technologies (Rehab & A-T) has become pervasive in the lives of People With Disabilities (PWD), facilitating physical, emotional, and spiritual function and interaction within the world on a daily basis.Yet, all too often, the end-user is not included in the development process and assumptions are made about performance, satisfaction, preferences, and access. 1 Outcome measures have been developed and tested to evaluate user satisfaction such as the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST).This tool serves as a reliable and valid means of assessing A-T outcomes from a user's perspective 2 ; however, these measures are often used post-production rather than earlier during the design phase.Here, we review the Rehab & A-T ecosystem, delve into the emergence of Co-Development principles, and reinforce the imperative of connecting end-user stakeholders throughout the A-T design and development testing, assessment, provision, fitting, training, and maintenance continuum.