TechSAge: reconceptualizing how aging impacts disability and the Implications for the Design of Environments, Products and Technologies

Abstract

The RERC on Technologies to Support for Successful Aging with Disability (RERC TechSAge) serves as a catalyst for a major shift in the understanding of successful aging with disability and subsequently in the design of home and community technologies. The mission of the RERC is to apply universal design strategies to rehabilitation engineering R&D to prevent, minimize or reverse the disabling effects of age-related losses and contextual factors on the independence, health and participation of people who are aging with chronic conditions or long-term impairment. The RERC is conducting nine research, development, and training projects by taking full advantage of the capacity, experience, multidisciplinary diversity and interdisciplinary approach of the schools, research centers and laboratories at Georgia Tech, including CATEA, AMAC and GIS in CoA, Human Factors and Aging Lab and Sonification Lab in Psych, Awarehome and Interactive Media Technology Center in IPAT, HCI, Healthcare Robotics Lab in BME, and HomeLab and Human Factors Lab in GTRI.