Stigma and the use of umbrellas, hiking poles and walking sticks to aid walking in Hong Kong.

Background: The use of walking aids is widely acknowledged as one of the most relied-on forms of assistive technology. Using stick-shaped devices, such as a cane, is often the entrance for many people to the world of assistive technologies, often accompanied by the negative stigma associated with ageing and disability.

Objectives: This study investigated the perception of disability and needs of the Hong Kong population using walking aids, aiming to inform device design and service provision.

The Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality-Assisted Experiential Learning on Enhancing Empathy in Undergraduate Health Care Students Toward Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment: Multiple-Methods Study.

Background: Immersive virtual reality (IVR)-assisted experiential learning has the potential to foster empathy among undergraduate health care students toward older adults with cognitive impairment by facilitating a sense of embodiment. However, the extent of its effectiveness, including enhancing students' learning experiences and achieving intended learning outcomes, remains underexplored.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impacts of IVR-assisted experiential learning on the empathy of undergraduate health care students toward older people with cognitive impairment as the primary outcome (objective 1) and on their learning experience (objective 2) and their attainment of learning outcomes as the secondary outcomes (objective 3).

Ciranda-An Inclusive Floor Seating Positioning System and Social Enterprise.

One of the first challenges for many children with physical disabilities is to sit independently. A floor seating positioning system enables this milestone, helping a child to maintain eye level with other children, play and learn on the floor, rectify his or her posture, and, therefore, helps to include the child within his or her social spectrum. Ciranda is the first comprehensive floor seat solution in Brazil to attend to those needs.

Not Just the Right to a Wheelchair but the Right Wheelchair - Improving Brazilian Wheelchair Service Delivery.

This paper discusses the barriers encountered before and after the implementation of good practice in the delivery of wheelchair provision services in Belo Horizonte city, Brazil. The results demystify some participants' initial idea that using an assessment form might take significantly more time. Major barriers to implementation had regard to the assessment of pressure sores and a lack of wheelchair suppliers.

Assessing Service Delivery Systems for Assitive Technology in Brazil using HEART Study quality indicators.

Background: recently in Brazil, there have been investments and improvements in the service delivery system for assistive technology provision. However, there is little documentation of this process, or evidence that users are being involved appropriately.

Objective: to understand how a ssistive technology service provision currently functions in Belo Horizonte city, Brazil, in order to provide context-specific interventions and recommendations to improve services.