An exploratory study analyzing demographics and opinions of assistive technology professionals within the complex rehab technology industry.

An exploratory study analyzing demographics and opinions of assistive technology professionals within the complex rehab technology industry. Assist Technol. 2019 Jun 06;:1-9 Authors: Nix J, Schein RM, Clayback D, Brienza DM, Schmeler MR Abstract This exploratory study investigated the demographics of Assistive Technology Professionals (ATPs) regarding their age, education, certifications, ethnicity, gender, veteran status, disability status, method of financial compensation, company type, and category. In addition, it analyzed opinions on the Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) industry regarding education level and licensure. An 18-question survey developed and disseminated by the University of Pittsburgh in collaboration with the National Coalition for Assistive & Rehab Technology (NCART) resulted in 252 responses from current ATPs in the Supplier/Manufacturing industry. The average age of respondents of 51.9 years showed to be above the national average workforce age of 42.2 years. Data were analyzed as a whole and by comparing answers for respondents below and above the average age. 92.4% of the respondents were Caucasian and 79.0% were male showing a need for diversity in the field. Forty-five percent of the younger age group had additional certifications compared to 30% of the older group. 79.8% of all respondents would recommend the ATP profession to someone looking for a career. Findings support the need to increase awareness ...
Source: Assistive Technology - Category: Rehabilitation Tags: Assist Technol Source Type: research