Assistive Technology in the Workplace Setting

• Traumatic brain injury can often change the person’s career direction in terms of the worker role
and earning’s lost.

• Programs have been created that emphasize cognitive retraining and retraining of important
skills for work adjustment.
O’Neil et all., 1998

• In the next 10-15 years, technology will virtually eliminate barriers due to disability or limitations
brought on by accidents or as a natural part of the aging process.

Steven A. Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corporation

SETT –
Self/Individuals Abilities/Needs
Environment/Setting
Tasks/Work Tasks
Tools/Technology Features

Career Related Issues

• Readiness • Career development
• Available resources
− Career personality
− Career motivation
• Early intervention − Career needs
• Skills of the professional • Career competencies
− Career habits
− Career-related physical and mental skills
− Career-related interpersonal skills
− Career goals

Work Tasks
• Daily schedule • Informing others of progress
• Taking breaks • Expense reports
• Getting back from breaks on time • Filling out forms
• Managing projects • Jobs with repetitive tasks
• Communication

Attention and Concentration Issues

• Attention and concentration problems may occur more frequently
• Distractibility or over attentiveness
• Problems with reading
• Following directions
• Holding a conversation
• Certain colors cause sensory overload

S. Marfilius 2009 marfilius@mac.com www.scottmarfilius.com Page 1

Attention and Concentration Supports
• Environmental • Task
− eliminate background noise − use checklist
− earplugs − programs that help with attention
− sunglasses • Social
− baseball hat − ask to repeat
• Time − recorders to tape conversation to refer
− Keep a log of times when lose ability to to late
concentrate

Other Strategies
• Use solitaire game to increase concentration
• Find what time of day you concentrate better
• Create a list in Word
• Use a headset for phone

Techniques to decrease distraction

• Limit distractions - verbal and visual • Highlight key words
• Video Tape to review what should be • Use techniques to anticipate remaining
focused on time: Time Timer
• Use Visual prompts •
• Arrows, boxes, highlighting, italicizing •
• Use words together with pictures

Techniques to compensate for fine motor deficits

• Use breaks to reduce fatigue/frustration • Use extended time to complete tasks
• Consider oral responses instead of •
written •
• Consider a word processor

Memory Issues
• Registration or encoding
− Attention problems may interfere with amount of information you are able to register
• Storage
− Sensory memory, short-term, long-term
• Retrieval
− Can only occur if both registration and storage took place

Memory Supports
• Clocks • Utilize your to do list...cross off
• Calendars items...don't move on until you finish a
− Palm Calendar task
− Yahoo Calendar • Auditory cueing
− Picture Planner • PDA
• Color-code objects by calendar or event •
• Post it notes....in color •

S. Marfilius 2009 marfilius@mac.com www.scottmarfilius.com Page 2

Reasoning, Planning and Understanding Issues
• Planning • Comprehension
• Organization • Decision-Making
• Initiation • Learning
• Processing Information • Creativity

Reasoning, Planning and Understanding Supports

• Digital watch - beeps each hour • Timer to relieve anxiety of upcoming
• Lists of items on the door of what is in event
each item − Designate Start and Stop Times
• Checklist for an outing or meeting • Concept maps
• Color coding of items • Board games
• Change environment where you can − Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, Go
organize Fish
• Video to sequence sights and sounds •
•

Reading Supports
• Talking Word Processors − TextHelp Read and Write Gold
− Read Please − Kurzweil 3000
− ClipTalk − ClaroRead
− WordTalk − WYNN
− PowerTalk • Handheld Spell Checkers
• Single Word Scanners •
• Scan and Read Systems •

Writing Supports
• Find the right “pencil” • Tips in Microsoft word for work
• Word Prediction − abbreviation/Expansion
• Recording information then transcribe − autocorrect
• Internet-based Transcription Service − auto summarize
• Forms feature of Word − auto fill
• Text-to-Speech for proofing − Thesaurus
•
− Spell-check
•

Spelling & Vocabulary Supports

• Microsoft Word • Online Dictionaries
• Talking Spell Checker •
• Visual Thesauras •

Math Supports
• Picket size calculator • Software for financial support – Quicken
• Graph Paper •
• Calculators •
• Talking Calculators

S. Marfilius 2009 marfilius@mac.com www.scottmarfilius.com Page 3

SETT Joy Zabala www.joyzabala.com
The Student (Self)
• What does the individual need to do?
• What are the individual’s special needs?
• What are the individual’s current abilities?

The Environment
• What materials and equipment are currently available in the environment?
• What is the physical arrangement? Does it impact the individual? What are the special
concerns?
• What is the work/recreation situation?
• What supports are available to the individual?
• What resources are available to the people supporting the individual?

The Tasks
• What naturally occurring activities take place in the environment?
• What activities support the individual’s goals?
• What are the critical elements of the activities? “opportunities”
• How might the activities be modified?
• How might technology support or increase the individual’s active participation?

The Tools
• What no tech, low tech, and high tech options should be considered when developing a system
for an individual with these needs and abilities doing these tasks in these environments?
• What strategies might be used to invite increased performance?
• How might these tools be tried out with the individual in the customary environments in which
they will be used?

Technology is a tool that serves a set of educational [vocational goals], and if we don’t think about
what we want the technology for first, we end up with technology-driven solutions that have very little
impact in the lives of children [individuals] in our educational [workforce] system.
- Linda Roberts

Additional Resources
www.JobEnable.com JobEnable.com assists you in finding employment by providing a vehicle in
which you can showcase your qualifications, talent & ability to prospective employers. JobEnable.com
allows you to post your resume, search the database for job openings and submit job applications
online"

S. Marfilius 2009 marfilius@mac.com www.scottmarfilius.com Page 4