From: L.H.Webb@loughborough.ac.uk
Organization: Loughborough University, UK.

An invitation to RESNA Participants:
Are you going to the IEA '94 12th Triennial Congress Rehabilitation
Ergonomics Conference in Toronto? If you are then would you like to consider 
joining a Focus Group on Usability in Rehabilitation & Assistive Technology 
on August 19, 1994 at the Westin Harbour Hotel, Toronto 0900 - 1530 hrs

Invitation:
Applications are invited from interested ergonomists and Human Factors 
practitioners, with experience of working in the area of rehabilitation and 
assistive technology (RT/AT),  to join a one day Focus Group to explore the 
application of 'usability' in this sector.

Background:
'Usability' is an important design issue. The concept has developed 
significantly since it first appeared in the technical literature of the 
1970s and early 1980s and there is now a large body of usability based 
information, methods, tools and techniques particularly for the design of IT 
based products, devices and services.  Products, devices or services which 
are based on usability have a higher probability of acceptance by their 
users, have a competitive edge over other products and can directly 
contribute to an improvement in the quality of everyday living particularly 
where new technology is involved.

Usability is also of key importance to the more specific and  often more 
demanding environment of RT/AT.  In RT/AT the emphasis on 'meeting user 
needs' to enable a user or user group to play a more integrated role within 
society and to  benefit from an improved quality of life.  In RT/AT 
usability has yet to become established as a design concept and the small 
amount of specific knowledge that does exist  is neither well organised nor 
widely accessible to product developers and service providers.

As a result the TIDE (Technology Initiative for the Disabled and Elderly) 
programme of the European Union is supporting a major  initiative called 
USER (Usability Elaboration for Rehabilitation Technology).   This is a two 
year activity designed to transfer and develop new usability knowledge 
specifically for the RT/AT sector.  This initiative is an important 
opportunity for ergonomics to make a significant contribution to an 
increasingly important market sector and to apply skills, methods and 
theories in the context of a world-wide welfare and care crisis.  This Focus 
Group is part of this process.

The benefits of participation:
The event provides a timely opportunity for ergonomists and Human Factors 
professionals to meet, exchange views, develop concepts and explore issues 
which affect the advancement of the profession in the RT/AT sector.  Focus 
group participants will also receive summaries of the first results from the 
USER project including data on the RT/AT sector, the state of the art of 
usability in RT/AT and indications drawn from field research in Europe of 
requirements for usability.

Programme:
The programme will include tutorial elements which report USER findings, 
coupled with practical exercises and discussions.  No prior preparation is 
needed but participants will need to have experience of one or several 
application areas in RT/AT.  The number of participants will be limited and 
early application is advisable.  The language will be in English.  The 
programme of events will be led by an experienced team of Simon Richardson 
and David Poulson (HUSAT Research, UK),  Claudio Sdogati (COO S.S. Marche, 
Italy) and Jan Heim (SINTEF REHAB, Norway)

Costs:
No charges for participation are involved and refreshments will be provided.  
The event is supported by the USER project within the TIDE programme of the 
European Economic Community.

Registration:
Please contact Simon Richardson by email, fax or letter as soon as possible 
to be sure of obtaining a place.  Please include some information on your 
particular interests in usability for RT/AT.

Contact details:
Simon Richardson,
Strategy Director, USER,
HUSAT Research Institute,
Loughborough University of Technology,
The Elms, Elms Grove,
Loughborough, Leics  LE11 1RG, UK.

Telephone: International: 0044 509 611088  UK: 0509 611088
Fax:       International: 0044 509 234651  UK: 0509 234652
email:     S.J.Richardson@lut.ac.uk