Customer Reviews

Living in the State of Stuck : How Assistive Technology Impacts the Lives of People with Disabilities, 3rd Edition

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As a rehabilitation professional and an individual with a severe mobility impairment, I found Dr. Scherer's book to be most enlightening. To tell you the truth, I was expecting another dry textbook bogged down with a lot of technical terms and professional jargon. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to read interesting stories about flesh and blood individuals, and the impact their disabilities and the use of assistive technology have had on their lives. It's one thing to read about all the wonderful things assistive technology can provide - it's quite another to read real life examples of its implementation.

I can relate to the author's belief that the technology is only as good as it is perceived to be by the individual that is using the technology, and that a holistic approach to matching the appropriate technology is essential. As Dr. Scherer points out, it doesn't matter how marvelous we as professionals' think the technology is. If it doesn't meet the need of the individual, it is virtually useless. To illustrate the author's point, I can't count the number of times a rehab professional has told me I should do this, or I should use that, or I should do it this way or that way, etc., without ever bothering to ask for my opinion or ideas. However, I have recently had my bilateral long leg braces refurbished, and (per Dr. Scherer's model), I essentially told the orthotist how I wanted it done. The end result - the braces are much more comfortable to wear and skin breakdown at the various pressure points has decreased dramatically!

Living in the State of Stuck teaches us how to look at assistive technology in a "big picture" perspective. The book discusses tailoring adaptations to particular needs, and how to practically apply adaptations to every day lives. Many people are afraid to use assistive technologies themselves, but expect people with disabilities to embrace adaptations. Scherer talks about matching people with technologies, not because they are a quick fix, and easily accessible, but because that person is genuinely interested in attaining and using the device which THEY have informatively chosen. Scherer uses practical information are stories about people of all ages and disabilities successfully using the latest technologies. She provides online resources, organizations, vendors and a worksheet to assist with matching persons with technologies.

This book was very insightful and well researched. It includes numerous individuals with disabilities and describes using Assistive Technology in real life situations. It highlights that all persons with the same disability do not use the same Assistive Technology and that above all else, the individual's needs, desires and goals should be considered before the purchase of Assistive Technology. In addition, it also points out that people with an acquired disability may feel differently about Assistive Technology than a person born with a disability. Overall, an excellent read!

"Stuck" teaches people how to think about assistive technology from a holistic perspective. Although most people approach the use of any new technology with skepticism, if not outright fear, people with disabilities are expected to accept assistive technology with open arms. The approach has been: Professionals prescribe the equipment; therefore, people should accept it for "their own good." Scherer illustrates her points about matching people with technology through stories about real people, telling the success stories along with the nightmares.

As a university professor, I have used this book as a text to teach current and future professionals in fields of special education, rehabilitation, and engineering. Students have been inspired by this book time and time again, and begin to understand how assistive technology can help people become "unstuck" and begin living quality lives in their communities.

This is a book about people with disabilities and access technology. It's the first book I've seen on the subject of how disabled people relate to access technology. This author has done most of her work with spinal cord injuries, so in that sense it isn't about people with vision problems; but I was absolutely struck by how many parallels there are between issues faced by the blind, and the issues faced by those with severe spinal cord injuries or cerebral palsy. I was very gratified to see that we aren't the only population for whom technology is really a mixed bag. As with us, the technology they use can in some way define the way they interact with the general public so it affects the way they feel about themselves. (For example, I will not use speech products unless I am with family or by myself.) Just as in the general public, they have their technophiles and their technophobes.
As it is for us, their biggest problems are psychological and sociological, not their actual disability. I was struck by how similar their population is relative to people born with disability versus those who become disabled later in life and how that effects their response to technology. Having used a slate and stylus all through college, I will never forget how thrilled I was the first time I saw refreshable Braille! I knew immediately that it would revolutionize my life, and it did! During my former lives in high technology for blind folks, I was always dumbfounded when other blind people didn't have the same response to refreshable Braille that I had. Dr. Scherer's book talks about how people who were born with a physical disability relate so much differently to a motorized wheelchair and other technologies than those who become disabled because of an accident or disease. Well, that really describes my experience relative to refreshable Braille. Naturally, the people who didn't get as excited about it as I got were usually those who had been blinded at some point in life. To me, the ability to insert and delete text, to erase and write over something without making an unreadable mess, and the ability to locate something by Brailing in a search string was enchanting and magical. I suppose to someone who had used print, these features weren't anything new so they didn't have the same level of wow that I did. I do remember that other congenitally blind folks reacted to the technology much as I had, with awe and passion. I always thought this was really a function of Braille mastery, but now, after reading Dr. Scherer's book, I believe it's partly a matter of how someone who becomes disabled feels about the compensating technologies.

The quadriplegics in Dr. Scherer's book have similar coping issues and they have some of the same kind of employment history and problems that we blind folks have. Naturally, they have some of the same challenges with government benefits; and they have some of the same problems trying to fund the technology they need. They have similar issues with service animals. It seemed like they have some of the same challenges relative to human help versus technology. As with us, their "quality of life" is often a function of the quality of help they get from family, volunteers, and paid help and they don't want to completely replace human assistance with technology. They have very similar issues with privacy, dignity, self-sufficiency, and learned helplessness.

Dr. Scherer reports that one third of all access technology is abandoned. She discusses reasons for this and talks a good deal about how to remedy the problem by making sure the proper product is recommended and purchased. It is a crime to spend so much money on technology that isn't utilized! One of the saddest thing I know of is when someone goes through fire to get a piece of technology and then is so frustrated by it that they end up not using it. Dr. Scherer's theories on why this happens and what should be done about it are interesting indeed.

In working with people with disabilities I found Scherer's book gave a different slant on their issues and the use of technology. It was easy reading and informative. The case studies gave examples of the various needs, likes and dislikes and preferences of people with disabilites and their uses of assistive technology. Probably the most important emphasis of Scherer's book is know your consumer and listen. There is no universal recommendation for assistive tech for our consumers.

The narratives are fascinating and compelling while the analysis is lively. The book deals with the problems experienced by those with disabilities as they relate to technologies. Marcia Scherer manages to create a text containing both substantive analysis and interesting stories. This is a rare combination to find. I recommend this jewel for anyone interested in exploring issues surrounding technology, embodiment, disabilities, and society.

I use this text for an occupational therapy course that I teach about assistive technology. Students enjoy reading the book and say it gives them a better understanding of the human perspectives of assistive technology use. This is what one student said recently.

The first time I head of this book is in a workshop of Assistive Technology. It interested me by the case stories shared by other participants. But I just thought that would be a dry textbook with some interesting case stories. When I actually picked up this book, I did not expect that I could not put it down. Although this book is talking about people with disability and assistive technology, its meaning does not limit to "cold, hard" assistive technology. It is good for all rehabilitation professionals to gain an insight of the life change and its meaning to their clients.

Being an OT student, I have been educated to focus on functioning, which I am very proud of as I think that distinguish us from other professions. In practice, when we assess/treat clients, we sometimes tend to look at client's impairments and provide intervention accordingly, but overlook what is the client's priority. Does the improvement in client's functioning really promote client's quality of life? This question was often skipped from our mind. The point made by Dr. Scherer prompted me to think the difference between functioning and quality of life. Dr. Scherer claimed that improving functioning ability does not necessary lead to the improvement of quality of life, which was illustrated by the case story in this book. It inspired me to rethink the ultimate goal of the rehabilitation and what the client-centered practice really mean.

It is not uncommon to prescribe assistive device to compensate client's functioning impairments. But the case presented by Dr. Scherer raised a question: is the client really satisfied with the compensation? In western culture and society, we emphasize the independence. But as the population of North American diverse, the original culture of some clients may emphasize more on interdependence. Therefore, the provision of assistive technology may improve the independence of client but jeopardize the value of interdependence. For example, some simple device would enable a client to dress him/herself, but in some culture, helping the seniors dressing is a responsibility of young generation. They deem it as a good opportunity for young generation to learn how to honor the elderly and it helps to pass this tradition down to young generation. In this sense, as a professional, we should be sensitive to client's different culture background and their values. This is applicable to not only people with different culture but also within the same culture.

In addition, Dr. Scherer also pointed out the importance of the psychosocial impact to client's life posed by using assistive technology as it will improve client's sense of control and self-esteem, etc. However, like every coin has two sides, this is not always the case. The book presented a story in which the client was prescribed an adaptive device for self-feeding. The prescription was not appreciated by the client because having someone to feed him is his only opportunity to socialize with the care giver, which in turn decrease his feeling of isolation. Through this example, Dr. Scherer reminded us to ponder over the issue: what is the goal of providing assistive device? Is the provision match the client's needs and their environment/situation? According to Dr. Scherer's research, the abandonment of AT are usually caused by the failure of considering user's opinion and preference. The individualization of AT is critical as AT has different meaning for different person.
I use this book in an occupational therapy course that I teach about assistive technology. Students enjoy using the text and find that it helps them to have a better understanding of the human perspectives of assistive technology use. This is what one of them said recently.

As a rehab student who originated from a developing culture, I am also interested in the introduction of a brief historical review of rehabilitation practice. I was wondering if the progress of rehabilitation in developing countries would follow the same stpes in North American. This might be an interesting research area, and would promote the development of rehabilitation in these developing countries. Lei Zhou

As an occupational therapist working in the school system, and currently providing assistive technology evaluation, education, and training, I found Living in a State of Stuck to be one of the most influential works I have read in a good number of years. We all have stories, and the individuals that Dr. Scherer has listened to and followed in her book have voices that resonate. I have practiced for nearly 30 years, and her approach feels like coming home to the core principles of the profession I have love. Thank you, Dr. Scherer, and please keep writing.

In simple, easy to read, language Marcia Scherer begins to discuss the impact of disability in our lives. Brought forward with case studies which allow the reader to understand the commonality among us all, Marcia shows us how little day to day changes can broaden range of options and posssibilities for independence, and specifically those with disabilties. We as readers are given a thumbnail sketch of people who utilize assistive technology everyday, some on a grand level such as modified housing and vehicles, and some as simple as a block under a desk leg. In each case we are afforded a glimpse at moving towards being unstuck. Clearly a "must read" for those who work with persons who are disabled, perhaps even for persons beginning their own journeys into becoming unstuck.