We have been sequestering seniors and disabled people for a long, long time. Secretary Shalala called for a seamless system of support, which incorporates a holistic approach to building and managing a supportive sociotechnical infrastructure. She used the example of an accessible ATM to begin to model the infrastructure. Across the lifespan emerged as a theme, often articulated as lifelong aging. He invited us to think of new models which are not as linear or sequential and which have multiple loops and pathways.
Lifelong technology is a complement to lifelong aging.
I can assure you that assistive technology and universal design studies show a dearth of policy to support research, development, commercialization and delivery of lifelong technology. Conferees noted that Technology cannot substitute for human love and human caring. We cannot forget the caregiving component when we think about our guidelines and our criteria in this area. In the disability movement, which has worked so hard for Personal Assistance Services legislation, there has been a subtle avoidance of the discussion about whether or not support for assistive technology might weaken support for Personal Assistants. Personal assistance dollars should not have to compete with dollars for medical and assistive technology and for accessibility in transportation, information technology and the built environment.