Accommodation outcomes and the ICF framework

Accommodation of the environment and technology is one of the key mediators of adjustment to disability and participation in community. In this article, accommodations are tested empirically as facilitators of return to work and participation, as defined by the International Classification of Disability, Function, and Health (ICF) and the Consortium for Assistive Technology Outcomes Research (CATOR). Both provide ideal models to examine this phenomenon with descriptive concepts and the relations between them. Nevertheless, there is a lack of predictive, empirically operational examinations of these models in order to serve the needs of assistive technology (AT) researchers and clinicians. The contribution of the current study is empirical examination of a framework to identify outcome measures for accommodation with AT. It confirms the major theoretical categories of outcomes: use, match to person/activity, effectiveness, participation, and well-being. Ninety adults with physical disabilities were evaluated in their natural workstations one year after adaptation of their computer workstation. Using the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis method, findings confirmed the conceptual model, N = 90, χ²(30) = 33.47, p > .05, and the various outcome measures chosen for this study. Future research and clinical applications of the proposed model and the SEM examination are discussed.