Foundational and Theoretical Understanding

One of the many goals of parents and caretakers is to teach children life skills and independence for when they leave home as young adults, start a career, and have a life of their own. Life skills are problem-solving behaviors that are used and applied appropriately to manage one’s personal affairs in a responsible manner. This includes personal care, financial literacy and independence, and home living, among other things. “The ability to take responsibility for one's own performance and desires” is what we call ‘independence’ (Mann, Ottenbacher, Fraas, Tomita & Granger, 1999, p. 211). Hence, life skills enable people to solve problems and answer questions that are commonly encountered in daily human life, which enable them to live on their own, independently, without an inappropriate amount of assistance from others.

Learning and maintaining skills for independent living can be challenging for all individuals but more so for those with disabilities. Assistive Technology (AT) is a critical factor in the lives of individuals with disabilities as well as those who are older. AT provides these individuals with the ability to function and perform daily tasks at an optimum level; hence, increasing independence and safety and at the same time, reducing cost and time for personal care services. When a person cannot perform a task that they once could or that others can it is frustrating and AT can alleviate that frustration in many cases. In today's world people who could never speak can communicate with others through hand held devices. People who could not hear, see, walk or dress and feed themselves can now use alternative ways of doing those things in a time comparable to their peers.