Using Knowledge and Technology to Improve the Quality of Life of People who have Disabilities:

A Prosumer Approach
by
Laura A. Edwards

Helping to improve the quality of life for people of people who have disabilities is an underlying goal; of all stakeholders (i.e., those with a vested interest) in the field: of rehabilitation. Stakeholders include researchers and research utilization specialists as well as clients, parents, service providers, educators, and policymakers. Researchers have sought to identify the best medical treatments and rehabilitation practices as well as disability prevention methods. Research utilization specialists have explored ways to effectively transfer research results from the research community to the user community. This study explores the state of the art in knowledge utilization and technology transfer efforts. It applies findings from multiple disciplines studying knowledge utilization to the field of rehabilitation. The study identifies an approach that could significantly advance efforts to produce and use knowledge and technology to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities.

• Introduction
• Table of Contents
• Chapter I
• Chapter II
• Chapter III
• Chapter IV
• Chapter V
• Chapter VI
• Chapter VII
• Chapter VIII