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People with disabilities as product innovators: a pilot study
Peter D Conradie1,2, Aron-Levi Herregodts2, Lieven De Marez2
1a Department of Industrial System and Product Design , Ghent University , Campus , Kortrijk , Belgium.
Disability and Rehabilitation. Assistive Technology
|September 29, 2017
Summary
People with disabilities actively innovate products to meet their needs, with many solutions also benefiting non-disabled individuals. This highlights persons with disabilities as a key source of valuable product innovation.
Area of Science:
- Rehabilitation science
- Disability studies
- Innovation studies
Background:
- Persons with disabilities often face unique challenges requiring tailored solutions.
- Unmet product needs are common within this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the rate of product innovation among people with disabilities.
- To understand the diffusion patterns of these innovations.
- To assess the general value of solutions developed by persons with disabilities for non-disabled individuals.
Main Methods:
- A self-administered questionnaire was used with 178 participants.
- Data collected included disability details, unmet needs, and solution impact.
- Solutions were analyzed for novelty and general value.
Main Results:
- Approximately 45% of respondents developed a solution.
- 9.55% of developed solutions were novel.
- 6.8% of solutions offered general value to non-disabled users.
Conclusions:
- Persons with disabilities are significant innovators, developing impactful solutions for themselves.
- Many innovations developed by persons with disabilities also benefit the general population.
- Despite positive impacts, diffusion of these solutions is often limited.
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