Co-creating an assistive technology peer-support community: learnings from AT Chat

Area of Science:

• Assistive Technology (AT)
• Health Services Research
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Inclusion is a key philosophy in healthcare and human services.
• Co-production is a strategy to achieve genuine inclusion.
• Australia's AT community aims to empower users' voices in service and product development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the iterative co-design process for a peer-led information and support program.
• To enable AT users and supporters to enhance their AT decision-making capabilities.
• To facilitate the sharing of expertise among AT users and the broader community.

Main Methods:

• A living labs approach grounded in co-design principles.
• Incorporation of peer education and AT competency-building.
• Engagement of over 600 individuals through design thinking, surveys, focus groups, journey mapping, and think tanks.

Main Results:

• Establishment of a national, peer-led, co-designed online community for AT users (AT Chat) since 2017.
• A community of 5000 users actively contributing to peer-led information and support.
• Enhanced AT decision-making capabilities and shared expertise among users.

Conclusions:

• Co-design and user engagement are crucial for effective AT service delivery.
• Active co-design aligns with human rights and best practice standards in services.
• Recognizing and developing paid roles for AT users can improve self-efficacy and contribute to the AT workforce.