FTB,Forschungsinstitut Technologie-Behindertenhilfe, Germany

web site: http://en.ftb-net.de/

Forschungsinstitut Technologie-Behindertenhilfe (FTB) is the general department for requirement analysis, research, development, evaluation, and exploitation of assistive technology of Evangelische Stiftung Volmarstein (ESV). ESV is a large orthopaedic rehabilitation centre with experience in rehabilitation and nursing for more than 90 years, which provides the necessary background for the analysis, test, and application of technical aids for the individual needs of people with disabilities and older people. Evangelische Stiftung Volmarstein has about 1200 employees and about 1300 people with disability of all ages, who are served in the various Evangelische Stiftung Volmarstein rehabilitation facilities. In 1996 FTB got the acknowledgement as an scientific institution at the FernUniversitat - Gesamthochschule - Hagen from the Ministry of Science and Research of Northrhine-Westphalia.

As FTB's background, ESV disposes of much experiences in training and employment of people with disabilities in various departments within the centre, e.g.:

• job training centre with about 400 people with disabilities
• sheltered workshop with about 180 people with disabilities
• outpatient services for people with special needs
• special schools for handicapped children
• commercial computing centre (about 100 employees)

FTB is organised in three areas of responsibility, the information centre, the development centre and the test centre. The tasks of FTB comprise especially

• the requirement analysis with direct involvement of the persons with handicap, older people and the rehabilitation personnel,
• technology studies and market surveys within rehabilitation technology industrial sectors with a certain emphasis on user involvement,
• the development of new future oriented aid concepts with regard to socio-economic aspects as well as human, medical and psychological items,
• the advice of older people and people with disabilities concerning technical aid and accessibility,
• the demonstration of new technical opportunities towards the practice,
• further education and qualification of professionals, advisers and peer counsellors,
• the functional test of available technical solutions,
• the investigation of modern technologies for rehabilitation purposes and their adaptation, further development with respect to rehabilitation and practical investigations of useful applicability,
• the technical and organisational preparation and elaboration of research and development projects,
• the co-operation with rehabilitation establishments, universities, and industrial partners, and
• the commercialisation of aids for people with disabilities.

The research institute's staff consists of an interdisciplinary team with background in electrical engineering, computer science, pedagogic, psychology, mechanical engineering, industrial design, occupational therapy, social science, etc., who closely cooperate with the clinical and therapeutic staff and the people with special needs of ESV. Therefore the institute members can build the bridge between rehabilitation and modern technology.

FTB runs a demonstration and test laboratory including a smart house demonstration. It is member of the NRW project on advice for home adaptations with a local advice centre and as knowledge centre on technology for home adaptations. As 'assistive technology centre for older people and people with disabilities, NRW' it is carrying out innovative projects in assistive technology, runs a permanent exhibition of technical aids and supports the government of the federal state Nordrhein-Westfalen on related matters. In addition we organise workshops for technology training, information exchange for users, rehab staff and external interested people and give advice for assistive technology for individual users.

FTB is involved in R&D projects in the area of telework for people with disability, teleservices for people with special needs, human-machine interaction, wheelchair control, indoor wheelchairs, robots for rehabilitation, augmented communication, environmental control, integrated home systems, lifters and prosthetics and orthotics. In the field of the Information Society FTB conducted studies like "Participation of elderly and disabled in the information society" for the European Parliament (STOA) and "Accessibility of modern telecommunications" for CEU DGXIII. FTB co-operated on expert level with the Commission of the European Union within TIDE, Telematics, and Helios, etc. FTB contributes to the German database project REHADAT and has been participating in European programmes TIDE, Telematics, Leonardo, HELIOS, ESPRIT, HORIZON, SPRINT, and TMR and is involved in standardisation. Membership relations exist e.g. to ISPO, RESNA, ISAAC, ICTA, AAATE, COST 219bis, the 'WG multidisciplinary research' and 'WG aids for daily living' of the 'German association for the Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities'.

The staff of FTB has experience in preparation and management of European research and development projects and studies. From its position and activities FTB represents at the same time characteristics of specialist SME, University and private research institute in the field of rehabilitation technology, close to the end user.

In 1999 FTB is responsible for the 5th European conference for the advancement of assistive technology, AAATE 99, which will be conducted in conjunction the REHA-International trade fair in Dusseldorf, Germany.