Possibilidades da Tecnologia Touchscreen para desenvolvimento motor e inclusão digital de pessoas com Paralisia Cerebral

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the possibilities of touchscreen devices for motor stimulation of people with Cerebral Palsy (PC) in order to contribute to the accessibility of design objects to the greatest number of users according to the premise of Universal Design. The methodological procedures employed were a literature review on touchscreen technologies and therapies for people with Cerebral Palsy and semi-structured interviews with professionals in the area of physiatry, physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical education who work in Centro Catarinense de Reabilitação (CCR) of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, in Brazil, and have experience attending CP patients. By observing the aspects analyzed, it was concluded that touchscreen devices, with the due improvements, can be a tool in the rehabilitation process, since it enables a superior variety of manual movements than other devices of assistive technology. The size and interface of touchscreens are some of the major obstacles identified in the use of this technology by Cerebral Palsy patients. Therefore, it is relevant, in the field of Universal Design, to explore the intersection between the levels of motor involvement of people with CP and the possible gestures on the screens, so as to contribute to the advancement of digital accessibility not only to people with this neurological dysfunction but also several correlated motor impairments.