Understanding Challenges In Delivering AT Services To Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islanders In Rural And Remote Areas

LifeTec is committed to ensuring we adhere to best practice when we providing assistive technology services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in rural and remote areas. To assist us to better understand the unique challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in rural and remote areas in acquiring assistive technology LifeTec, is working with students from the Australian Catholic University who are investigating current challenges relating to AT prescription and service delivery in regional, remote and Indigenous communities and how this varies to our service delivery for clients in metropolitan areas.

The students will complete a review of relevant literature, conduct interviews with people with a lived experience of using AT and liaise with other services providers to investigate the experiences of consumers and other therapists working in this areas.

The project will identify recommendations for LifeTec to consider when working in regional, remote and Indigenous communities.

LifeTec will use the information gathered as part of this project to further develop our service delivery models to ensure consistency in the outcomes obtained regardless of the person’s location.

The project will also contribute to the development of LifeTec’s Reconciliation Action Plan where is it is important to identify culturally appropriate service models or culturally appropriate clinical tools that we can utilise in our practice.