Federating databases of assistive technology products: Latest advancements of the European Assistive Technology Information Network

Abstract

Detailed information on the Assistive Technology (AT) Products available on the market is of paramount importance for many different stakeholders: people with disabilities and their family members, AT professionals, manufacturers/suppliers of AT products, researcher and developer, and policy makers. Since 2005 the organizations responsible for the major European AT information systems have joined together to create the European Assistive Technology Information Network (EASTIN). The core of the EASTIN network is the web portal www.eastin.eu that provides, in all the EU official languages, information on AT products and related material. In the last few years the EASTIN association promoted a series of projects aimed at improving the web portal and expanding the network to cover all the EU countries. This paper describes the main results of such projects. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.