Assistive Technology in Finland

Finnish society is a good provider of the general prerequisites required for producing services for assistive technology. Finland’s disability policy is based on the Nordic welfare model. Legislation obliges municipalities to arrange welfare services and healthcare for their citizens. The aim is to guarantee the services required by citizens in municipalities, regardless of their financial and social status. For the most part, this is based on a model involving services funded by tax revenue and supplemented by private services and civil organization activities (NUH, 2007).

Assistive technology is provided or loaned to the disabled. The assistive technology services also include training and instruction in the use of the devices and in replacing and maintaining them. These services are free of charge. The majority of assistive technology is obtained from the health centre or by referral from the healthcare district’s assistive technology unit (NUH, 2007).

Nordic Centre for Rehabilitation Technology (NUH). Provision of Assistive Technology in the Nordic Countries, Second Edition, May 2007.

 

Assistive devices in the field of education and training

Disabled students and other students in need of special support are entitled to receive – free of charge – special assistive devices and services which they need to allow them to take part in their classes. Such aids are for example computers, lifts or special desks. (Act on basic education 628/1998).

Responsible authorities: Municipal education service, The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA).

Although these formal aspects, I am going to show you some useful examples here in Finland.

Accessibility characteristics on the buses

• There is a sign written “stop” near the operator lights up when a stop has been requested.
• You can also hear an audio tone announcement of the next arrival by pushing a button.
• There are two coloured buttons to request a stop. Blue button for wheelchair users and strollers and red button for ordinary passengers. The buttons are easily accessible to most seated customers.
• It is reserved a place for wheelchair users and strollers as well as elderly people.
• The buttons are very accessible for most seated passengers.
• Most of buses shows the bus stop names on digital display that show you when the next stop is expected to arrive.
• The “Kneel Down facility” is encountered on all public transport buses. This allows air to be released from the suspension system to decrease the step that passengers have to climb to enter the bus as they usually level out to curb level. The Kneel Down facility is also used when using the built in wheel chair ramps.

Passenger saloon view – Bus line 8 in Tampere.

Place for wheelchair users and strollers – Bus line 8 in Tampere

User with foldable rollator. This facility is very comfortable – Bus line 8 in Tampere.

User with rollator. This standard rollator has a lightweight material frame, basket and brakes.

Wheelchair accessible vehicle on the Hämmeenkatu, Tampere.

Conventional wheelchairs available at the Vaanta airport in Helsinki.

Assistive Technology Fair will occur in Tampere, Finland, November 2015. This event is organized by Expomark.

http://www.expomark.fi/w/en/fairs/assistive-technology-2013/

Visiting at KTH on 27th February

At the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Sweden, we had an opportunity to spend some hours in a well-known Institution that is recognized for providing high-value education to students. We planned this visit to see some buildings, Library and the Materials Engineering Department for a couple of hours.

They welcomed us with a lunch and a meeting with Regional Adviser Mr. Hans Lundin who has been in charge of international relations with Brazil. He has stated that there are more than 20 Brazilian students nowadays at KTH and most of them came from Science without Borders Programme. He also commented about the strengthening co-operation among KTH and our Federal Universities. It was pointed out that there is a lack of agreements with Federal Institutes (e.g. Universities of Applied Science).

There are no really words to describe the aura of buildings that looks like you are living a few centuries ago. The library learning environment was one of the most important hightlights. We also explored some of the most iconic locations and vistas in Stockholm.

Finally, we had a meeting with Dr. Andrey Karasev who explained that the Master Degree in Materials Engineering at KYH is totally offered in English. This programme used to attract numerous international students. He has encouraged us to offer the Master Degree in Materials Engineering in English either and promote more efficiently the exchange of students on this area.

Debate: a teaching-learning strategy

31.03.2015

Teacher: Pirjo Jaakkola

This class was very interesting. The instructor showed us the importance of debate as a learning-teaching strategy, how powerful could be the debate technique for our perspective lectures?

Subject: There are good students and bad students and that is it. There is nothing much that the teacher can do about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMZA80XpP6Y

The debate was organized on the following way:

1. Choosing roles for the debate.

•   2 volunteer debaters (defence).
•   2 volunteer debaters (opposition).
•   4 observers.
• The rest of us will be the audience and observers.

2. The debaters withdraw to plan their argumentation, 10 min.
3. Instructions for audience and observers.
4. The debate starts, duration 15 min.
5. Evaluation of the debate – observers.
6. Discussion and a couple of slides, 15 min.
7. Second round of debate – evaluation.
8. Discussion and feedback.

In my point of view the outstanding matter comes from proactive behaviour of the students regarding debate classes. It is a wonderful practice conform with the selected subject. As a Brazilian, I think that our students typically are not encouraged as due to interacts actively with other students and teachers. We need to approach toward a student-centered learning, which aims to develop learner autonomy and independence by putting responsibility for the learning path in the hands of students.

Future E-learning

01.04.2015

Teacher: Dr Päivi Aarrenimei

E-learning is basically the use of electronic educational technology towards effective learning and teaching.

In Brazil the Moodle is well-known open source system to support learning and teaching through the web. It provides several tools for learning assessment, which is also adopted by a large community along the world. The use of google tools like google drive and google community have been increased in recent days.

On the other hand, there are several emerging technologies that should be adopt systematically in the next future: Smartboards, 4D animation sources, Kahoot, Google glass, Touch screen, Augmented reality as Haptic technology, Padle tool (as illustrated in the figure below), Ning, Glogster, etc.

Finnish Sauna

One could say that sauna is to Finns as air to the rest of us: indispensable. In fact, in a country of 5.5 million people, there is said to be nearly 3 million saunas on hand. For Finnish sauna is a place to relax with friends and family, and a place for physical and mental relaxation as well.

Here, I get used with the practice of sauna everyday because If you have a bad day, you come to sauna and it is not a bad day anymore. But one thing it really does for you – it is invigorating, providing exceptionally reinvigorating energies.