AIM (Access Information Map)
The AIM project is tackling a problem that is frequently highlighted in our research: people with cerebral palsy and families struggle to find information about health services and supports that are available, accessible and appropriate to their individual needs. This includes finding contact information, referral criteria, and information about accessibility and expertise of sports clubs, physical activities, and health services such as physiotherapy. There is currently no centralised directory of health services and supports for disabled people in Ireland, making it difficult for people with disabilities and service providers to navigate.
We previously tried to map health services for adults with cerebral palsy. You can read what we did and the challenges we faced in the report. We found there was limited information available online and it was difficult to know if information was up-to-date. Creating a centralised directory of health services and supports requires a collective effort to identify and share information nationally.
In this project, we will develop an online directory of health services and supports for people with disabilities, enabling people with disabilities and service providers to identify and provide information about services including accessibility, availability, and expertise. By utilising crowd-sourcing, the website will empower disabled people and their supporters to share knowledge within the community, overcoming challenges to timely and targeted sharing of information.
What are we doing?
Workshop
We are working with people with disabilities and people who support them such as parents, to gather insights into their needs and challenges to inform the design and development of the website, ensuring the initial prototype is user friendly and meets the needs of the community.
Website development and testing
We will develop a first iteration of the website and share with people with disabilities and their supporters to input information and test. We will refine the website based on their feedback.
Launch and scaling
We will launch the website nationally, making it available to people with disabilities and service providers to provide and find information. We will continue to collect feedback on the website and explore collaborations to ensure the website is sustainable and adapts to users' needs.
This project is led by Dr Jenny Fortune at the CP-Life Research Centre working in partnership with NCAD. The project is funded by SMART D8.