Warmest congratulations to our newest PhD graduate Dr Mohamed Maalim who was conferred during graduation ceremonies on a warm and sunny March 19th. Dr Maalim’s work on enhancing assistive technology accessibility was oriented around the systemic challenges and personal barriers faced by individuals with disabilities. Through a pragmatic explorative mixed-methods design, including Delphi methodology, Mohamed developed the Assistive Technology Passport framework. Integral to this framework is the central placement of the person at the heart of service provision, ensuring that AT services are not just accessible but also person-centred. The AT Passport is dynamically adaptive, making significant systemic recommendations for service provision and recognising the importance of aligning services with the user's evolving needs and contexts. To learn more about Dr Maalim’s work, see his contributions to ‘Ideas in ALL: A blog on assisting living and learning by the ALL Institute here:
- Access to Assistive Technology (AT); why we should not prioritise function over form and adopt a holistic approach – Ideas in ALL
- Reflecting on a Journey of Meaningful Impact: Celebrating with the ALL-Institute – Ideas in ALL
The first paper based on Dr Maalim’s thesis is available to read in full here: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/12/6/182
Maalim, M. I., & MacLachlan, M. (2022). The Assistive Technology Passport: A Resource for Enhancing Capabilities as a Result of Better Access to Assistive Technology. Societies, 12(6), 182. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12060182
Photo: Dr Maalim is pictured here with family members and MU Department of Psychology members Prof. Seán Commins, Prof. Deirdre Desmond and Dr Joanne McVeigh.