Why is an ecological model needed for determining the importance of Assistive Technology?
As noted above, CR4AT employed the ecological model and a participatory action research design. The ecological model is a holistic research approach that “examines the complex challenges from every aspect and probes into the systemic issues at the societal, service and personal levels, and considers how the issues at these levels often intersect,” (Status of Women, Canada, 2003). The selection of an ecological model to conduct community research implies that there is a need to investigate not only at an individual level, but to examine the environment and community in which the individual is embedded (Ferrari, 2000). The use of such an interactive systems model (Senge, 1999) is based on the notion that the community does not only influence individuals but that they also participate in its creation. The ecological model is composed of three levels that interact synonymously – the individual level, the services / environmental level and the policy / systems level. Conducting analysis of
