Natasha Layton
Biographic Data
| ID | 3558842 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Natasha Layton |
| GIVEN NAMES | Natasha |
| FAMILY NAME | Layton |
| SIGNATURE | LAYTON N |
| AFFILIATIONS | Monash University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3213-8069 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
The Experience of Manual Wheelchair Training for People With Chronic and Progressive Conditions: Perspectives of Users and Trainers
INTRODUCTION: Global ageing and the rise of chronic and progressive health conditions that lead to mobility changes will see increased need for manual wheelchair (MWC) provision and training. Existing training guidelines and training programmes are frequently tailored towards younger users. There is a knowledge and practice gap regarding the needs of people with chronic or progressing conditions who require a wheelchair. To inform practice guidel…
Culturally Safe Assistive Technology Provision in Australia: Concept Mapping Perspectives From Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Disparities in Assistive Technology (AT) access exist for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples despite recent policy reforms. This paper brings together First Nations and Western academic ways of being, knowing and doing to deliver an AT practice analysis based upon primary data from two research reports into the cultural safety of AT information, products and services in Australia from the perspective of older persons. Secondary analysi…
Financial inclusion for people with disability: A scoping review
BACKGROUND: Financial exclusion is a human rights issue affecting health equity. Evidence demonstrates that financial exclusion is exacerbated for people with disability and those in low- to middle-income countries (LMIC). Barriers to financial access include limited demand for services, banking inadequacies in catering to people with disability, and insufficiently accessible information technologies (ICT) and infrastructure. OBJECTIVES: This sco…
The Right to Rehabilitation for People With Dementia: A Codesign Approach to Barriers and Solutions
INTRODUCTION: People with dementia of all ages have a human right to equal access to quality health care. Despite evidence regarding its effectiveness, many people living with dementia are unable to access rehabilitation for promoting function and quality of life. Conducted in Australia, this study was designed to (1) explore barriers to access to dementia rehabilitation and (2) identify solutions that improve access to rehabilitation. METHODS: P…
Symptoms of depression and risk of emergency department visits among people aged 70 years and over
This study is unique in demonstrating how depressive symptoms among healthy older persons are associated with subsequent increased use of emergency healthcare. Improved understanding and monitoring of mental health in primary care is essential to undertake effective healthcare planning including prevention of needing emergency care
Structures of Oppression or Inclusion: What Systemic Factors Impact Inclusion in Disability and Rehabilitation Research
This manuscript considers the drivers towards inclusive research in the field of disability and rehabilitation; including some of the tools and frameworks that may support its realisation. We, a group of researchers engaged in rehabilitation research from lived experience and 'conventional' (non-lived experience) positions, reflect on our collective endeavours to bring about inclusion in research and specify the systemic factors constraining incl…
Who cares for the carer? Codesigning a carer health and wellbeing clinic for older care partners of older people in Australia
INTRODUCTION: Older carers or 'care partners' of older people experiencing care needs often provide essential support, at times while neglecting their own health and well-being. This is an increasingly frequent scenario due to both demographic changes and policy shifts towards ageing in place. Multiple community stakeholders within the care and support ecosystem hold valuable expertise about the needs of older care partners, and the programme and…
Assistive Technology and the Wellbeing of Societies from a Capabilities Approach
This Special Issue considers two core facilitators of functioning: assistive technology and environmental intervention [...]
Informal carers' support needs, facilitators and barriers in the transitional care of older adults: A qualitative study
INTRODUCTION: Inclusion of informal carers in transitional care is challenging because of fast throughput and service fragmentation. This study aimed to understand informal carers' needs during the care transitions of older adults from inpatient care to the community. METHODS: A qualitative exploratory design was used with mixed-methods data collection. Seventeen semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with family carers; one focus gr…
Towards Co-Design in Delivering Assistive Technology Interventions: Reconsidering Roles for Consumers, Allied Health Practitioners, and the Support Workforce
A complexity of factors, from health and technology innovations to policy redesign to achieve consumer-directed care, are impacting traditional roles for Australian allied health practitioners (AHPs). This pilot study considers roles for AHPs in relation to assistive technology (AT) interventions. Articulating 'who does what' may serve a number of purposes including de-professionalization of the discourse; better utilization of support networks a…
Housing and Support for People with Disability: Perspectives of Motor Accident, Disability and Injury Insurers across Australia and New Zealand
Housing is a critical enabler of a dignified life, civic participation and the achievement of human rights. Providing appropriate housing for people who experience neurotrauma as a result of road or workplace injury, with both the assistive technology and human support required, continues however to be a policy and practice challenge. Australian and New Zealand motor accident, disability and injury insurers have high and enduring liability in thi…
Do Assistive Products Enhance or Equalize Opportunities? A Comparison of Capability across Persons with Impairments Using and Not Using Assistive Products and Persons without Impairments in Bangladesh
Aiming to compare capability across persons with impairments using and not using assistive products and persons without impairments in Bangladesh for 16 different functionings, we contrast two sets of self-reported cross-sectional data from eight districts of Bangladesh: (i) data from persons with hearing impairment not using hearing aids, persons with hearing impairment using hearing aids and persons without impairments (N = 572); and (ii) data …
When the Wheelchair Is Not Enough: What Capabilities Approaches Offer Assistive Technology Practice in Rural Argentina
This article considers the lives of disabled people requiring assistive technology who live in contexts of urban poverty. Provision is often constrained by a range of contextual factors which seem outside the scope of health and rehabilitation services. We critically reflect on health, rehabilitation, and capabilities approaches. We explore both rehabilitation and capabilities approaches with posture and mobility practice in an area of urban pove…
Meeting Unmet Needs for Stroke Rehabilitation in Rural Public Health: Explorative Economic Evaluation of Upper Limb Robotics-Based Technologies through a Capabilities Lens
Rehabilitation technologies are rapidly evolving, presenting promising interventions for people with neurological impairments. Access to technology, however, is greater in metropolitan than rural areas. Applying a capabilities approach to this access issue foregrounds healthcare recipients’ rights and personhood within the discourse on resource allocation. Within this context, this study aimed to investigate the economic viability of robotics-bas…
Inclusive Research in Health, Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology: Beyond the Binary of the 'Researcher' and the 'Researched
The principle of 'working with, not on' people with disabilities is widely espoused within inclusive research, yet historically such opportunities have not been fully realized. This paper speaks from the perspective of users of health, rehabilitation, assistive technology services, and the academics with whom they collaborate. We draw on Australia's Disability Inclusive Research Principles to reflect on the practice of inclusive research across t…
Assistive Technology during the Covid-19 Global Pandemic: The Roles of Government and Civil Society in Fulfilling the Social Contract
The COVID-19 pandemic imposed significant challenges to users of assistive technology (AT). Three key issues emerged from a series of structured qualitative interviews with 35 AT users in six low- and middle-income countries. These were (1) access to information about COVID-19 and available supports and policies, (2) insufficiency of the government response to meet the needs of AT users, and (3) the response of civil society which partially offse…
Access to Assistive Technology during the Covid-19 Global Pandemic: Voices of Users and Families
The SARS COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2019 and has impacted people everywhere. Disparities in impact and outcomes are becoming apparent for individuals and communities which go beyond the trajectory of the disease itself, influenced by the strength and weaknesses of systems of universal health care, and the actions of civil society and government. This article is one of a series exploring COVID-19-related experiences of assistive technology (AT) …
Assistive Technology Provider Experiences during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Globally, health systems face challenges in the delivery of assistive technology (AT) and only 10% of people are currently able to access the assistive products they need. The COVID-19 pandemic presented an uncharted path for AT providers to navigate, placing them under pressure to be agile and rapidly adapt. This article, part of a series, explores the experiences and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on AT providers and aims to inform how AT pro…
Innovation in Assistive Technology: Voice of the User
This article is an open letter to assistive technology stakeholders from an assistive technology user perspective. Contemporary systems thinking in assistive technology identifies the interlinking themes of people, products, personnel, policy and provision. We add to the current discourse on these five themes through the voice of an expert assistive technology user, who states that “As a disabled person and as a long-time expert assistive technol…
The Convergence and Mainstreaming of Integrated Home Technologies for People with Disability
If human rights begin in small places close to home, technologies that enable people with disability to access and control their home environments are an important human rights instrument. Smart homes exemplify recent advances in design, building construction, and integration of technologies within the built environment. They draw on multiple social and technical disciplines that share a broad vision but lack a common language, creating ambiguity…
An Environment Built to Include Rather than Exclude Me”: Creating Inclusive Environments for Human Well-Being
Contemporary discourses which challenge the notion of health as the "absence of disease" are prompting changes in health policy and practice. People with disability have been influential in progressing our understanding of the impact of contextual factors in individual and population health, highlighting the impact of environmental factors on functioning and inclusion. The World Health Organization's (WHO) more holistic definition of health as "w…
Advocacy via human rights legislation: The application to assistive technology and accessible environments
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities identifies two key factors that enable participation in society: assistive technologies and accessible environments. This article demonstrates that, for many people living with disability, access to these enablers is integral to the enjoyment of human rights. Although government structures, such as funding schemes for assistive technology and environmental modifications, ostensibly uphold …
Meeting Unmet Needs for Stroke Rehabilitation in Rural Public Health: Explorative Economic Evaluation of Upper Limb Robotics-Based Technologies through a Capabilities Lens
Rehabilitation technologies are rapidly evolving, presenting promising interventions for people with neurological impairments. Access to technology, however, is greater in metropolitan than rural areas. Applying a capabilities approach to this access issue foregrounds healthcare recipients’ rights and personhood within the discourse on resource allocation. Within this context, this study aimed to investigate the economic viability of robotics-bas…
Inclusive Research in Health, Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology: Beyond the Binary of the 'Researcher' and the 'Researched
The principle of 'working with, not on' people with disabilities is widely espoused within inclusive research, yet historically such opportunities have not been fully realized. This paper speaks from the perspective of users of health, rehabilitation, assistive technology services, and the academics with whom they collaborate. We draw on Australia's Disability Inclusive Research Principles to reflect on the practice of inclusive research across t…
Innovation in Assistive Technology: Voice of the User
This article is an open letter to assistive technology stakeholders from an assistive technology user perspective. Contemporary systems thinking in assistive technology identifies the interlinking themes of people, products, personnel, policy and provision. We add to the current discourse on these five themes through the voice of an expert assistive technology user, who states that “As a disabled person and as a long-time expert assistive technol…
The Convergence and Mainstreaming of Integrated Home Technologies for People with Disability
If human rights begin in small places close to home, technologies that enable people with disability to access and control their home environments are an important human rights instrument. Smart homes exemplify recent advances in design, building construction, and integration of technologies within the built environment. They draw on multiple social and technical disciplines that share a broad vision but lack a common language, creating ambiguity…
Structures of Oppression or Inclusion: What Systemic Factors Impact Inclusion in Disability and Rehabilitation Research
This manuscript considers the drivers towards inclusive research in the field of disability and rehabilitation; including some of the tools and frameworks that may support its realisation. We, a group of researchers engaged in rehabilitation research from lived experience and 'conventional' (non-lived experience) positions, reflect on our collective endeavours to bring about inclusion in research and specify the systemic factors constraining incl…
Do Assistive Products Enhance or Equalize Opportunities? A Comparison of Capability across Persons with Impairments Using and Not Using Assistive Products and Persons without Impairments in Bangladesh
Aiming to compare capability across persons with impairments using and not using assistive products and persons without impairments in Bangladesh for 16 different functionings, we contrast two sets of self-reported cross-sectional data from eight districts of Bangladesh: (i) data from persons with hearing impairment not using hearing aids, persons with hearing impairment using hearing aids and persons without impairments (N = 572); and (ii) data …
When the Wheelchair Is Not Enough: What Capabilities Approaches Offer Assistive Technology Practice in Rural Argentina
This article considers the lives of disabled people requiring assistive technology who live in contexts of urban poverty. Provision is often constrained by a range of contextual factors which seem outside the scope of health and rehabilitation services. We critically reflect on health, rehabilitation, and capabilities approaches. We explore both rehabilitation and capabilities approaches with posture and mobility practice in an area of urban pove…
Advocacy via human rights legislation: The application to assistive technology and accessible environments
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities identifies two key factors that enable participation in society: assistive technologies and accessible environments. This article demonstrates that, for many people living with disability, access to these enablers is integral to the enjoyment of human rights. Although government structures, such as funding schemes for assistive technology and environmental modifications, ostensibly uphold …
An Environment Built to Include Rather than Exclude Me”: Creating Inclusive Environments for Human Well-Being
Contemporary discourses which challenge the notion of health as the "absence of disease" are prompting changes in health policy and practice. People with disability have been influential in progressing our understanding of the impact of contextual factors in individual and population health, highlighting the impact of environmental factors on functioning and inclusion. The World Health Organization's (WHO) more holistic definition of health as "w…
Innovation in Assistive Technology: Voice of the User
This article is an open letter to assistive technology stakeholders from an assistive technology user perspective. Contemporary systems thinking in assistive technology identifies the interlinking themes of people, products, personnel, policy and provision. We add to the current discourse on these five themes through the voice of an expert assistive technology user, who states that “As a disabled person and as a long-time expert assistive technol…
The Convergence and Mainstreaming of Integrated Home Technologies for People with Disability
If human rights begin in small places close to home, technologies that enable people with disability to access and control their home environments are an important human rights instrument. Smart homes exemplify recent advances in design, building construction, and integration of technologies within the built environment. They draw on multiple social and technical disciplines that share a broad vision but lack a common language, creating ambiguity…
Assistive Technology during the Covid-19 Global Pandemic: The Roles of Government and Civil Society in Fulfilling the Social Contract
The COVID-19 pandemic imposed significant challenges to users of assistive technology (AT). Three key issues emerged from a series of structured qualitative interviews with 35 AT users in six low- and middle-income countries. These were (1) access to information about COVID-19 and available supports and policies, (2) insufficiency of the government response to meet the needs of AT users, and (3) the response of civil society which partially offse…
Access to Assistive Technology during the Covid-19 Global Pandemic: Voices of Users and Families
The SARS COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2019 and has impacted people everywhere. Disparities in impact and outcomes are becoming apparent for individuals and communities which go beyond the trajectory of the disease itself, influenced by the strength and weaknesses of systems of universal health care, and the actions of civil society and government. This article is one of a series exploring COVID-19-related experiences of assistive technology (AT) …
Assistive Technology Provider Experiences during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Globally, health systems face challenges in the delivery of assistive technology (AT) and only 10% of people are currently able to access the assistive products they need. The COVID-19 pandemic presented an uncharted path for AT providers to navigate, placing them under pressure to be agile and rapidly adapt. This article, part of a series, explores the experiences and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on AT providers and aims to inform how AT pro…
Informal carers' support needs, facilitators and barriers in the transitional care of older adults: A qualitative study
INTRODUCTION: Inclusion of informal carers in transitional care is challenging because of fast throughput and service fragmentation. This study aimed to understand informal carers' needs during the care transitions of older adults from inpatient care to the community. METHODS: A qualitative exploratory design was used with mixed-methods data collection. Seventeen semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with family carers; one focus gr…
Towards Co-Design in Delivering Assistive Technology Interventions: Reconsidering Roles for Consumers, Allied Health Practitioners, and the Support Workforce
A complexity of factors, from health and technology innovations to policy redesign to achieve consumer-directed care, are impacting traditional roles for Australian allied health practitioners (AHPs). This pilot study considers roles for AHPs in relation to assistive technology (AT) interventions. Articulating 'who does what' may serve a number of purposes including de-professionalization of the discourse; better utilization of support networks a…
Housing and Support for People with Disability: Perspectives of Motor Accident, Disability and Injury Insurers across Australia and New Zealand
Housing is a critical enabler of a dignified life, civic participation and the achievement of human rights. Providing appropriate housing for people who experience neurotrauma as a result of road or workplace injury, with both the assistive technology and human support required, continues however to be a policy and practice challenge. Australian and New Zealand motor accident, disability and injury insurers have high and enduring liability in thi…
Do Assistive Products Enhance or Equalize Opportunities? A Comparison of Capability across Persons with Impairments Using and Not Using Assistive Products and Persons without Impairments in Bangladesh
Aiming to compare capability across persons with impairments using and not using assistive products and persons without impairments in Bangladesh for 16 different functionings, we contrast two sets of self-reported cross-sectional data from eight districts of Bangladesh: (i) data from persons with hearing impairment not using hearing aids, persons with hearing impairment using hearing aids and persons without impairments (N = 572); and (ii) data …
When the Wheelchair Is Not Enough: What Capabilities Approaches Offer Assistive Technology Practice in Rural Argentina
This article considers the lives of disabled people requiring assistive technology who live in contexts of urban poverty. Provision is often constrained by a range of contextual factors which seem outside the scope of health and rehabilitation services. We critically reflect on health, rehabilitation, and capabilities approaches. We explore both rehabilitation and capabilities approaches with posture and mobility practice in an area of urban pove…
Meeting Unmet Needs for Stroke Rehabilitation in Rural Public Health: Explorative Economic Evaluation of Upper Limb Robotics-Based Technologies through a Capabilities Lens
Rehabilitation technologies are rapidly evolving, presenting promising interventions for people with neurological impairments. Access to technology, however, is greater in metropolitan than rural areas. Applying a capabilities approach to this access issue foregrounds healthcare recipients’ rights and personhood within the discourse on resource allocation. Within this context, this study aimed to investigate the economic viability of robotics-bas…
Inclusive Research in Health, Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology: Beyond the Binary of the 'Researcher' and the 'Researched
The principle of 'working with, not on' people with disabilities is widely espoused within inclusive research, yet historically such opportunities have not been fully realized. This paper speaks from the perspective of users of health, rehabilitation, assistive technology services, and the academics with whom they collaborate. We draw on Australia's Disability Inclusive Research Principles to reflect on the practice of inclusive research across t…
Who cares for the carer? Codesigning a carer health and wellbeing clinic for older care partners of older people in Australia
INTRODUCTION: Older carers or 'care partners' of older people experiencing care needs often provide essential support, at times while neglecting their own health and well-being. This is an increasingly frequent scenario due to both demographic changes and policy shifts towards ageing in place. Multiple community stakeholders within the care and support ecosystem hold valuable expertise about the needs of older care partners, and the programme and…
Assistive Technology and the Wellbeing of Societies from a Capabilities Approach
This Special Issue considers two core facilitators of functioning: assistive technology and environmental intervention [...]
Financial inclusion for people with disability: A scoping review
BACKGROUND: Financial exclusion is a human rights issue affecting health equity. Evidence demonstrates that financial exclusion is exacerbated for people with disability and those in low- to middle-income countries (LMIC). Barriers to financial access include limited demand for services, banking inadequacies in catering to people with disability, and insufficiently accessible information technologies (ICT) and infrastructure. OBJECTIVES: This sco…
The Right to Rehabilitation for People With Dementia: A Codesign Approach to Barriers and Solutions
INTRODUCTION: People with dementia of all ages have a human right to equal access to quality health care. Despite evidence regarding its effectiveness, many people living with dementia are unable to access rehabilitation for promoting function and quality of life. Conducted in Australia, this study was designed to (1) explore barriers to access to dementia rehabilitation and (2) identify solutions that improve access to rehabilitation. METHODS: P…
Symptoms of depression and risk of emergency department visits among people aged 70 years and over
This study is unique in demonstrating how depressive symptoms among healthy older persons are associated with subsequent increased use of emergency healthcare. Improved understanding and monitoring of mental health in primary care is essential to undertake effective healthcare planning including prevention of needing emergency care
Structures of Oppression or Inclusion: What Systemic Factors Impact Inclusion in Disability and Rehabilitation Research
This manuscript considers the drivers towards inclusive research in the field of disability and rehabilitation; including some of the tools and frameworks that may support its realisation. We, a group of researchers engaged in rehabilitation research from lived experience and 'conventional' (non-lived experience) positions, reflect on our collective endeavours to bring about inclusion in research and specify the systemic factors constraining incl…
The Experience of Manual Wheelchair Training for People With Chronic and Progressive Conditions: Perspectives of Users and Trainers
INTRODUCTION: Global ageing and the rise of chronic and progressive health conditions that lead to mobility changes will see increased need for manual wheelchair (MWC) provision and training. Existing training guidelines and training programmes are frequently tailored towards younger users. There is a knowledge and practice gap regarding the needs of people with chronic or progressing conditions who require a wheelchair. To inform practice guidel…
Culturally Safe Assistive Technology Provision in Australia: Concept Mapping Perspectives From Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Disparities in Assistive Technology (AT) access exist for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples despite recent policy reforms. This paper brings together First Nations and Western academic ways of being, knowing and doing to deliver an AT practice analysis based upon primary data from two research reports into the cultural safety of AT information, products and services in Australia from the perspective of older persons. Secondary analysi…
Medicine (16 works) · Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility (13 works) · Psychology (13 works) · Computer Science (12 works) · Political science (11 works) · Business (9 works) · Disability Rights and Representation (8 works) · Nursing (8 works) · Public relations (8 works) · Health care (7 works)