FW-HTF-RL: Improving Disability Inclusion in the Workforce Through Assessment and Augmentation of Individual Abilities and Workflow Redesign in Real-World Contexts

尽管近几十年来采取了多项立法举措，但在美国，将残疾人纳入工作场所仍然是一项重大挑战。这可归因于现有的方法是以任务为中心的，残疾人只有在能够通过合理的便利满足工作要求的情况下才能被雇用。这项由人类技术前沿（FW-HTF）资助的研究项目采用以人为本的方法，通过技术和培训提高个人能力，实现残疾包容。使用缝纫的工作背景下，研究的重点是个人能力的评估，任务和工作站的设计，以及工作流程的优化，以促进残疾人的包容性。通过工业合作伙伴关系，这些解决方案将在现实世界的服装生产线环境中应用和评估，并扩展到其他工作环境。总体目标是建立一个更具包容性、生产力和经济可行性的充满活力的工作场所;更大程度地纳入重要但尚未开发的劳动力将提高全球竞争力。除了科学和技术的进步，这项研究将提供独特的，多学科的培训机会，研究生在跨越人的能力，工程技术和工作流程管理的领域。研究的主要目标是解决一个具有挑战性的社会问题，即残疾人融入工作场所。与传统方法相比，该研究采用了能力优先的方法，重点关注个人能力而不是残疾。通过多学科合作，本研究将通过（i）评估个人能力，（感觉运动，认知和心理准备）及其对任务的适应性，（ii）利用技术增强个人能力（机器人和增强现实），使得具有不同能力的个体可以具有相似的表现水平，以及（iii）分析工作流程（价值流图），考虑到具有不同能力的个人的团队，以增加参与和团队生产力。一个首要的主题是通过与行业合作伙伴的合作来创建可行，有效，经济可行和可扩展的解决方案。创造这种包容残疾人的充满活力的工作场所将促进对工作和工作设计的基本理解（未来工作）、技能评估和培训（未来工作者）以及建立人与技术的合作关系，（未来科技）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的评估被认为值得支持。影响审查标准。

Inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the workplace has remained a significant challenge in the US despite multiple legislative initiatives in recent decades. This can be attributed to the fact that existing approaches are task-centric and individuals with disabilities are only employed if they can meet the job requirements with reasonable accommodations. This Future of Work at the Human Technology Frontier (FW-HTF) funded research project adopts a human-centric approach to disability inclusion by enhancing individual abilities through technology and training. Using the work context of sewing, the research focuses on the assessment of individual abilities, task and workstation design, and workflow optimization to facilitate inclusion of individuals with disabilities. Through industrial partnerships, these solutions will be applied and evaluated in a real-world apparel production-line environment and scaled to other work contexts. The overarching goal is to build a dynamic workplace that is more inclusive, productive, and economically viable; greater inclusion of a significant but untapped workforce will lead to increased global competitiveness. In addition to scientific and technological advances, this research will provide unique, multidisciplinary training opportunities to graduate students in areas spanning human abilities, engineering technologies, and workflow management.The main objective of the research is to address a challenging societal problem, that of disability inclusion in the workplace. In a paradigm shift from the traditional approach, the research adopts an abilities-first approach that focuses on individual abilities rather than disabilities. Through multi-disciplinary collaboration, this research will create new knowledge frameworks by (i) assessing individual abilities (sensorimotor, cognitive, and psychological readiness) and their fit to the task, (ii) augmenting individual abilities using technology (robotics and augmented-reality) such that individuals with diverse abilities can have similar levels of performance, and (iii) analyzing workflow (value stream maps) that takes into account teams of individuals with diverse abilities to increase participation and team productivity. An overarching theme is real-world implementation and testing through collaborations with industry partners to create solutions that are feasible, effective, economically viable, and scalable. The creation of such dynamic workplaces that are inclusive of disabled individuals will advance fundamental understanding of job and work design (Future Work), skill assessment and training (Future Worker), and creation of human-technology partnerships that can revolutionize industry (Future Technology).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.