Experiences and challenges in designing non-traditional interfaces to enhance the everyday life of children with intellectual disabilities

Some experiences regarding children with disabilities carried out in Ecuador, Costa Rica and Spain have contributed to realize the importance of reading in order to enhance their daily life activities, independence and social integration. This article describes a qualitative study to understand general issues related to the design of non-traditional technologies for children with intellectual disabilities. A methodological approach is described and explained through the results of exploratory surveys and interviews. According to the information obtained from experts and the method of literacy acquisition proposed by Troncoso and Del Cerro, the design of a smart kit using non-traditional user interfaces is presented. A preliminary evaluation of the first prototype is described. The paper concludes by reflecting upon the importance of literacy acquisition and the challenges to design non-traditional interfaces to support learning of children with intellectual disabilities. The development of the phase two of the prototype and empirical evaluation is part of the future work. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.