User involvement in the development of new technology

This is an exciting project on user participation for people with combined visual and hearing impairments in the development of new technology. The project started in 2023 and will end in autumn 2025.

Who are project collaborators?

Fra 2023 til høsten 2025 jobbet en prosjektgruppe sammen i et spennende prosjekt om brukermedvirkning fra personer med døvblindhet i utviklingen av ny teknologi.

Fra 2023 til høsten 2025 jobbet en prosjektgruppe sammen i et spennende prosjekt om brukermedvirkning fra personer med døvblindhet i utviklingen av ny teknologi.

Prosjektgruppa bestod av:

• Three users of Eikholt: Marie Dyrkorn Egge, Erik Nilsen, Bedir Yiyit
• Three employees from Eikholt: Fereshteh Halimi, Emilio Jensen Granados and Kari Jokstad

Professor Hilde Thygesen from University of South East Norway fulgte prosjektet som deltakende observatør.

The picture shows the project's accompanying researcher, Professor Hilde Thygesen from University of South East Norwaywho sits with a microphone in front of him, diligently taking notes on paper.

User involvement in all phases of the project

Prosjektet utviklet seg fra å teste hjelpemiddelet SuperBrain from the company 7Sense in Estonia, to become an example of collaborative research. In other words, everyone has been an equal contributor to the project.

Through regular meetings at Eikholt, the group has:

• Tested and evaluated the assistive technology
• Systematised and analysed data
• Discussed technology development and user involvement
• Shared knowledge and experiences in a safe and creative community with the goal of joint competence development

We constantly uncovered new insights and knowledge. About collaboration between developers and users of assistive technology, and about interaction and co-creation in a project group. It has been satisfying for everyone to experience that we have developed new knowledge together. The sessions have been characterised by engagement, interest and curiosity. And humour.

Group course on user involvement in project work

Parallelt med selve prosjektet utviklet gruppa et group course in project work. The course was held in August 2025, with the entire project team as trainers.

The aim of the course was for participants to learn about project work and how they could use their unique experience-based knowledge in projects. Some of the participants are already working as experience consultants in projects.

The way forward - dissemination and publishing

Prosjektet er nå i formidlingsfasen. Tidsskriftet Nordisk velferdsforskning / Nordic Welfare Research planlegger et eget temanummer om døvblindhet i 2026. Prosjektgruppa har skrevet en forskningsartikkel som har blitt antatt forpublisering der. Artikkelen vil også bli tilgjengelig via Eikholt sin hjemmeside sammen med en populærvitenskapelig versjon på norsk.

Vi er også invitert til å presentere prosjektet på Nordic Conference on Deafblindness i København i september 2026.

Images from Posjektet

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