title: Gaze-based assistive technology used in daily life by children with severe physical impairments - parents' experiences.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe and explore parents' experiences when their children with severe physical impairments receive gaze-based assistive technology (gaze-based assistive technology (AT)) for use in daily life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured interviews were conducted twice, with one year in between, with parents of eight children with cerebral palsy that used gaze-based AT in their daily activities. To understand the parents' experiences, hermeneutical interpretations were used during data analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings demonstrate that for parents, children's gaze-based AT usage meant that children demonstrated agency, provided them with opportunities to show personality and competencies, and gave children possibilities to develop. Overall, children's gaze-based AT provides hope for a better future for their children with severe physical impairments; a future in which the children can develop and gain influence in life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gaze-based AT provides children with new opportunities to perform activities and take initiatives to communicate, giving parents hope about the children's future.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Social and Welfare Studies , Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden.|b Folke Bernadotte Regional Habilitation Centre and Department of Women´s and Children´s Health , Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borgestig
authors.affiliation: a Department of Social and Welfare Studies , Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden.
authors.forename: Patrik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rytterström
authors.affiliation: a Department of Social and Welfare Studies , Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hemmingsson
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012656:Self-Help Devices / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Activities in daily life; cerebral palsy; eye tracking controlled system; parental hope; qualitative; self-help devices