The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a Conceptual Model for the Evaluation of Environmental Factors

The concept of Design for All emphasizes the impact of the surrounding environment in the individual's functionality. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health brought the concepts of functionality and disability into a comprehensive whole of multiple dimensions of human functioning, such as biological, psychological, social and environmental. In order to contribute to a greater overall functionality of the individual, the use of software and complex systems can be decisive to assist the people with special needs in all areas of life.The paradigm introduced with ICF is inclusive and universal, so it favors not only the old people, but all others, whether they have a limitation or not. The characteristics of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) are appropriate to fulfill elderly needs. However, the current state of development is still mostly oriented to a technological perspective, where the individual's functionality has not been fully addressed. Under the Living Usability Lab project we have defined a methodology and created some evaluation tools for assessment of AAL services according to a Living Lab perspective, based on the ICF. In this paper we intend to describe the base fundamentals of this proposal, as well as present some results concerning a practical implementation of this methodology.