The rapid advancement of socially assistive robotics (SAR) has fundamentally transformed elder care delivery over the past decade, with robotic companions, therapeutic aids, and care support systems becoming increasingly integrated into long-term care facilities and home-based services for older adults. As these technologies demonstrate efficacy in addressing social isolation, facilitating therapeutic interventions, and augmenting human caregiving capacity, their migration into intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) services appears inevitable. 

However, this technological trajectory raises critical questions about appropriateness, personhood, dignity, and the preservation of human-centered values within IDD support systems—a field already grappling with chronic workforce shortages and increasing demand for services. 

The ARCH Center at NOIRE recognizes that the IDD community's voices—including self-advocates, family members, direct support professionals, and organizational leaders—must inform and shape how, whether, and under what conditions SAR technologies enter this landscape. We are hosting a virtual Public Square to understand the IDD community's awareness, perceptions, concerns, and aspirations regarding socially assistive robotics, ensuring that future research, policy development, and implementation practices are grounded in the lived experiences and values of those most directly affected by these emerging technologies. Click the link below or drop us a line