Eszter Loványi
Eszter Loványi
Assistant Professor
Contact details
Address
1097 Budapest, Ecseri út 3.
Room
A/49
Phone/Extension
-
Links
  • 5. Social sciences
    • 5.4 Sociology
      • Sociology
  • Other
Special Education, Disability Studies
Most of my foregoing research is focused on the novel approaches of social integration and rehabilitation of disabled people using different kind of service dogs; on the key factors of successful late cochlear implantations; on the attitude of majority society and school age children manifested towards their mates having special educational needs; on the positive effects of awareness-raising programs involving service dogs.
Resolving the "service dog vs. service robot" type dilemmas, the role of dog owners with disabilities in the multidisciplinary participatory development.

Based on my previous personal experiences and research, I am focusing on the new possibilities using the "Nothing about us without us!" principle and the imposition of inclusive approaches during the training and use of service dogs. In a pilot project a multidisciplinary development resulted in specific solutions to the service dog vs. service robot dilemma: the "technology-empowered service dog" proved to be competitive in improving the "well-being" of individuals with disabilities. The participatory nature of development shed light on why/how novel truly usable solutions can be reached with the cooperation of service dog owners. A service dog supported by artificial intelligence could better perform tasks in which service robots previously seemed invincible. In future "high-tech" projects, which target special needs education, but also include technological innovation, in addition to technical, special needs education, service dog training professionals, service dog owners will also play a key role.

  • 2016 – Loványi, Eszter; Perlusz, Andrea – Raising Awareness of Society Using Service Dogs in the Integration of Hearing Impaired Children into Preschool and Elementary School Communities – mtmt.hu
  • 2021 – Loványi, Eszter – A segítőkutyák valóban szinte „bárhová” elkísérhetik gazdájukat? Közszolgáltatást nyújtó intézmények képviselőivel végzett interjús vizsgálat eredményei – mtmt.hu
  • 2022 – Loványi, Eszter – Legyőzheti-e technológiával támogatott segítőkutya a robotot? Kísérlet a „segítőkutya vagy segítőrobot” típusú dilemmák feloldására – mtmt.hu
  • 2025 – Loványi, Eszter – Kuku és Mák kalandjai: Ismerjük meg közösen a segítőkutyák világát! – mtmt.hu
  • 2025 – Loványi, Eszter – Robots or Paws in Service? Lessons from an Inclusive Research Journey by a Dog Owner with Disability – mtmt.hu