Perspectives is the newsletter of the Stanford course,
Perspectives in Assistive Technology.

Special Issue Soliciting Student Project Suggestions

This issue solicits student project suggestions.

This course relies on your involvement,
so please suggest a project based upon an identified problem or challenge.

Introduction to Student Projects

Student Project Solicitation - This newsletter issue marks the beginning of my course organization efforts for the upcoming academic year. I rely on ideas and suggestions from the local community - that's you - for identification of authentic problems that are suitable to be pursued as student projects in the course.

Benefits of Student Projects

What is the role of student projects in the course? - Students who enroll in the course have the opportunity to work in a project team of three with the goal of fabricating and testing a functional prototype device that addresses a specific challenge or difficulty experienced by a person with a disability or older adult in the local community.

How do students benefit from the projects they work on? - These projects are a key course activity, providing students with an opportunity to exercise their knowledge and creativity to address real-world problems. In pursuing their projects, students acquire or practice (and hopefully improve) the skills that they will use thoughout their future professional careers including working in teams, interacting with people in the local community, solving problems by following an engineering design development process, employing course knowledge in a practical context, sharpening fabrication techniques, developing critical thinking skills, and enhancing presentation & report writing abilities. These are the course's primary teaching goals.

In what other ways do the projects enhance a student's education? - Project involvement exposes students to the engineering, medical, and social issues facing engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, clinicians, older adults, and individuals with disabilities and encourages them to apply their engineering skills and design expertise to help assistive technology users increase their independence and improve their quality of life.

What are the benefits for someone who suggests a project? - Project suggestors have the opportunity to become involved in the course including attending lectures and working with a team of bright Stanford students to advance their knowledge, skills, and influence the design and development of a prototype device that addresses a specific disability or aging problem.

Project Solicitation Process and Activities

How are projects solicited? - The process begins with an appeal to the local community to observe, identify, describe, and report challenges experienced by an individual with a disability, an older adult, or those who care for or interact with them including employers, teachers, health care professionals, and family members.

Briefly, what is the process for considering and submitting project suggestions? - First identify a specific challenge or problem experienced by a person with a disability or older adult. Then perform an internet search to confirm that the problem has not already been adequately addressed. Then carefully review the project requirements to make sure the idea meets all listed criteria. Finally submit a short email - text format is ok - that identifies the user or population affected and describes the nature of the problem. Include desirable features of a solution, but do not specify how the device should appear, be built, or solve the problem - as those are tasks for the student team to consider. It is ok if the problem affects just one individual. Refer to the current candidate project list as a guide.

What specific activities lead to a suitable student project suggestion? - Refer to this list of specific activities.

What happens after a project suggestion is submitted? - Submitted project suggestions will be read, reviewed, and considered. Those that meet all the project requirements and receive my approval will be accepted as candidate team projects. A project Problem Statement describing the project will be composed for posting on the course website and disseminated as a handout to students on the first day of class.

Involvement of Project Suggestor

What is the role of the individual who suggested the project during the course? - Suggestors of approved projects will have the opportunity to "pitch" it in the second class session. If a student team selects the project, the suggestor must be available to assist them with advice, direction, and expertise in person, or by phone, and/or email during the quarter and will be invited to attend the Student Team Project Final Presentations and Project Demonstrations at the end of the term.

Project Suggestion Submission Deadline

What is the deadline for submitting project suggestions? - Please email suggestions to me as soon as possible so I have adequate time to consider all submissions, edit approved entries, and post them - not later than Saturday, December 1st. Feel free to contact me before the deadline to discuss your ideas and suggestions.

Opportunity to Learn about Powered Clothing

Learn about Powered Clothing The Avenidas Generations Lab is recruiting older adults to provide input to improve Seismic's line of powered clothing. Seismic is an apparel company, located in Menlo Park, that seeks to transform people's relationship with clothing that enhances one's ability to move through life. Their goal is to shape human potential through a new integration of apparel and robotics called Powered Clothing™. Powered Clothing™ enables everyone - from older adults to athletes to people with a wide range of physical disabilities - to achieve their full mobility potential. To learn more, schedule a one-hour appointment through Avenidas with Eric Gee by email or phoning him at 650/289-5409. Older adults will be paid $25 to attend an initial orientation and selected individuals will be paid for each hour of future participation. The initial orientation includes: Watching a video that introduces Seismic and Powered Clothing™ Learning about enrollment opportunities for Seismic's user testing program Be measured and fitted for a Seismic garment (selected individuals) Ideal Powered Clothing™ users are those who: Experience difficulty with activities such as standing up from a seated position, climbing stairs, bending, etc Are active, engaged individuals Have a body mass index (BMI) less than 30

Upcoming Local Event

Inclusive Housing Community Advocacy Workshops The Kelsey seeks to develop a solution for the disability housing crisis in the Bay Area that is financially sustainable, rooted in partnership, built for scale, and fully inclusive. It is envisioned to consist of mixed ability, mixed income housing communities where people of all abilities and backgrounds live, play, and serve together. The Kelsey team is working to unlock new capital for disability and affordable housing; leveraging existing public, private, and nonprofit partners; and creating housing models that are sustainable and replicable. Lindsay Johnson, Director of Policy and Partnerships, reports, "The Kelsey recently received a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to conduct an eight-month organizing and pre-development process to design, enable, and build inclusive communities. Part of this process includes engaging diverse local stakeholder teams to work towards new solutions. We would love to have community members of Stanford's Perspectives in Assistive Technology course who have an interest in disability or housing advocacy join our Silicon Valley team. Your attendance and participation is invited at our next workshop meeting in August. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time with your questions." When: Wednesday, August 29th from 8:30am to noon Where: To be determined Peninsula location Registration: Brief survey and registration Information: The Kelsey website The Kelsey Overview Brochure: Together We Can Do More

Email questions, comments, or suggestions - Please email me if you have general questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the course. Thank you again for your interest.

Dave