ATLAS

Assistive
Technology 
Laboratory
at
Stanford

Design & Technology! Making a Difference - Abigayil Tamara, MA, MSW

Good design helps make a difference in the use of a product. Some products help increase functionality more than others. Technology has greatly increased this process, and we have seen rapid changes in many industries. Technological advances allow individuals of all ages, abilities, and differences to be more productive, independent, and live happier lives.

Abby is an artist, art educator, clinical social worker, and computer graphic designer. She is mobility and visually impaired, and has a bipolar disorder. Her service dog, Nathan, is from Canine Partners for Life (CPL).

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:

1. Watching a video that introduces Seismic and Powered Clothing™
2. Learning about enrollment opportunities for Seismic's user testing program
3. 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

Pick of the Litter

Introducing viewers to an unforgettable cast of canine personalities and the dedicated individuals who work with them, Pick of the Litter is an uplifting, bighearted celebration of the unique bond between humans and dogs.

Meet Patriot, Potomac, Primrose, Poppet, and Phil - five spirited puppies who, from the moment they’re born, begin an incredible journey to become guide dogs for the blind. It’s a rigorous two-year process that will take the pups from the care of selfless foster volunteers to specialized trainers to, if they make the cut, a lifelong human companion. At every step of the way, the puppies will be tested, challenged, and evaluated. Only the best of the best will be chosen for the job of guide dog. Who has what it takes?

Pick of the Litter follows a litter of puppies from the moment they’re born and begin their quest to become guide dogs for the blind. Cameras follow these pups through an intense two-year odyssey as they train to become dogs whose ultimate responsibility is to protect their blind partners from harm. Along the way, these remarkable animals rely on a community of dedicated individuals who train them to do amazing, life-changing things in the service of their human. The stakes are high and not every dog can make the cut. Only the best of the best: the pick of the litter.

With deft storytelling skill, directors Dana Nachman and Don Hardy (the two previously co-directed the feature documentaries The Human Experiment, Witch Hunt, and Love Hate Love) introduce us to a group of unique canine characters along with their human counterparts. Pick of the Litter is a wonderful reminder of the extraordinary relationships we have with our dogs, especially those that we work beside each day.

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot

Is it possible to find humor - corrosive, taboo-shattering, laugh-till-you-cry humor - in the story of a 38-year-old- cartoonist who’s both a quadriplegic and a recovering alcoholic? The answer is yes, if the cartoonist is John Callahan - whose infamous work has graced the pages of Omni, Penthouse, and The New Yorker - and if he’s telling it in his own words and pictures. But Callahan’s uncensored account of his troubled - and sometimes impossible - life is also genuinely inspiring. Without self-pity or self-righteousness, this liberating book tells us how a quadriplegic with a healthy libido has sex, what it’s like to live in the exitless maze of the welfare system, where a cartoonist finds his comedy, and how a man with no reason to believe in anything discovers his own brand of faith.

Don’t Worry is based on John Callahan’s memoir of the same name. Phoenix plays the controversial cartoonist as he struggles with alcoholism and recovers from a car accident that leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. The supporting cast includes Rooney Mara, Jonah Hill, and Jack Black. Van Sant debuted the drama at Sundance earlier this year, where Phoenix instantly became an early contender for the Oscars. The actor gives a transformative performance in the lead role, but it’s really Jonah Hill who walks away with the film. Hill plays Phoenix’s A.A. sponsor Donnie, and it’s a perfectly calibrated supporting performance, one that makes a lasting impression and leaves you wanting to know more about the character.

11th Annual Disability Awareness Day

“Expanding Our Horizons” as we celebrate diversity, awareness, and empowerment for persons with differing abilities.

Attend and enjoy: Live Music, Food Trucks, Movie Screenings, Panel Discussions, Art Displays, Resource Fair, Games, and Activities