Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - preparing for its fourteenth year - that explores the design, development, and use of assistive technology that benefits people with disabilities and older adults. It consists of semi-weekly classroom discussions; lectures by notable professionals, clinicians, and assistive technology users; tours of local medical, clinical, and engineering facilities; student project presentations and demonstrations; an Assistive Technology Faire; and a film screening.

Student enrollment - The enrollment has been very strong with 40 students currently enrolled!

Attend upcoming class sessions - Although official enrollment is required for Stanford students to receive academic credit, the greater Stanford community is invited to sit in all class sessions. You need not be a Stanford student to attend, there is no signup required, and there is no charge. The first lecture is Tuesday, January 7th and the full schedule can be found here.

Request for additional student project suggestions - Project suggestions are continuing to be solicited. For more information refer to the Call for Team Projects Suggestions webpage.

You are strongly encouraged to submit project suggestions for student teams to pursue. Please do this as soon as possible so I'll have adequate time to consider all submissions, edit approved entries, and post them. The deadline is Sunday, December 1st. If your project is accepted, you can "pitch" it to the class on Thursday, January 9th. If a student team selects it, you will then have the opportunity to offer them your advice, direction, and expertise in person, by phone, and/or by email.

You are invited to participate in the Assistive Technology Faire - This eighth annual course event will provide an opportunity for students and community members to get an up-close look at a variety of assistive technology devices and learn about available services. Users of assistive technology products as well as small companies and agencies serving individuals with disabilities and older adults are encouraged to bring assistive technology devices and information to display, demonstrate, and discuss. Please browse to the Call for Assistive Technology Faire Participants webpage and contact me if you would like to be a part of this event as a user or vendor of assistive technology products or services. Everyone is welcome to attend the Faire.

The Faire will start at 4:30pm on Thursday, February 20th in the Lathrop Library, Classroom 282.

Here is the program, slides, and Matteo's, Krystina's & my photos from last year's Faire.

Beta Testers Needed
"I'm working for Wellthon, a company focused on active aging. Our first product is a fitness program for people with Parkinson's. We are in need of 10 beta testers for our program. Testers will be sent a fitness tracker and a Google Chromecast for their TV and asked to download our app. When a tester logs into the app they are lead through a fitness routine that also includes balance and dexterity exercises." - Tony DeSylva

"Although this is a Parkinson's specific product, Wellthon will be announcing additional programs early next year geared towards a more general older adult audience."

"Wellthon is financially backed by OhioHealth, a leader in Parkinson's research and treatment."

If you are interested in participating in testing this product, please contact Tony at tony@wellthon.com

Aging in Place – Idealistic or Realistic: Can Technology Bridge the Gap?
"David C. Martin, Hacker-in-Residence, CTO Office, IBM will be our speaker for this evening. With so much technology around, understanding what is myth and what is reality is important. Come join us to understand and envision what technology can do today and in the future to address the aging-in-place challenge."

"David is a distinguished technology and leader whose focus has been on closed loop automated learning for decentralized consumer-facing scenarios leveraging Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning Neural Networks for highly interactive personalized cognitive solutions in healthcare. automotive, travel, entertainment, and financial industries. David comes with an extensive background and knowledge working in leadership, strategy, and business development roles at IBM, where he worked in various technology leadership roles and at Dell where he was the CTO of Healthcare and Life Sciences."

Innovations in Co-working Spaces for Mature Adults
"Older adults living longer, healthier, and more active lives are creating demand for new integrated workspaces. We are taking the opportunity to present for you, a mixer event with representatives from two of the world’s leading innovators developing co-working spaces for mature adults."

"Federico Folcia, founder of Crane.club, will present on his new model for socialization and co-working spaces in Singapore. The event will be hosted this Friday afternoon by Senior Planet @ Avenidas. Ryan Kamamoto, Regional Director, will present the Senior Planet co-working model. Senior Planet is the leader in co-working space for older adults in the US."