Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - entering its seventeenth year - that explores the design, development, and use of assistive technology that benefits people with disabilities and older adults. It consists of semi-weekly in-person discussions; lectures by notable professionals, clinicians, and assistive technology users; a field trip to an accessible inclusive playground; an Assistive Technology Faire; and student project presentations and demonstrations. Course website.

Student Enrollment - An unprecedented 65 students enrolled in the course on the first day - more than twice as many as last year! Of those, 2 are Freshmen, 5 are Sophomores, 13 are Juniors, 28 are Seniors, and 14 are Graduate students, with 45 opting to work on team projects. This level of enrollment is not optimal as it will necessitate teams of 4, rather than 3 and more than 9 teams. I have asked students who are not graduating to consider dropping the course this year and taking it next.

Perspectives of Stanford Students and Faculty with a Disability - Several students have been invited to participate in a panel discussion in the Week 3 class session on Tuesday, January 24th. They will talk about their disabilities, the challenges they have faced, why they chose to attend Stanford, their academic and career goals, and the assistive technology they employ to be successful students. The most recent addition is Ari.

Change in Class Time - The beginning of class is now 4:30pm. The class location - Lathrop Library Room 282, and the days of the week, Tuesday and Thursday, remain unchanged. Please update your schedule accordingly.

Guest Lecturer Schedule - The schedule of guest lecturers has been finalized. For more information about each presenter and their topic, browse to the course lecture schedule webpage. Community members are welcome to attend class sessions on campus starting with the first one on Tuesday, January 10th. Maps and direcrions. Masking may be required. There will not be a concurrent Zoom broadcast.

You are invited to participate in the Assistive Technology Faire - This eleventh annual course event is scheduled for Tuesday, February 28th and 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 join in on this event. Browse to the Call for Assistive Technology Faire Participants webpage for more information and contact me to register as a vendor.

Nine vendors have committed to participate this coming year. Here is the line up and slides from last year's virtual Faire.