Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - entering its nineteenth 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 tour of an accessible inclusive playground; student project presentations and demonstrations; and an Assistive Technology Faire. Students pursue team-based projects that address real challenges faced by people with disabilities and older adults living in the local community. Check out the course website.

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. Maps and direcrions. Masking is not required. There will not be a concurrent Zoom broadcast.

Tuesday, March 4th at 4:30pm PST

I Didn't See You There - When a circus tent goes up outside of his apartment, a disabled filmmaker must confront the legacy of the Freak Show and whether his past autobiographical filmmaking has fit into its tradition. With the camera pointed away from himself, he captures the personal and poetic from his wheelchair.
Trailer (1:24)

Fixed: The Science / Fiction of Human Enhancement - From botox to bionic limbs, the human body is more “upgradeable” than ever. But how much of it can we alter and still be human? What do we gain or lose in the process? Award-winning documentary, Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement, explores the social impact of human biotechnologies. Haunting and humorous, poignant and political, Fixed rethinks “disability” and “normalcy” by exploring technologies that promise to change our bodies and minds forever.
Trailer (6:51)

Sign the Show - "Sign the Show," immerses you in conversations with entertainers, members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, and popular American Sign Language interpreters to discuss the DEIA movement at live music, comedy, and theater performances in a humorous, heartfelt, and insightful way.
Trailer (1:53))

Accessing Democracy - The National Disability Rights Network is proud to present "Accessing Democracy", a documentary short that follows Monica Wiley, a Black woman with a spinal cord injury, as she travels the East Coast ahead of the 2024 generational election, interviewing voters with disabilities. Monica asks voters about the barriers they face, from accessing the everyday conveniences that able-bodied people take as a given to inability to receive the services they need to work and be a part of the community. This short explores how politicians have left behind one of the largest minority groups in the United States and what disabled voters want from their commander in chief.
Trailer (1:49)

4 Wheel Bob - The award-winning documentary film 4 Wheel Bob tells the story of Bob Coomber, an intrepid adventurer who sets out to be the first wheelchair hiker to cross the 11,845-foot Kearsarge Pass in the Sierra Nevada.
Trailer (2:03)

Crip Camp - On the heels of Woodstock, a group of teen campers are inspired to join the fight for disability civil rights. This spirited look at grassroots activism is executive produced by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama.
Trailer (2:40)

Knowledge is Power - Anna Matsumoto's AR video - This immersive experience challenges immersants to navigate a space on Stanford's campus, through the eyes of a wheelchair user - confronting physical barriers and social indifference, culminating in a call to action for advocacy and inclusivity.
Trailer (9:08)

Holding Moses - Holding Moses folds together several areas in the DEI space, including caregiving, ableism and disability, and LGBTQ parents. Shortlisted for the 2023 Oscars, the film chronicles the heartfelt story of a queer mother and Broadway performer as she learns how to parent her son who was born with a profound disability. Holding Moses is described as “incredibly raw and beautiful” (Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation), “a remarkably candid journey with stunning visuals” (Deadline), and “an intimate story of parenting and disability”. (The New Yorker)
Trailer (0:57)

Thursday, March 5th at 4:30pm PST

Abstract: Ralf Hotchkiss will track the design of the Whirlwind Wheelchair from its beginning thirty years ago to the present and on into the future. From the first design breakthroughs of barefoot blacksmiths to the high tech testing and manufacturing methods of today, surprise breakthroughs in basic wheelchair design have come from the backyard inventors of some forty developing countries. These inventors form the Whirlwind Network of wheelchair riders and designers. Their goal is not only to make wheelchairs available in the poorest of countries; it is to radically improve the durability and rough-ground mobility so that wheelchair riders can live and work in environments that they can only dream of visiting today. Ralf will show unfinished designs that open wide opportunities for new developments and he will make a plea for the innovative designers of Stanford to enter into one of today's most fulfilling areas of invention and international development work. Joining Ralf will be Telma Ramos, a wheelchair builder from Nicaragua, who will show simplified, more efficient fabrication of Whirlwind Wheelchair's latest designs.

Biosketch: Ralf Hotchkiss is an inventor and the lead designer of Whirlwind Wheelchair International, a non-profit company located in Berkeley. Its mission is "to make it possible for every person in the developing world who needs a wheelchair to obtain one that will lead to maximum personal independence and integration into society". At SFSU, he taught "Wheelchair Design and Construction", a course in which students built a complete wheelchair in a Third World appropriate shop. Ralf is a graduate of Oberlin College (Physics) and a 1989 MacArthur Foundation Fellow.

• Tuesday, March 11th - End-of-term Student Team Project Presentations
• Thursday, March 13th - Student Project Demonstrations, Course Evaluation, and Celebration