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

Happy New Year!

This issue invites you to attend the first class session
and encourages your participation in the course's Assistive Technology Faire.

Course News

Course Statistics - Forty-five students have now enrolled in the course: 27 pursuing a team project (with an additional 4 on the Wait List), 7 opting to work on an individual project, and 7 attending lectures. There are 12 confirmed vendors for the Assistive Technology Faire on February 28th.

Do you have a suggestion for a film about disabilty and assistive technology? - I am looking for suggestions for a film to screen on Tuesday, March 5th during classtime. The film must not be over 60 minutes in length and must be available on DVD for no or low cost.

First class session of the thirteenth season - Tuesday, January 8th at 4:30pm
in a new venue - Lathrop Library Classroom 282

Abstract: This presentation will provide an overview of the course and a brief introduction to Assistive Technology including a definition of terms, demographics, goals of rehabilitation, perceptions of disability, the needs of people experiencing disabilities, political correctness, and numerous examples of commercial assistive technology products, research efforts, and students' projects.

Biosketch: David L. Jaffe holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a MS degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University.

Prior to coming to Stanford, Dave was a Research Biomedical Engineer at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System's Rehabilitation Research and Development Center. At the VA his interests were designing, developing, testing, and bringing to market microcomputer-based devices for veterans with disabilities including communication, mobility, and information systems. He has worked on several VA assistive technology research projects including an powered wheelchair interface for individuals with quadriplegia, an electro-mechanical fingerspelling hand that served as a communication device for people who are deaf/blind, a system that explored virtual reality techniques to train individuals with gait deficits to improve their walking, and a project that employed a computer-based simulation system to assess and improve the driving ability of individuals after brain injury.

In addition to organizing this course, ENGR110/210: Perspectives in Assistive Technology, he contributes to other Stanford courses including defining the quarterly course projects in ME218: Smart Product Design, coaching project teams in ME113: Mechanical Engineering Design, BioE141: Bioengineering Senior Capstone Design, ME170: Mechanical Engineering Design - Integrating Context with Engineering, and ME310: Engineering Design Entrepreneurship and Innovation as well as mentoring students working on assistive technology projects throughout the year.

You are invited to attend this and all other class sessions - Class sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:50pm starting Tuesday, January 8th and are open to the greater Stanford community. You need not be a Stanford student to attend, no signup is required, and there is no charge.

New classroom! - The course will be held in classroom 282 in the Lathrop Library located at the corner of Lasuen Mall and Serra Mall, adjacent to Memorial Auditorium and the Oval. It seats as many as 150 people in a flexible and accessible space. Here is a webpage with maps, directions, and photos.

You are invited to participate in the Assistive Technology Faire - This seventh 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 28th in the Lathrop Library, Classroom 282. Here are my photos from last year's Faire.

Other

Support the course - Funding in any amount for the course and student projects is always welcomed. Monetary gifts support approved project expenses, administrative costs, honoraria for guest lecturers, and the end-of-term celebration. Refer to the Course and Project Support webpage for more information.

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