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ATLAS

Assistive
Technology 
Laboratory
at
Stanford

 
 
Technology and design benefitting individuals with disabilities and older adults in the local community
January 13, 2017    
2 columns of images relating to assistive technology
Perspectives is the newsletter of the Stanford course,
Perspectives in Assistive Technology.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day

This issue invites you to attend the first guest lecture and
encourages your participation in the course's Assistive Technology Faire and
solicits project suggestions for Mobility and Older Adults.

Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - now starting its eleventh 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.

Tuesday, January 17th at 4:30pm:

photo of Gayle Curtis


Needfinding and Assistive Technologies
Gayle Curtis
UX Design Consultant

Abstract: When we look at the drivers of innovation we see two complementary themes emerging: new technologies or methods that open the way to new solutions, and new insights or experiences that bring a better understanding of the problem. With a design thinking approach, we first look to build empathy with the user and the situation, then we use ideation, prototyping and iteration to explore, formulate, and test solutions.

This class session will go into more depth with the candidate projects and to build an understanding of the problem areas with the objective of learning more about the user needs, goals, and values around the problem, as well as the constraints and requirements of the situation itself. One goal for this session is for students to identify a set of questions to address through interview and observation with real users of assistive technologies, as well as some good ideas about people that student teams might talk to and work with to inspire both innovation and relevance for the team project.

Biosketch: Gayle Curtis is a design consultant in the San Francisco Bay Area, specializing in user interface architecture and design strategy for online ventures and interactive products. Recently he was Principal Interaction Designer at Yahoo!, where he developed a practice area in strategic ideation and disseminated it through workshops in the US and Asia. At Stanford he has taught courses in HCI and Product Design. Gayle is a graduate of the Engineering Product Design program at Stanford.

Attend a lecture - The schedule of guest lectures has been finalized. Class sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:50pm and are open to the greater Stanford community. You are most welcome to sit in on any class sessions that interest you. You need not be a Stanford student and there is no required signup, enrollment, or charge. The class will meet in a large, tiered, accessible classroom on campus in the Thornton Center, adjacent to the Terman Fountain and near the Roble Gym, the same venue as last year. Here are the parking options, maps, and directions to the classroom.

clip art of a lecture

Participate in the Assistive Technology Faire - This fifth 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 starts at 4:30pm on Tuesday, February 14th just outside the classroom, Thornton 110.

Here are Dave's photos from last year's Faire.

clip art of a faire

Solicitation for Mobility Projects for Older Adults

A capstone course is the academically integrative experience of an undergraduate educational program that gives students an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have gained during their time in college. This experience helps prepare them for their engineering careers.

ME113 - Mechanical Engineering Design - is a capstone course for seniors in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford. In this course, students pursue on "real-world" engineering problems offered by a company or other organization (project partner).

Starting from a description of project goals provided by the project partner, a student team of four seniors will develop a design concept and explore its practical feasibility by fabricating and testing a series of increasingly refined working models. Each project will supervised by a faculty member using information and advice supplied by the project partner.

The course will be conducted in the 10-week Spring Quarter from April through mid-June.

One of the themes this academic year is Mobility for Older Adults with a focus on automobiles and driving.

At this time, the course is soliciting problems or challenges that could be addressed by a team of students.

The best suggestions will be those that represent real problems experienced by an individual with a disability or older adult in the local community that affects their ability to drive or otherwise access transportation. Other suggestions that broadly affect one's ability to walk or move are also welcome.

Please email me your suggestions describing the problem and important features of what a solution should do, but not how to achieve them. Thank you for your consideration.

an older woman at the wheel

Upcoming Local Event

Join the Fun at the Avenidas Block Party - Join the fun and help us kick off Building for the Future, an exciting community project. Free and open to all. Bring your family & have fun!

This event will be held on Saturday, January 14th, from 11am until 2pm at Avenidas located at 450 Bryant St. in downtown Palo Alto.

announcement graphic
Upcoming class sessions:

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 Team Project Support webpage for more information.

Email questions, comments, or suggestions - If you have general questions, comments, or suggestions about the course, email David L. Jaffe, MS, the instructor. Thank you again for your interest in the course.

Dave

3 rows of images of course presenters and community members

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