ATLAS

Assistive
Technology 
Laboratory
at
Stanford

Attend a lecture - Guest lectures 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.

Did you miss a lecture? - Course lectures are posted on YouTube. To find the links, browse to the Lecture Schedule webpage, scroll down and click on the lecture of interest. Near the bottom of the page you will see the Lecture Material section which has links to the slides, photos, weblinks, and lecture video.

Final Call to 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.

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.

Ashton Applewhite - Book Talk: A Future without Ageism

People are happiest at the beginnings and the ends of their lives. The vast majority of Americans over 65 live independently. The older people get, the less afraid they are of dying. Why then are so many of us scared stiff at the prospect of growing old? Underlying all the hand-wringing is ageism, the last socially sanctioned prejudice. A movement against it is emerging with Ashton Applewhite as its leader and her book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, as a catalyst.

The Institute for the Future is pleased to invite you to join us as we listen to Ashton dispel myth after myth about late life and propose an alternative: wake up, cheer up, and push back. She's as funny as she is fierce, and she just might change the way you think about the rest of your life. Join us as we explore the opportunities and challenges ahead for a future without ageism. What would change - between our ears and in society at large - if ageism were as unacceptable as any other form of prejudice? What actions could be taken today to redefine late life over the next decade?

Ashton will be appearing at The Institute for the Future at 210 Hamilton Ave in downtown Palo Alto on Tuesday morning (10:00 - 11:30am), February 14th for the book talk. This is a free event, but space is limited.

If you're interested in attending, you can register here.

8th Annual Adaptive Arts Film Festival

This event features local and international films by, for, and about individuals of all abilities and is sponsored by the College of Adaptive Arts Film Festival as a part of its 9th Annual Celebration - Differing Abilities.

The Festival is scheduled for Sunday, April 23rd from 2 to 5pm at the Bluelight Cinemas 5 Cupertino Oaks, 21275 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino with a Meet-and-Greet following the event at the nearby Hobee's Restaurant.