Welcome to this edition of Perspectives, the e-newsletter of the
Stanford course, Perspectives in Assistive
Technology.
What
is the course? - Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a
Winter Quarter course at Stanford that explores issues surrounding the design,
development, and use of assistive technology benefitting people with
disabilities and seniors. More information can be found on the
course website.
Invitation to attend - You are invited to attend
all class lectures. They will be held in
Building 530, Classroom 127 on Tuesday and
Thursday afternoons at 4:15 to 5:30pm and are free and open to the
public.
Next lecture - Tuesday, February 21st at
4:15pm:
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Practical and Appropriate
Technology Solutions
Ray Grott, MA, ATP,
RET
San Francisco State
University |
Abstract: The role of
the assistive technologist and rehabilitation engineer is to arrive at a
successful match between the abilities, needs, and goals of an individual with
a disability and the technology tools they need to perform their desired tasks.
These days, many technology tools are available off-the-shelf. When that is not
the case, existing ones may need to be modified or custom ones designed and
fabricated. Unfortunately, not all efforts are successful. In this session, we
will discuss the importance of a collaborative design process that includes the
"consumer" of the technology. Through examples and case studies, we will
explore the value of creative problem solving, the pitfalls of "over
engineering" solutions, and the benefits of simple, cost-effective
approaches.
Biosketch: Ray Grott,
MA, ATP, RET is Director of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive
Technology (RET) Project at San Francisco State University where he has taught
classes in technology for people with disabilities since 1992. He has worked
directly with hundreds of people with a wide range of disabilities providing
assistive technology solutions. He not only conducts assessments and helps
match people to the appropriate existing technologies, but is often found in
his shop creating new ones. He is certified as an Assistive Technology
Professional (ATP) and Rehabilitation Engineering Technologist (RET) from RESNA
(Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America).
Ray also serves on the Board of Directors of RESNA.
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