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

Bionic Ears: Cochlear Implants and the Future of Assistive Technology

This issue invites you to attend the next class session,
issues a last call for vendors for the course's Assistive Technology Faire,
and announces two local events.

Next class session - Tuesday, February 27th at 4:30pm:

Abstract: "In this talk, I will share my personal experience as a user with cochlear implants, and discuss the history and future of this device's development. Introducing historian of science and technology Mara Mills' term "bionic rhetoric," I will explain how the cochlear implant negotiates two different strains of thinking in assistive technology design: normalization and enhancement. My talk will conclude with a discussion of how this rhetoric gets metabolized in literary and popular discourse, and how these narratives illuminate how people with disabilities use - and even hack - their assistive technologies."

Biosketch: Lindsey Dolich Felt is a postdoctoral teaching fellow in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University. She received her PhD in English from Stanford University in 2016, and holds a BA from Haverford College. Before coming to Stanford, she worked as a journalist for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com.

Her research interests include contemporary American literature, media culture, science fiction, science and technology studies, and disability studies. She is currently researching how disabled bodies crucially shaped conceptions of electronic communication in the post-WWII era, and has written articles on female hackers in Cyberpunk fiction, and the little known history of the first cybernetic limb and its influence on communication engineering in the early Cold War era.

Her course, "The New Normal: The Rhetoric of Disability" explores how advances in science, technology, medicine, and culture have transformed our understanding of disability, normalcy, and health.

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.

Last call to participate in the Assistive Technology Faire as a vendor- This sixth 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 - rain or shine. The Faire will start at 4:30pm on Thursday, March 1st just outside the classroom, Thornton 110. Here are Dave's and Arne's photos from last year's Faire.

Upcoming class sessions:

Thursday, March 1st Assistive Technology Faire Tuesday, March 6th Film Screening - 4 Wheel Bob Thursday, March 8th Wheelchair Fabrication in Developing Countries

Upcoming Local Events

Center on Longevity Design Challenge Finals Come for a day of exciting pitches by student teams from across the globe as they present their ideas for "Promoting Lifelong Healthy Habits through Design!" The Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge offers cash prizes and free entrepreneur mentorship in a competition open to all university students around the world who want to design products and services which optimize long life for us all. When: Tuesday, April 17th from 8:30am to 4:00pm Where: Paul Brest Hall, 555 Salvatierra Walk, Stanford Admission: Register for free

Stanford GSB Cool Product Expo "The Cool Product Expo is an annual exposition of the most innovative products from Silicon Valley and beyond. Every year exhibitors come to Stanford GSB to demonstrate groundbreaking hardware, software, consumer tech, wearables, thinkables, driveables - anything and everything you can imagine." When: Wednesday, April 18th from 3:00 to 4:00pm Where: Knight Management Center, Town Square, Graduate School of Business, Stanford Admission: Free and open to the public

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 - Please email me if you have general questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the course. Thank you again for your interest.

Dave