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 for 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 the Main Quad, Building 370, Classroom 370 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 4:15 to 5:30pm and are free and open to the public.

Next class session - Thursday, March 3rd at 4:15pm:

Abstract: Ralf Hotchkiss will track the designing of the Whirlwind Wheelchair from its beginning 30 years ago to the present, and on into the future. From the first design breakthroughs of barefoot blacksmiths to the high tech testing and manufacturing methods of today, surprise breakthroughs in basic wheelchair design have come from the backyard inventors of some 40 developing countries. These inventors, along with several graduates of the Stanford d.school, form the Whirlwind Network of wheelchair riders and designers. Their goal is not only to make wheelchairs available in the poorest of countries; it is to radically improve the durability and rough-ground mobility so that wheelchair riders can live and work in environments that they can only dream of visiting today. Ralf will show unfinished designs that open wide opportunities for new developments, and he will make a plea for the innovative designers of Stanford to enter into one of today's most fulfilling areas of invention and international development work.

Biosketch: Ralf Hotchkiss is an inventor and Whirlwind wheelchair designer whose company, Whirlwind Wheelchair International, designs wheelchairs for use and manufacture in developing countries, involving wheelchair riders in all of its projects and activities. The organization's mission is "to make it possible for every person in the developing world who needs a wheelchair to obtain one that will lead to maximum personal independence and integration into society". Ralf is a graduate of Oberlin College and a 1989 MacArthur Foundation Fellow.

Do you have a question or comment? - David L. Jaffe, MS, the course organizer, can be reached by email or at 650/892-4464.