Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - recently completing its seventeenth year - that explores the design, development, and use of assistive technology that benefits people with disabilities and older adults. It consists of semi-weekly in-person discussions; lectures by notable professionals, clinicians, and assistive technology users; a tour of an accessible inclusive playground; student project presentations and demonstrations; and an Assistive Technology Faire. Check out the course website.

Plans for next academic year's course

Important Dates:

• Tuesday, September 26th - First day of Fall Quarter classes
• Wednesday, November 29th - Winter Quarter course enrollment opens
• Friday, December 1st - Deadline for project suggestions
• Tuesday, January 9th - First class session of Perspectives in Assistive Technology

Course Activities:

• The color scheme for the 2024 course website has been decided and the update of 120 webpage files is in process. The 2024 website will be posted as soon as the lecture schedule is finalized. Check out the sample webpage as well as a new slideshow collection of images.
• The lineup of Guest Lecturers is nearly complete. Presentation dates will be scheduled shortly.

  Gayle Curtis	Returning Guest Lecturer - Tue, Jan 16th
  Debbie Kenny	Returning Guest Lecturer - Thu, Jan 18th - to be confirmed
  Ralf Hotchkiss	Returning Guest Lecturer - Thu, Mar 7th
  Olenka Villarreal	Field Trip to the Magical Bridge Playground
  Katherine Strausser	Returning Guest Lecturer - to be scheduled
  Gary Berke	Returning Guest Lecturer - to be scheduled
  Monroe Kennedy	Returning Guest Lecturer - to be scheduled
  Jenny Kiratli & Jeff Jaramillo	Returning Guest Lecturers - to be scheduled
  Peter Axelson	Returning Guest Lecturer - to be scheduled
  Sha Yao	Returning Guest Lecturer - to be scheduled
  Ken Salisbury	New Guest Lecturer - to be scheduled
  Erin Michelle Kunz	New Guest Lecturer - to be scheduled

• New student project suggestions are continuing to be solicited, reviewed, and posted.

Community Attendance - Community members will continue to be welcome to attend class sessions on campus - masking may be required.

Student Project Solicitations

In preparation for the upcoming Winter Quarter course offering, I will continue to solicit projects suggestions from community members. Here are some important project criteria to consider:

1. Team project suggestions must address a real challenge experienced by an individual with a disability or older adult who lives in the local community. The challenge, problem, or struggle must be one that is not adequately served by existing commercial products. (Perform an internet search to verify this.) It is important to identify and describe the challenge rather than to imagine a solution.
2. The scale and complexity of the project must be such that it could be pursued by a team of three or four students in the 10-week quarter, resulting in a fabricated functional and tested prototype.
3. Refer to Project Requirements webpage for more detailed information.
4. Some projects have already been submitted, approved, and described. Their tentative titles are:
   • Accessible storage for Abby
   • Enhanced visibility for Abby's wheelchair
   • Rain shield for Abby
   • Water bottle & phone holder for Abby's mobility devices
   • Treats for Nathan
   • Accessible dog kennel for Danny and Korey
   • Accessible pooper scooper for Danny and Korey
5. Below is an example suitable project suggestion designed to guide your project suggestion thinking:

Example Project Suggestion

Examples of reacher products for inspiration:

• Grabber Reacher Tool for Elderly
• Extra-Long Grabber-Reacher Tool

Examples of pooper scooper products that are too bulky:

• Zeening Pet Pooper Scooper
• LeadAllWay Foldable Dog Poop Scooper