Top banner  
Design, Technology , and Engineering benefitting individuals with disabilities and older adults in the local community
January 13, 2020    
2 columns of images relating to assistive technology

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

Creating Assistive Technologies

This issue invites you to attend the next class session and encourages your participation in the course's Assistive Technology Faire.

Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - entering its fourteenth year - that explores the design, development, and use of assistive technology that benefits people with disabilities and older adults. It consists of semi-weekly classroom discussions; lectures by notable professionals, clinicians, and assistive technology users; tours of local medical, clinical, and engineering facilities; student project presentations and demonstrations; an Assistive Technology Faire; and a film screening.

Course News

Course Statistics - A record number of students - forty-nine - have now enrolled in the course: twenty-seven pursuing team projects (with an additional three on the Wait List), thirteen opting to work on smaller projects, and six attending lectures. Three vendors have already registered for the Assistive Technology Faire on Thursday, February 20th.

Next class session - Tuesday, January 14th at 4:30pm

photo of Gayle


Creating Assistive Technologies - Understanding the Problem
Gayle Curtis
UX Design Consultant

Abstract: When we look at the drivers of effective innovation we see two complementary themes emerging: First, new technologies or methods that open the way to new solutions, and second, new insights or experiences that yield a better understanding of the problem. With a design thinking approach, we begin by building empathy with the user and the situation, then we use ideation, prototyping, and iteration to explore, formulate, and test solutions.

In this class session we will look at ways to gain understanding of user needs, goals, and values around a problem, as well as the constraints and requirements of the situations around them. One goal for this session is for students to identify a set of questions to explore through interview and observation with real users of assistive technologies. Teams may also get some good ideas about the people they might approach for both inspiration and insight.

Biosketch: Gayle Curtis is a UX design consultant in the San Francisco Bay Area, specializing in user interface architecture and design strategy for online ventures and interactive products. Recently he was Principal Interaction Designer at Yahoo!, where he also developed a practice area in strategic ideation and disseminated it through workshops in the US and Asia. At Stanford he taught courses in Human-Computer Interactions (HCI) and Product Design. Gayle is a graduate of the MS Engineering Product Design program at Stanford.

You are invited to attend this and all other class sessions - Class sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:50pm and are open to the greater Stanford community. You need not be a Stanford student to attend, no signup is required, and there is no charge. The full schedule can be found here

clip art of lecturer in fron of clasroom

Same classroom! - The course will be held in classroom 282 in the Lathrop Library located at the corner of Lasuen Mall and Serra Mall, adjacent to Memorial Auditorium and the Oval. It seats as many as 150 people in a flexible and accessible space. Here is a webpage with maps, directions, and photos.

Photo of the front of Lathrop Library
clip art of a faire

You are invited to participate in the Assistive Technology Faire - This eighth 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 will start at 4:30pm on Thursday, February 20th in the Lathrop Library, Classroom 282.

Here is the program, slides, and Matteo's, Krystina's & my photos from last year's Faire.

Upcoming class sessions:

Upcoming local events:

image of a glass globe hanging from a wall

SOMArts proudly announces the second exhibition in the 10th Curatorial Residency season, Recoding CripTech. Curated by Vanessa Chang and Lindsey D. Felt, Recoding CripTech reimagines enshrined notions of what a body can be or do through creative technologies, and how it can move, look, or communicate.

Working with a broad understanding of technology, from prosthetic tools to the built environment, this multidisciplinary community art exhibition explores how disability - and artists who identify as such - can redefine design, aesthetics, and the relationship between user and interface. Exhibiting artists engage with technology in manifold ways from conception to production and beyond. As the term “crip” reclaims the word for disability culture and recognizes disability as a cultural and political identity, so too do artists hack technologies to make them more accessible and inclusive.

When: Opening Thursday evening, January 23rd (6 to 9pm) and running through Tuesday, February 25th
Where: SOMA Arts Cultural Center - 934 Brannan St., San Francisco
Information: More information

Other

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 Course and 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

5 rows of images of course presenters and community members

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please email Dave.