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Design, Technology , and Engineering benefitting individuals
with disabilities and older adults in the local community |
October 23, 2025 |
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Perspectives is the newsletter of the
Stanford course,
Perspectives in Assistive Technology.
Guest Speaker Schedule
This newsletter issue announces the
Guest Speaker schedule.
Perspectives in Assistive
Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - embarking on its
twentieth 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.
Students pursue team-based projects that address real challenges faced by
people with disabilities and older adults living in the local community. Check
out the course website for more
information.
October Update
October greetings to members of the Stanford's
Assistive Technology course community.
Course Plans
Important Dates:
- Monday, December 1st
- Deadline for student team project suggestions
- Thursday, December
4th - Winter Quarter course enrollment opens
- Tuesday, January
6th - First class session of Perspectives in Assistive
Technology
Current Instructor Tasks:
- Investigate and
select color scheme for the 2026 course website -
completed
- Update 2025 course
website for 2026 - in progress
- Solicit, review,
approve, and post student team project suggestions - in progress (see
below)
- Schedule Guest
Speakers - completed
- Confirm Guest
Speaker's dates- in progress
By the Numbers:
- 12 = Guest Lecturers
anticipated
- 17 = Confirmed Team
Projects (3 new & 14 renewed)
- 21 = Prospective
Students
- 6 =
Course Assistants applicants interviewed
- 1 =
Course Assistant hired (see below)
Community Attendance - Community members are
welcome to attend class sessions on campus, enrollment is not required. There
will not be a Zoom participation option. |
Guest Speaker Schedule
Guest Speaker
Schedule - Here is the draft guest speaker schedule. Some presenters
have not yet confirmed their lecture date.The course website will soon be
updated to include a webpage for each class session, including lecture
abstracts and presenters' photos & biosketches.
| Tue, Jan 6th |
Course Overview & Introduction to Assistive
Technology
David L. Jaffe, MS |
| Thu, Jan 8th |
Project Pitch Day
Project Suggestors |
| Tue, Jan 13th |
Creating Assistive Technologies - Understanding the
Problem
Gayle Curtis, MS |
| Thu, Jan 15th |
Bridging the Gap between Consumers and Products in Rehabilitation
Medicine
Deborah E. Kenney, MS, OTR/L |
| Tue, Jan 20th |
Perspectives of Stanford Students and Faculty with a
Disability
Students and Faculty |
| Thu, Jan 22nd |
Overview of Digital Accessibility
Sean J.
Keegan |
| Tue, Jan 27th |
From Idea to Market: Eatwell, Assistive Tableware for Persons with
Cognitive Impairments
Sha Yao, MFA |
| Thu, Jan 29th |
Brain-Computer Interfaces for Communication
Erin Michelle
Kunz, PhD student |
| Tue, Feb 3rd |
Thoughts on Assistive Robotics
Steve B. Cousins,
PhD |
| Thu, Feb 5th |
Assistive Robotics
Monroe Kennedy III, PhD |
| Tue, Feb 10th |
Mid-term Student Team Project Presentations
Student
Teams |
| Thu, Feb 12th |
Field Trip to the Magical Bridge Playground
Olenka S.
Villarreal |
| Tue, Feb 17th |
Issues of Human Interface Design
Gary M. Berke, MS, CP,
FAAOP |
| Thu, Feb 19th |
Assistive Technology Faire
Various Vendors |
| Tue, Feb 24th |
Designing Beyond the Norm to Meet the Needs of All
People
Peter W. Axelson, MSME, ATP, RET |
| Thu, Feb 26h |
The Design and Control of Exoskeletons for
Rehabilitation
Katherine Strausser, PhD |
| Tue, Mar 3rd |
Film Screening
Various Film Trailers |
| Thu, Mar 5th |
Wheelchair Fabrication in Developing Countries
Ralf
Hotchkiss |
| Tue, Mar 10th |
End-term Student Team Project Presentations
Student
Teams |
| Thu, Mar 12th |
StudentTeam Project Demonstrations
Student
Teams |
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Course Assistant
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Introducing Tori
Hoge - Tori is a coterminal student in Mechanical Engineering with a
concentration in Biomechanical Engineering. She is passionate about using
mechanical engineering principles to design technologies that improve
people’s lives. Her career interests lie in surgical robotics and
developing assistive devices for rare and understudied diseases. Outside of
class, she enjoys running, playing pickleball, and working on her
car. |
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Student Project Solicitations
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In preparation for the upcoming Winter Quarter course
offering, I would like to continue to solicit projects suggestions from
community members. Here are some important project criteria to
consider:
- 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 imagine a solution.
- The scale and complexity of the project must be such that it could be
pursued by a team of three students in the 10-week quarter, resulting in a
fabricated functional prototype.
- Refer to Project
Requirements webpage for more detailed information.
- Several projects have already been submitted and approved. Their
tentative titles are:
- Laptop Storage
for Abby
- TavelScoot
Camping Basket
- Transporter for
Kent
- Treats for Danny
Service Dog, Korey
- Please submit a very brief description of suggested projects for
review and approval.
- Below is an example suitable project suggestion designed to guide
your project suggestion thinking:
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Example Project Suggestion
| Title: |
Improved Pooper Scooper |
| Background: |
The intended user is an older adult who relies on her
powered wheelchair and service dog for mobility. |
| Problem: |
Current products are bulky, difficult to operate, and
are not designed for wheelchair users. |
| Aim: |
Explore designs for a device that will allow a
wheelchair user to effectively clean up after their service dog while remaining
active in their community. |
| Design Criteria: |
Compact to facilitate storage
Aesthetic
design
Easy to retrieve and store
Integrated waste disposal bag
Easy
to dispose bag
Easy to clean |
Examples of reacher products for inspiration:
Examples of pooper scooper products that are too
bulky:
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Please contact me with your ideas, questions, comments,
and project suggestions - or just to say hello. Please continue to stay safe
& healthy.
Dave Jaffe - Course Instructor
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To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please email
Dave. |
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