Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - now starting its eleventh 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.

Kartik Sawhney's Biosketch: "I am a senior at Stanford University, majoring in Computer Science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence and Human Computer Interaction. I feel strongly about universal access to virtual resources, and have been involved in several accessibility and assistive technology projects with non-profits and tech giants including IBM Research India, Microsoft Research India, Xavier's Resource Center for the Visually Challenged, among others. At the same time, I'm intrigued by the immense potential of artificial intelligence, and hope to further develop my knowledge and skills in the field."

Zina Jawadi's Biosketch: Zina Jawadi is a junior at Stanford University and is involved with disability advocacy on campus through Power2ACT and the ASSU Executive Cabinet. Outside of Stanford, Zina is the president of the Hearing Loss Association of America, California State Association, an affiliate of the Hearing Loss Association of America, the largest nonprofit representing people with hearing loss in the US. Zina founded a disability awareness program at her high school, The Harker School, and previously researched and created a video about techniques for teaching mainstreamed students with hearing loss.

Angelica Parente's Biosketch: "I’m Angelica, but ever since I got my hip replacement my friends like to refer to me as a cyborg. I’m currently a PhD candidate in Biophysics at Stanford University, working to bridge single molecule microscopy with computational simulations to understand how the 3D protein structure is related to biological function. I also curate events for the Stanford Biotechnology group, and in the future hope to work in biotech entrepreneurship and/or investment to improve the lives of patients. I’m passionate about patient-centered design in all stages of healthcare and believe that people with disabilities have a unique perspective that enables creative solutions to problems in biomedicine."

Edan Alexander Armas' Biosketch: Edan Armas is a sophomore with a mild-to-moderately severe hearing loss. While his disability poses a myriad of difficulties to over come, it also leads to enriching experiences and amusing (mostly only in retrospect) stories to tell. An active member of the Stanford Spoken Word Collective, he writes a lot about the power of listening, and how a hearing loss is an agent of humility that allows one to take a step back and internalize external information, whether that be a conversation or a poem ripe with emotion. Edan also specializes in acute existential despair - laughing at bad jokes - and when he's not falling: longboarding around campus.

Bryce Connor Tuttle's Biosketch: "It took me a while to learn how to read. Though I loved to hear my mom read aloud or listen to audio books, I struggled through deciphering each word, unable to piece together the chains of sounds my classmates could easily create from the letters on the page. In third grade I was diagnosed with dyslexia. It is a label I have carried with pride throughout the rest of my life. I credit my dyslexia with my ability to devise unorthodox solutions. As my uncle says, 'only coming up with one way to spell a word is terribly uncreative'."

Hannah Joy Root's Biosketch: "Hannah Joy is my name and recently I've spent a lot of time on phones and online inquiry boards describing myself as someone with a handicap who needs to know more about their accessibility options. No, it's not enough to know if there is parking or a ramp on location. I work at the Stanford d.school as the Community Experience Coordinator. Beyond a d.thinker, I'm an elementary school teacher and athlete (biker, rock climber, swimmer, runner, and soon-to-be-surfer). A recent foot / ankle surgery has left me with several life interruptions: the use of a knee scooter and walking boot, 2-3 weekly specialist appointments, and an active lifestyle turned upside down."

Upcoming class sessions:

• Thursday, January 26th - Designing Beyond the Norm to Meet the Needs of All People
• Tuesday, January 31st - Humanistic Intelligence and HARCAD for Assistive Technologies
• Thursday, February 2nd - Collaboration: From User-based Design to Co-design