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6.811

Principles and Practice of Assistive Technology

Undergraduate · Historical course

Fall 2014

Topics

  • Course introduction (case study of previous projects)
  • Communicating with (and about) people with disabilities
  • AT user sharing (Steve Saling and Jack Geilfuss, Leonard Florence Center / ALS Residence Initiative)
  • AT showcase (low-tech to high-tech)
  • Ethnographic techniques (Lynde Lutzow, RISD / MassArt)
  • Contextual inquiry (Prof Rob Miller) and client matching
  • Client / mentor announcements
  • Project documentation using photos & film, client confidentiality
  • Ethics (Prof Rob Miller)
  • Lab check in 1: Planning for client meeting with mentor: do background research on disability; discuss confidentiality, video documentation; discuss team roles; prepare questions and plan for contextual inquiry
  • Responding to changing needs (Don Fredette, The Boston Home)
  • Wheelchair Lab
  • Discussion of Wheelchair Lab
  • Lab check in 2: Present client challenges, results of contextual inquiry to each other
  • How OTs / PTs think (Kevin Berner, Easter Seals / BU)
  • No Session
  • Health consideration in assistive technology (Grace Teo)
  • Lab check-in 3: Come up with prototypes / sketches, confirm project focus, decide if any trainings are required
  • Panel: MIT students with disabilities
  • Team-specific training: Hobby Shop, iOS training, Danger!Awesome
  • Panel: Adaptive sports and assistive technology
  • Lab check-in 4: Defining success metrics
  • Assistive Technology Economics (William Li)
  • Lab check-in 5: Discuss results of prototype testing
  • IBM and Accessibility (Frances West, IBM Chief Accessibility Officer)
  • Mid-semester Panels
  • Electronic Device Access Lab 1
  • Electronic Device Access Lab 2 (hardware & software)
  • Electronic Device Access Lab 3
  • Lab check-in 6: Experiment-driven design
  • Assistive technology design & identity (Prof Sara Hendren)
  • Leveraged Freedom Chair (Prof Amos Winter)
  • Panel: Invisible disability
  • Lab check-in 7: Documentation plan
  • Building hackability into medical technology
  • Lab check-in 8: Cypress Engineering Studio orientation and demos of prototype
  • Panel: Assistive technology and the law
  • Panel: The business of assistive technology
  • Panel: Social innovators in disability
  • Lab check-in 9: Demo of final prototype
  • Panel: Wearable technology in health and disability
  • Work on final presentation / deliverable
  • Aesthetics in assistive technology (Grace Teo)
  • Lab check-in 10: Discuss final feedback & continuation of projects after semester, work on final presentations / press release / instructables
  • End-of-semester Presentations
  • End-of-semester Presentations (cont.)
  • Follow up opportunities (William Li)
  • Public showcase

Readings

Sources