Principles and Practice of Assistive Technology

Calendar

SES #	TYPES	TOPICS	PROJECT PROGRESS
1	Lecture	Course introduction (case study of previous projects)
2	Lab	Communicating with (and about) people with disabilities	Clients invited to discuss communication / etiquette
3	Lecture	AT user sharing (Steve Saling and Jack Geilfuss, Leonard Florence Center / ALS Residence Initiative)
4	Lab	AT showcase (low-tech to high-tech)	Clients invited to come and showcase their AT
5	Lecture	Ethnographic techniques (Lynde Lutzow, RISD / MassArt)
6	Lab	Contextual inquiry (Prof Rob Miller) and client matching	Fill out matches
7	Lecture	Client / mentor announcements	Team Formation & Project Matching, set up first meeting with client
8	Lab	Project documentation using photos & film, client confidentiality
9	Lecture	Ethics (Prof Rob Miller)
10	Lab	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
11	Lecture	Responding to changing needs (Don Fredette, The Boston Home)	Client meeting 1: Understand challenge, contextual inquiry
12	Lab	Wheelchair Lab
13	Lecture	Discussion of Wheelchair Lab
14	Lab	Lab check in 2: Present client challenges, results of contextual inquiry to each other
15	Lecture	How OTs / PTs think (Kevin Berner, Easter Seals / BU)	Client meeting 2: Discuss solutions to challenge, more contextual inquiry, present some prototypes / sketches and discuss feasibility
16	Lab	No Session
17	Lecture	Health consideration in assistive technology (Grace Teo)
18	Lab	Lab check-in 3: Come up with prototypes / sketches, confirm project focus, decide if any trainings are required
19	Lecture	Panel: MIT students with disabilities	Client meeting 3: Present project focus, present concept for prototype 1, define success metrics together
20	Lab	Team-specific training: Hobby Shop, iOS training, Danger!Awesome
21	Lecture	Panel: Adaptive sports and assistive technology
22	Lab	Lab check-in 4: Defining success metrics
23	Lecture	No Session	Client meeting 4: Test prototype 1 with client, evaluate according to success metrics, refine success metrics and / or prototype 1
24	Lab	No Session
25	Lecture	Assistive Technology Economics (William Li)
26	Lab	Lab check-in 5: Discuss results of prototype testing
27	Lecture	IBM and Accessibility (Frances West, IBM Chief Accessibility Officer)	Clients invited to mid-semester panels
28	Lab	Mid-semester Panels
29	Lecture	No Session	Work on Presentations
30	Lab	Mid-semester Panels
31	Lecture	Electronic Device Access Lab 1	Client meeting 5: Share feedback from class with client, refine prototype 1
32	Lab	Electronic Device Access Lab 2 (hardware & software)
33	Lecture	Electronic Device Access Lab 3
34	Lab	Lab check-in 6: Experiment-driven design
35	Lecture	Assistive technology design & identity (Prof Sara Hendren)	Client meeting 6: Test prototype 2, evaluate according to success metrics
36	Lab	Leveraged Freedom Chair (Prof Amos Winter)
37	Lecture	Panel: Invisible disability
38	Lab	Lab check-in 7: Documentation plan
39	Lecture	No Session	Client meeting 7: Refine prototype 2
40	Lab	No Session
41	Lecture	Building hackability into medical technology
42	Lab	Lab check-in 8: Cypress Engineering Studio orientation and demos of prototype
43	Lecture	Panel: Assistive technology and the law	Client meeting 8: Deliver 3rd and final prototype
44	Lab	Panel: The business of assistive technology
45	Lecture	Panel: Social innovators in disability
46	Lab	Lab check-in 9: Demo of final prototype
47	Lecture	Panel: Wearable technology in health and disability	Client meeting 9: Final feedback from client
48	Lab	Work on final presentation / deliverable
49	Lecture	Aesthetics in assistive technology (Grace Teo)
50	Lab	Lab check-in 10: Discuss final feedback & continuation of projects after semester, work on final presentations / press release / instructables
51	Lecture	No Session	Clients invited to final-semester panels
52	Lab	No Session
53	Lecture	End-of-semester Presentations
54	Lab	End-of-semester Presentations (cont.)
55	Lecture	No Session
56	Lab	No Session
57	Lecture	Follow up opportunities (William Li)
58	Lab	Public showcase