Class Information
Developing Assistive Technology - Fall, 2006
Tuesday 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Instructors: Anita Perr anita.perr@nyu.edu and John Schimmel schimmel @ nyu.edu
Description:
This multi-disciplinary course allows students from a variety of backgrounds to work together to develop assistive technology. Partnering with outside organizations, students work in teams to identify a clinical need relevant to a certain clinical site or client population, and learn the process of developing an idea and moving to the development of a prototype product. Teams will be comprised of ITP students as well as graduate rehabilitation, physical and occupational therapy students.
Prerequisites (for ITP students):
Intro to Computational Media and Intro to Physical Computing
Relationship to Curriculum Design:
This elective is designed to provide students the opportunity to work in interdisciplinary groups and to build skills in communication, critical thinking, and product development.
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course, students will:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the process of developing assistive technology
- To assess the clinical site or client population to identify a need for an assistive device
- Demonstrate an understanding of the roles of the professionals involved in developing and using assistive technology
- To develop skills and foster a shared vocabulary necessary to communicate with team members, co-workers, and clients from different fields who may have different goals.
- To develop skills necessary in the identification of needs and in the research of possible solutions to clinical problems. This includes: the evaluation of products currently available, the analysis of their appropriateness and applicability, and the determination of alternative technologies or modifications necessary.
- To develop an understanding of disability and function, and to understand the impact of technology of the therapeutic process.
- To understand the iterative process of design which requires adaptability and change.
- To understand the practical issues surrounding the design of a technology solution (i.e. production schedule and budget issues)
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