Welcome to this edition of  Perspectives,  the e-newsletter of the Stanford course, Perspectives in Assistive Technology.

What is the course? - Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter course at Stanford that explores the design, development, and use of assistive technology benefitting people with disabilities and older adults. The course consists of twice-weekly classroom discussions; lectures by notable professionals, clinicians, and assistive technology users; and tours of local medical, clinical, and engineering facilities. Enrolled students pursue individual or team-based projects that address the needs of older adults and individuals with disabilities. More information can be found on the course website, including the syllabus, frequently asked questions, and student's comments.

Invitation to attend - You are invited to attend all class lectures. They will be held in the Thornton Center - Classroom 110 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 4:15 to 5:30pm and are free and open to the public.

First class session - Tuesday, January 8th at 4:15pm:

Abstract: This presentation will provide an overview of the course and a brief introduction to Assistive Technology including a definition of terms, demographics, goals of rehabilitation, perceptions of disability, the needs of people experiencing disabilities, political correctness, and numerous examples of assistive technology devices and cutting-edge research projects.

Biosketch: David L. Jaffe holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a MS degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University.

Prior to coming to Stanford, he was a Research Biomedical Engineer at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System's Rehabilitation Research and Development Center. At the VA his interests were designing, developing, testing, and bringing to market microcomputer-based devices for veterans with disabilities including communication, mobility, and information systems. He has worked on several VA assistive technology research projects including an innovative wheelchair interface for individuals with quadriplegia, an electro-mechanical fingerspelling hand that serves as a communication device for people who are deaf/blind, a system that explores virtual reality techniques to train individuals with gait deficits to improve their walking, and a project that employs a computer-based simulation system to assess and improve the driving ability of individuals after brain injury.

In addition to organizing this course, ENGR110/210 Perspectives in Assistive Technology, he contributes to other Stanford courses including defining the quarterly course projects in ME218 Smart Product Design, coaching project teams in ME113 Mechanical Engineering Design, and mentoring students working on assistive technology projects throughout the year.

Do you have a question or comment? - David L. Jaffe, MS, the course instructor, can be reached by email or at 650/892-4464.