Assistive Technology: Enhancing the Education and Maturity Level of Electrical and Computer Engineering

University Of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell MA

Investigators

Abstract

0201872 Clark Support provided for this design project at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell will make possible senior level engineering design projects involving the application of computer and electronics technologies to the specific needs of persons with disabilities, thereby enhancing the quality of life of those individuals. The individual design projects involve the work of l-4 senior students, each of whom must visit and communicate with their client. Through these meetings, a specific definition of the needs and therefore the specific objectives of the student design project are formulated. The students then develop project schedules and budgets and within one academic semester generate a solution to the need. Assistive devices or software resulting from successful projects are delivered, at no cost, to the client. The Assistive Technology Program where the students work has been in existence for the past ten years. This design project is a continuation of the work that has been supported by the National Science Foundation for the past six years.