Assistive Technology: Designs by Engineering Seniors to Improve the Quality of Life for Disabled Persons

University Of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell MA

Investigators

Abstract

0853033 Clark The object of this project is to apply technology to the problems of individuals with disabilities. The resolution of these problems is accomplished by Seniors in Engineering and Computer Science at UMASS-Lowell. Such projects serve as a source of motivation for our students, enhancing the learning process and thereby improving the competency level of our graduating engineers. It is requested that funding be granted to make possible Senior level projects involving the application of computer and electronic technologies to resolve specific individual problems and thereby improving the quality of life for those clients we serve. The individual projects involve one to four Senior students from the Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering programs. The program is based in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. In the process of completing the project, students are required to visit and communicate with their client, and thereby determine the specific needs of the client and define the design objectives of the project. Students are required to determine design schedules, project costs and review progress with design supervisors and their client. If the project is successful, the outcome is delivered to the client at no cost. The Senior design projects are coordinated through the Assistive Technology Program within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The AT Program was founded in 1992 and during those sixteen years it has supported work on over one-thousand Senior projects of which hundreds have been delivered to clients or their care providing agency. Funding of this proposal will guarantee that the AT Program will be able to continue supporting the Senior design projects. INTELLECTUAL MERIT It is extremely critical to the future of the country and to the future of all that we educate young people in the sciences and engineering. The challenges of educating and producing engineers in today's society are many. The process of educating generally includes both a teacher and a student. Failure by either impedes the process. Motivation is an absolutely necessary ingredient on the student side of this process. Projects in service learning, including assistive technology, provide the students with a source of motivation to learn and therefore become better educated engineers. BROADER IMPACTS The projects for which funding is being requested benefit the University, the client and the student. The students interact with people with disabilities who they might otherwise be sheltered from for the rest of their lives. This exposure increases an awareness of the society in which they live and the impact that their acquired technology might have on that society. The clients are exposed to young engineers who become their friends and often acquire a successful project which improves their quality of life. The University, through the AT Program, is able to provide a service to the community and is rewarded by enhanced public opinion, public relations, and the ability to attract new students.