T1. Blended Online and In-Person Learning Program

T1 Blended Online and In-Person Learning Program

Principal Investigator

Carolyn Phillips, M.Ed.

Team

Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., Liz Persaud, B.A.

Project Alumni

Ben Jacobs

Overview

This project will provide professionals and students with a program of online and in-person training on basic skills in Universal Design, Accessibility, and Rehabilitation Engineering Research. The educational programming will include an online boot camp with a series of videos, archived in-person training materials, podcasts, internships local organizations. Professionals and students who complete this program will have a better understanding of design practices and ultimately how to design effective technologies for aging-in-place.

Four girls using special glasses to read prescription bottles

A mobile robot being used by a woman in a wheelchair

Project Status

Accessibility and Inclusive Design Course

This project-based design course, co-taught by TechSAge members Carolyn Phillips and Brian Jones, provided students with the opportunity to consider how their design of technology solutions can accommodate use by people with varying abilities. Students worked in small teams to enhance and apply their knowledge and skills while designing new digital technology products or services and evaluating existing ones. The course covered aspects of aging and disability; current products and services; accessibility; assistive technologies; and inclusive design methods. The course also included background, guest lectures, small group activity sessions (in and out of class), and class discussions to help guide teams in their projects.

Students observe a discussion between Carolyn and residents of the William Breman Jewish Home

Stay Connected: Using AT to Reduce Social Isolation

The Tools for Life team wrote and produced a three-minute video outlining extreme health issues associated with social isolation along with possible assistive technology solutions. The video highlighted three products: Echo Show, Grand Pad, Bird Song.

COVID-19 Accessible Resources

TechSAge Training team members along with the services and learning team at the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI), have spent the last year working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation towards the goal of making public health information about COVID-19 accessible. Topics cover symptoms of coronavirus, vaccinations, safety recommendations and more. Check out the complete archive of accessible resources available in Braille, ASL, plain language and more on the microsite: COVID-19 Accessible Resources.

Screenshot of logo for COVID-19 accessible resources that features different disability icons

TechSAge Affiliated Post-Secondary Classes

Jones, B. & Phillips, C. (Fall 2022). Accessibility and Inclusive Design (CS8803-AID). Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.
Sanford, J. (Spring 2020). ID 3031 Health and Design Studio (undergrad). Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.
Sanford, J. (Fall 2020). ID 6062 Health and Design Studio (graduate). Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.
Sanford, J. (Fall 2019). ID 8083 Wearables, Wizards and Wellness. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.
Sanford, J. (Spring 2019). ID 3031 Health and Design (undergraduate course focused on aging, disability, and universal design). Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.
Sanford, J. (Spring 2019). ID 6062 Health and Design (graduate design studio focused on aging, disability, and universal design). Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.
Sanford, J., Melgen, S., & Whitney, M.K. (Fall 2018). ID 4210/6800 ARCH 4843/8843 Universal Design in the Built Environment: Universal Design for Community Health (Using a universal design approach, students learn how to design for social impact and community health through a focus on local farmer’s markets as a locus for social engagement, activity and good nutrition). Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.

TechSAge Affiliated Student Theses & Dissertations

Madina Khamzina, PhD dissertation: “Successful Aging in the Presence of Disability” (2022, November)
Qiong (Tina) Nie, PhD dissertation: “Design Guidelines for Behavioral Feedback Visualizations to Support Health Behavior Change” (2022, November)
Kenneth Blocker, PhD dissertation: "Developing a Framework to Guide Personalized Support for Older Adults Learning Novel Technologies” (2022, November)
Maurita Harris, PhD dissertation: "Addressing Gaps in Equity through Wearables” (2022, November)
Mikaela Frechette, PhD dissertation: "Cognitive-Motor Interaction During Wheelchair Propulsion" (2022, August)
Libak Abou, PhD dissertation: “Factors Associated with Falls among Wheelchair Users Living with Spinal Cord Injury” (2021, December)
Ben Thompson, Masters thesis: “Evaluation of Mobile Devices as a Control Method for Augmented Reality” (2021, August)
Alex Fliflet, Masters thesis: “Insights on an Automated Fall Detection Device Designed for Older Adult Wheelchair and Scooter Users: A Qualitative Study" (2021, May)
Megan Bayles, Masters thesis: "A Holistic Understanding of Older Adults’ Acceptance of Domestic Robots" (2020, December)
Mikaela Frechette, Masters thesis: “The validity, reliability, and sensitivity of a smartphone-based seated postural control assessment in wheelchair users” (2020, May)

TechSAge RERC

A collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign & Georgia State University