August 31, 2014
This semester, with Rob Miller and Grace Teo, I will be a graduate instructor of 6.811: Principles and Practice of Assistive Technology (PPAT) at MIT. At the start of the summer, I didn't expect to be teaching this class, but life sometimes takes unexpected turns.
6.811/PPAT is a project-based course in which small teams of students work closely with a person with a disability in the Cambridge/Boston area to design a a solution that helps them live more independently. As examples, past projects have included an iPhone apps for fitness tracking and clothing color detection for people who are blind to live more independently, binoculars for a birdwatching enthusiast that are accessible without the use of her hands, a cellphone-based emergency call system for someone with ALS, and a custom "no-spill" spoon for a person with a spinal cord injury to eat soups and cereals more easily.
PPAT was created and taught each fall since 2011 by my master's thesis advisor, Professor Seth Teller. I'm biased, but I believe that PPAT is no ordinary engineering course: it gets MIT engineering students outside the campus bubble, focuses on a traditionally underserved group of people, pushes beyond technology and explores challenges that people with disabilities face (including employment, stigma and discrimination, and accessibility), and turns students into leaders and advocates for disability and social change. The above video captures the spirit of Seth, PPAT, and the students and clients in the course.
As you may know, on July 1, 2014, Seth passed away suddenly; for many groups and people that he touched, including the disability and assistive technology communities, his loss has been a devastating one. I'm deeply grateful that the MIT EECS department is supporting the continuation of 6.811/PPAT this fall and to be part of continuing the course. Professor Rob Miller will oversee PPAT, Grace Teo and I will be co-instructors, and, testifying to Seth's impact on his students through PPAT, a number of class alumni (Michelle Chen, Abby Klein, and Ishwarya Ananthabhotla) will teaching and lab assistants. Our team is intentionally large: trying to fill Seth's shoes is truly a monumental task.
Having witnessed Seth's energy and dedication, teaching his class this fall is an enormous responsibility. Planning PPAT has reminded me every day that he's no longer here (at our staff meetings, we often ask, "What would Seth think?"), but it's also helped me cope with his absence -- the class is an opportunity to continue the positive impact that he had on students and the wider community. Finding clients, planning the curriculum, and preparing labs and lectures have been personally meaningful and fulfilling work. With everyone on our team, along with our many supporters at MIT and beyond, I think PPAT is going to be great.
Some ways to stay updated or get involved:
I hope you'll follow PPAT this semester. I'm excited to get started on Wednesday.
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