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UMass Lowell & Francis College of Engineering want to update you on their Assistive Technology Program (ATP) |
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What is the Assistive Technology Program (ATP) at UMass Lowell?
Started in 1991, the Assistive Technology Program allows faculty, staff and students in the College of Engineering to assist disadvantaged persons with special needs and problems.
There is a major initiative to broaden the availability of the ATP program to all interested students within the College of Engineering as well as students in related fields such as Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy.
How does the Assistive Technology Program Operate?
The ATP solicits problems from supported community partner organizations** and individuals, which are then communicated to senior students interested in ATP-based Capstone design projects for review. The ATP probides financial and technical support for students and student teams working on selected projects. Successful projects are delivered to the client at no cost to the client.
** Community partner organizations include Non-Profit Organizations, Independent Living Centers, Rehabilitation Hospitals, State and Private Schools, State Institutions, Children's Hospitals and private individuals such as:
- Perkins School for the Blind; Watertown, MA
- Franciscan Children's Hospital
- Kennedy Day School; Boston, MA - Mass Department of Mental Retardation
- Hogan Center; Hathorne, MA
- Anne Sullivan Learning Center; Lowell, MA
- Intensive Needs Program at the Lincoln Elementary School; Lowell, MA
- The Professional Center for Children; Andover, MA
- New England Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital |
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2 UMass Lowell Students Make National Finals With Successful Assistive Technology Project
Scott Jobling and Michael Darish, both UMass Lowell Electrical Engineering students, have become finalists in the annual nation-wide RESNA Assistive Technology student design competition.
Their project was designed hand in hand with the needs of the Nashua Center, where a primary goal is to foster independence among severely, multiply handicapped individuals. It's an educational toy that allows people who have never had the capability to play and learn fundamental skills, which we all take for granted. Completed and delivered last June, the project is "holding up well and getting lots of use" in Nashua, NH.
Nicknamed the 'MyScreen', the project is a large (2'x2') 4-color LED display that uses a touch sensor, about the size of a sheet of paper, as the remote control. The 'MyScreen' itself is designed to be used by individuals with a very wide range of capability, and most importantly, have full functionality regardless of the user. Jobling and Darish have designed the 'MyScreen' so that people who have as limited motion as only being able to move a hand, finger, or wand in about a 2cm radius can use it.
The device runs a total of 16 programs in all, 10 of which are single touch based for users who are unable to move the 2cm radius. Each of the programs is visually stimulating by design, uses the simplest possible interface, and every step of the way forces the user to engage the program emphasizing his/her effect through vibrant visual feedback. The simplest programs use a single-touch and run for about 15 seconds, then requireing the user to touch again to continue; while the most involved program requires the user to develop hand-eye coordination with a point-following program which moves around the display requiring the user to associate colors with progress and interpret feedback while addressing minor motor skills.
Darish has also designed a voice activated controller that allows a sweet little girl, who has been paralyzed since the age of 2, to reach out and do things like use a computer, etc.
If you are interested in learning more about the 'MyScreen' or other information and media, please contact:
Scott Jobling at:
Michael Darish at:
Or visit their website at:
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This Announcement is Brought To You By:
Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission MassMATCH
27 Wormwood Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02212
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