Introducing assistive technology to engineering students

On November 13, 1998 and as a result of a bipartisan effort In Congress, the President of The United States signed into law the Assistive Technology Art of 1998 (ATA) that affirms that technology is a valuable tool that can be used to improve the lives of Americans with disabilities, One of the pul poses of this act is to enhance the skills and competencies of individuals involved in providing assistive technology devices and assistive technology services. This is accomplished through several national activities including assisting institutions of higher education to train and prepare students for careers related to the provision of assistive technology devices and assistive technology services. This paper describes the experience of the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (MIME) at the University of Toledo (UT) slid the Department of physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Medical College of Ohio (MCO) during the past six years in introducing engineering students to Assistive Technology. This is done during the conduct of the MIME senior design project where students develop custom designed devices for physically disabled individuals within the Toledo community. The goal of these projects is to assist disabled individuals to enjoy life and to realize their maximum potential, These projects significantly enhance the education of student engineers through the experience of designing and budding devices to meet a real need with feedback on how well the device satisfies that need.