In this conversation, Dr. Rory Cooper (LinkedIn, Google Scholar) shares his journey into rehabilitation engineering, discussing the evolution of wheelchair design, to which he contributed a tremendous amount, the importance of designing with people with disabilities, and the challenges of accessibility in assistive technology. At the University of Pittsburgh, he heads the Human Engineering Research Laboratory. He emphasizes the need for evidence-based solutions and the impact of societal changes on the perception of disabilities. The discussion also touches on his experiences in the Paralympics as both an athlete and a sports scientist. The conversation also touches on the significance of community and personal achievements in sports, culminating in a discussion about future trends in assistive technology and the importance of communication in advancing the field. He also shared where he stores all his medals :)

This episode was powered by:

• Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) at the University of Washington

• Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA)

In this conversation, Sasha and Anni Kern, Staff of Community & Outreach at ETH Zurich, discuss the CYBATHLON, an event that promotes the development of assistive technology through friendly competition. Anni shares insights on the event's evolution, the importance of user-centered design, and the various disciplines involved in the competition. They also explore the impact of CYBATHLON on accessibility and inclusion, as well as future innovations in assistive technology, particularly in the realm of brain-computer interfaces.

The CYBATHLON competition will take place on Oct 25-27 in Zurich, Switzerland. It can also be streamed live here.

This episode is powered by:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00

Drew Redepenning (University of Pittsburgh profile) is a physical medicine and rehabilitation resident physician, biomedical engineer, and certified assistive technology specialist, with a passion for adaptive gaming. In this episode, we discuss the evolution and importance of adaptive gaming, the challenges of funding and accessibility, and the creation of Gaming Readapted, a resource for adaptive gaming equipment. Drew shares insights on evaluating adaptive controllers, the growing field of adaptive e-sports, and the role of assistive technology specialists. You can find other useful resources on adaptive gaming here.

This episode is powered by:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREATE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences) at the University of Washington
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RESNA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(the Rehabilitation Engineering and assistive technology Society of North America)
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NIDILRR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ARRT Training grant 90ARCP0005-01-00