History of Assistive Technology Research Assignment
Assistive Technology
Spring 2002
Prof. Jen Mankoff
GSI: Hesham Kamel
Some universally used technologies began as devices specifically designed
as assistive technologies. For example, the telephone developed from
devices designed to assist people with hearing disabilities. Other technologies
began as general-use technologies and have subsequently been developed as
assistive technologies. For example, initially, voice synthesizer technology
was mainly used to communicate information via telephone. It was later
adapted to assist visually impaired people accessing computer-based information.
Choose one assistive technology and research the history of its development
and use. Pay attention to whether its intended audience has changed
over time, and what allowed that to happen. Also pay attention to the
impact of these changes in audience on its original users. For example, as
speech recognition became more accurate, it also began to depend on prerecorded
data sets and thus was less useful for people with unusual accents or speech
impairments. Write a research paper on the history of this assistive technology.
Some possibilities to consider include: Speech recognition; Word prediction;
Home automation; Voice synthesis; Spell checking; the Keyboard; and so on.
If you are unsure about what to pick or whether a technology qualifies, speak
to Hesham or Jen about it.
Your paper should be 4 pages, including figures and references, and double-spaced
in a 12 point font. In your introduction, be sure to identify the assistive
technology you’re researching and any similar devices. Summarize the
features of the assistive technology in about one paragraph. Use 8 to 10 references.
This is a research assignment worth 10% of your final grade. No late
assignments will be accepted.
Follow standard formatting rules
.
This assignment is due on Wednesday, February 13th. You must turn
in a hard copy at the beginning of class and email Hesham a copy of the assignment
in .pdf or Word format. If you are an undergraduate and have never
before done a research paper, please see Hesham for further instructions.