Syllabus

Tuesday nights 6:30pm

Description

In hospitals, children with disabilities and illnesses share their play space with medical equipment, doctors, nurses and often living away from their family. Their days are spent at school inside the hospital, but also receiving treatments, therapy and sometimes surgery. However, spontaneous moments of excitement and laughter with friends throughout the day makes living in a hospital often seem like a second home.

ITPediatrics will focus on child life at local children’s hospitals; collaborating with music and art therapists to create experiences for residents that support developmental and therapeutic activities. The class will discuss the issues of living away from home, going to school, maintaining friendships, communicating with family, receiving medical treatment and playtime. Students will work in groups collaborating with Occupational Therapy students from NYU’s Steinhardt and with therapists from the hospitals.

Objectives and requirements

• Demonstrate the design, prototyping and user testing of assistive technology.
• Understand and explore existing assistive technology and solutions.
• Collaborate with occupational, music and art therapists to engage pediatric facilities.

Expectations

• Participate, value your time in this class, it will be a window into a world with interesting problems that are often overlooked.
• Respect and empathize with your peers, occupational therapists and the children you work with; in this class treat their problems as if they are your own.
• Ask questions, this isn’t medical school there will be a lot of jargon, just ask.
• Be on time –  yes it is Tisch, but this is graduate school.
• Complete all assignments and documentation, ask for help when you need it.

Grading

Assignments & Documentation	50%
Participation in class	25%
Participation in projects and user testing	25%

Attendance – You are expected to attend all classes, with the pass/fail system at ITP missing more than 2 classes can be warrant for failure if proper notice and reason is provided.

Class 1: September 6

• Introduction of class, syllabus, labs, projects & expectations.
• What is assistive technology? Hospitals, pediatrics and project hosts
• Demo: Accessibility switch adaptation.
• Assignment - Custom switch and and Arduino interface. More information on handout.

Class 2: September 13

• More switch access – modifying devices and switches into Processing
• Play, a biological entity
• Demo: Switch adapting a toy
• Assignment - Switch adapt a toy or other DC powered device. More information in handout.

Class 3: September 20

• Class at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center - 590 6th Avenue, corner of 17th St.
• Occupational therapy, Music and Art therapy and the facilities.
• Presentation of switch adapted toys.
• Assignment - Research existing assistive technology, tool, instrument from Elizabeth Seton visit. More information on handout.

Class 4: September 27

• Guest lecturer – Amit Pitaru on video games and assistive technology http://pitaru.com 
• Demo single switch into Processing. Scanning option – 1 switch, many choices
• Assignment - Interactive motivation – single switch Processing sketch. More information in handout.

Class 5: October 4

• Present single switch applications.
• Treatment, physical therapy and surgery in pediatrics.
• Assignment - Take an existing project and prepare it for user testing. 2 weeks to user test and document. More information in handout.

*Fall Break  -  October 11 – No class

*Class 6: October 18

• No class. To be rescheduled.
• Assignment - Continued from class 5, Oct. 4, user testing with Elizabeth Seton Pediatrics

Class 7: October 25

• Discuss user testing results.
• Touch screens, eBooks, augmentative communication devices. The browser as a platform – HTML5, JavaScript
• Assignment -  Create an eBook to educated a child about a procedure OR create a basic communication app for a child. More information in handout.

Class 8: November 1

 

• Class at Adaptive Design Association. To be confirmed…

 

Class 9: November 8

• Music and art therapy. Self expression and assistive technology
• Assignment - Music related – TBD

Class 10: November 15

• Living away from home. Telepresence of family and friends
• Demo – HTML5 & realtime web
• Assignment - Create a simple web based telepresence tool. More information in handout.

Class 11: November 22

• Hacking for the Holidays event planning – switch adapting toys for the holiday season
• Assignment - Pick a project that you think should be revisited. More info on handout.

Class 12: November 29

 

• Discussion – TBD – We’ll see where the semester takes us.
• Assignment - continue to work on finalizing project

 

Class 13: December 6

 

• Revisiting topics and project
• In class re-development, discussion and the future.

 

Class 14: December 13

 

• Final Presentations – semester in review