Universal Design

Georgia Tech hosted a successful 5th Annual Healthy Environments & Active Lifestyles (HEAL) Open House on Tuesday, April 23.  The open house showcased demonstrations of student projects and research from several Georgia Tech organizations, including: The Aware Home Research Initiative (AHRI), Design and Technology for Healthy Aging, The Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA), the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (Wireless RERC) and others.

On February 15, 2013 James Mueller, a Wireless RERC scientist, presented “Getting Wireless: An Introduction to Universal Design and Wireless Technology” to 32 sophomore industrial design students at Virginia Tech.  This is part of the Wireless RERC’s initiative to educate the next generation of wireless technology designers on universal design as a core practice for innovative and future design of products and applications.

The specific objectives of the project are to:

February 201 3— U.S. Representative George Miller (CA), the ranking Democrat in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, introduced a new education bill: The Transforming Education through Technology Act [H.R. 521]. The bill proposes that Congress fund educational grants to be distributed to states and districts totaling $500 million. The funds would support technology to improve the college-and-career readiness, achievement and engagement of all students, including those with disabilities.

Jim Mueller, co-project director for the Wireless RERC’s User-Centered Research project , presented samples from the “Getting Wireless: Exploring Universal Design in Wireless Technologies” student design project during a seminar at the Architects Annual Convention in Washington, D.C.