University of Wyoming, College of Engineering, undergraduate design projects to aid Wyoming persons with disabilities.
In Spring 2002 the University of Wyoming received NSF funding from the Division of Bioengineering and Environmental Systems to provide a meaningful design experience for University of Wyoming, College of Engineering students that will directly aid individuals with disabilities within the state of Wyoming. Other universities have participated in this very worthwhile program [1, 2, 3]. To achieve the program purpose, the following objectives were established: Provide engineering students multi-disciplinary, meaningful, community service design projects, Provide persons with disabilities assistive devices to empower them to achieve the maximum individual growth and development and afford them the opportunity to participate in all aspects of life as they choose, Provide engineering students education and awareness on the special needs and challenges of persons with disabilities, and Provide undergraduate engineering students exposure to the biomedical field of engineering. To accomplish these objectives the College of Engineering partnered with three organizations that provide education and service related to disability. Specifically, the college has joined with the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND) assistive technology program, Wyoming New Options in Technology (WYNOT) and their Sports and Outdoor Assistive Recreation (SOAR) project along with the university's Special Education program. In this paper we will describe how the program was created, developed, and its current status.
Barrett
Steven F
SF
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA. steveb@uwyo.edu
Laurin
Kathy M
KM
Bloom
Janet K Chidester
JK
D001698:Biomedical Engineering / Q000193:education* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D004282:Documentation; D004867:Equipment Design; D006077:Government Agencies; D006078:Government Programs; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000193:education* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000458:organization & administration; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D014959:Wyoming