STS 4984/5984: Special Study
Technology and Disability
Tuesdays & Thursdays 2:00pm-3:15pm
Dr. Ashley Shew (shew@vt.edu). Dr. Shew welcomes your questions.
CRN: 88651/88653
Fall 2015
This graduate and advanced undergraduate course is designed to introduce students to the material cultures surrounding dis/ability, the social meaning of “health” technologies, and the lived experiences of who deploy, resist, and wrestle with these technologies.
This course will be “hands-on, minds-on.” We will “play” with different technologies, visit labs on campus that work on bionics and other assistive tech, speak with practitioners who work with patients, and hear from users of the technologies we track. Students will also play an active role in the development of classroom content, leading class in discussion, presenting on individual technology projects, and engaging with literature on their selected topics, including:
– Cochlear ear implants and hearing aids
– Apps for ipads aimed at a people with disabilities
– Mobility aids (wheelchairs, crutches, scooters, canes)
-Other technologies as incorporated by student projects – up to student choice
If you have any queries, please contact developer and instructor Dr. Ashley Shew (shew@vt.edu).