Accessibility Through the Lifespan

Catalog description

Students will explore how accessibility and assistive technologies intersect with aging throughout the lifespan, with a particular focus on the early and later stages of human development, including: educational contexts (for children or young adults) and effective design strategies for promoting accessibility for older adults with diverse capabilities. Students will learn key legal regulations that govern special education and accessibility in educational contexts, including the provision of assistive technologies and the accessibility of instructional technologies. Students will also explore typical changes in ability and impairments that relate to the human aging process, and they will investigate how to design usable and engaging technology for the growing population of older adults. Students will come to understand the concepts and needs of younger and older users firsthand through, e.g., guest speakers or personal interactions.