Senior design for persons with disabilities

Author

Enderle, John D.

Author_Institution

Connecticut Univ., Storrs, CT, USA

Volume

25

Issue

3

fYear

2006

Firstpage

25

Lastpage

29

Abstract

This article provides an overview of senior design in the United States and its impact around the world. Within the United States, the National Science Foundation (NSF) Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities program has provided funding since 1988 to thousands of senior design projects that have been completed by students for persons with disabilities. This program combines the academic requirement of a design experience with enhanced educational opportunities for students, and it improves the quality of life for disabled individuals. Also described are two national design competitions hosted by the Rehabilitation Research´s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Accessible Medical Instrumentation (AMI) and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). In addition, there are a number of biomedical engineering (BMH) programs in the United States that provide an opportunity for students to design and construct projects for individuals in developing countries.

Keywords

biomedical education; handicapped aids; reviews; biomedical engineering; disabilities; disabled individuals; enhanced educational opportunities; handicapped aid; overview; senior design; Accreditation; Ambient intelligence; Biological materials; Biomedical engineering; Biomedical imaging; Costs; Decision making; Design engineering; Europe; Instruments; Disabled Persons; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Quality of Life; Self-Help Devices; Students;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0739-5175

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/MEMB.2006.1636346

Filename

1636346