MHRD Scheme on Global Initiative on Academic Network (GIAN)

Disability Interactions & Innovations

1.0 Overview 

Creative solutions that allow disabled people to use computers and technology more broadly are usually captured under the term ‘accessibility.’ They can be categorized into (i) assistive technology (AT) targeted at a specific person or a subset of people and (ii) inclusive (universal) design approaches that incorporate accessible design features into the mainstream product or service. With an aging population, there is a need for an increased focus on designs that can accommodate the needs of disabled people to contribute to society fully. 

Disability has often spurred designers to create novel technology that became universal; for example, the typewriter and the commercial email client originated from a need to communicate with blind and deaf people. The design constraints imposed by disability have pushed ingenuity to thrive within the design process. Recent technological advances in AI, the Internet of Things, and pervasive computing provide great scope for designers and researchers to explore this symbiosis when considering future innovations for disability and society. This course explores the new approach of Disability Interaction (DIX), which combines challenge-based design with user-centered design principles to push the boundaries of the possible.

2.0 Objectives

The primary objectives of the course are as follows: 

i)    Exposing participants to the fundamentals of user-centered design principles and challenge-based design. 

ii)    Building confidence and capability amongst the participants in capturing user needs, turning these into insights and problem statements that can be used to drive innovations. 

iii)   Providing exposure to practical problems and their solutions through case studies and live projects in disability interaction and innovation. 

iv)   Demonstrating novel routes to market and the ability to scale solutions through case study examples. 

v)    Enhancing the capability of the participants to identify and solve societal challenges enables more inclusive societies.

3.0  Teaching Faculty with Allotment of Lectures and Tutorials

1. Prof. Cathy Holloway (CH):  13 hrs lectures and 5 hrs tutorials

2. Prof. Sujatha Srinivasan (SS): 1 hr lectures

4.0 Course details

4.1 Tentative Duration:  Sep 24 – Sep 29, 2023 (5 days): 14 hrs lectures and 5 hrs tutorials

4.2 Tentative Lecture Schedule

(If you agree to offer this course also as MOOC, then design the lecture modules as per MOOC format for smooth conversion to MOOC)

Day 1

Lecture 1: 1 hrs: CH                  

User-centered design for disability interactions: An introduction

Lecture 2: 1 hrs: CH

Design Methods for disability interactions. How to capture user needs when working with people with disabilities; the role of disabled people’s organizations; ethics. 

Lecture 3: 1 hrs: CH

Design Methods for disability interactions continued…

Tutorial 1: 1 hrs: CH  

Design Challenge 1 -  Creating design ideas from initial problem statements.

Day 2

Lecture 4: 1 hrs: CH

Accessibility, universal design (barrier-free design) of physical environments

Lecture 5:  1 hrs: CH

         Accessibility, universal design (barrier-free design) of digital environments

Lecture 6: 1 hrs: CH

         Accessibility, universal design (barrier-free design): international case studies

Tutorial 2: 1 hrs: CH  

         Design Challenge 2 – Learning to assess accessibility

Day 3

Lecture 7: 1 hrs: CH

         Disability Interactions for Assistive Technology Design 

Lecture 8:  1 hrs: CH

Designing testing protocols for assistive technology user-testing

Lecture 9:  1 hrs: SS

Case Study: Design of a Standing Wheelchair

Tutorial 3: 1 hrs: CH

         Development of testing protocols for two new assistive products

Day 4

Lecture 10: 1 hrs: CH       

Inclusive innovation - what does it take to get to market when there might be a large need but no demand (i.e. no one to pay)

Lecture 11: 1 hrs: CH

Innovation development partnerships

Lecture 12: 1 hrs: CH

How to develop successful business development & marketing plans

Tutorial 4: 1 hrs: CH  

         Innovation challenge – development of a business plan for a new assistive technology

Day 5

Lecture 13: 1 hrs: CH

Sustainability.

Lecture 14: 1 hrs: CH

Social Development Theory  - Why do we do disability innovation

Tutorial 5: 1 hrs

         Measuring success

Date of Examination: Sep 29, 2023

5.0 Who can attend

• Executives, engineers, researchers from manufacturing, NGO/Disabled People Organisations, service, and government organizations, including R&D laboratories.

• Students at all levels (BTech/MSc/MTech/PhD) or Faculty from reputed academic and technical institutions.