Projects

NSF Convergence Accelerator | Living Better through Rehabilitation & Assistive Technology

Dr. Steele AccessEngineering, Outreach, Presentation , , , ,

A second NSF Convergence Accelerator focused on increasing access and inclusion. The LIBERATE workshop is focused on Living Better through Rehabilitation & Assistive Technology.

title slide of Dr. Steele's presentation on a purple background with text Liberate 2021 NSF convergence accelerator

As an NSF Convergence Accelerator, participants will seek to identify pathways that could be  pursued by multidisciplinary teams to get solutions at least to a prototype stage in 3-5 years. The long-term goal from this workshop is to kickstart the next wave of technologies that will empower people with disabilities.

Dr. Steele will be participating and presenting some kernels of ideas for inclusion, especially highlighting recent work from CREATE.

Slides

Download PDF of slides.

Email Dr. Steele (kmsteele – at – uw – dot – edu) with questions, comments, or suggestions.

NSF Convergence Accelerator | Inclusion in the Workplace

Dr. Steele AccessEngineering, Presentation , , , ,

The NSF Convergence Accelerator on Accelerating Disability Inclusion in Workplaces through Technology starts on May 20th.


Title slide of Dr. Steele's talk "Ideas for Inclusion" on a purple background.

 

The goals for this workshop are to identify pathways for technology to solve or mitigate accessibility and inclusion challenges in current and emerging workplaces. As an NSF Convergence Accelerator, participants will seek to identify pathways that could be  pursued by multidisciplinary teams to get solutions at least to a prototype stage in 3-5 years. The long-term goals from this workshop are to set in motion paradigm shifts that brings the percentage of individuals with disabilities participating in the workforce closer to the general population.

Dr. Steele will be presenting some ideas on inclusion in the workplace – from work environments to transportation to workforce development.

Slides

Download PDF of slides.

Email Dr. Steele (kmsteele – at – uw – dot – edu) with questions, comments, or suggestions.

HuskyADAPT… adapts!

Elijah HuskyADAPT, News, Outreach

Boxes of of many different colorful toysForegroud: woman wearing clear glasses smiling behind mask. Background: woman holding toy smiling behind mask next to car

Many University of Washington Mechanical Engineering student clubs had to think outside the (toy)box and overcome disruptions caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic, but few have adapted as well as HuskyADAPT lead by the SteeleLab’s very own Alyssa Spomer and Nicole Zaino.

This year they pivoted to have virtual workshops to continue providing students with hands-on-experience modifying toys, and contactless donation events to keep up the distribution of free adapted toys throughout western Washington.

Way to go Alyssa, Nicole, and all HuskyADAPTers! Keep it up!

Kat Steele named a 2020 DO‑IT Trailblazer

Elijah AccessEngineering, Awards , ,

Picture of Kat in purple shirt.We are proud to announce that Dr. Katherine M. Steele was selected as one of the 2020 DO-IT Trailblazers for her fantastic work in access engineering. Kat has been active in DO-IT, hosting activities where students learn about makerspace accessibility, engineering principles, and universal design. She has also developed resources and published articles with DO-IT staff on topics related to makerspace accessibility and teaching about accessibility in engineering. Please help us in congratulating Kat!

2020 Center for Translational Muscle Research

Dr. Steele MotorControl, Orthoses, Outreach, Presentation , , , , ,

How can we decipher human movement?

CTMR: White text on purple background, UW Center for Translational Muscle ResearchOur skeletal muscles have amazing structure. They provide elegant and efficient actuation to move and explore our worlds. But how do we understand how muscles produce movement?

Dr. Steele presents at the inaugural research symposium for the University of Washington Center for Translational Muscle Research. Her presentation shares examples for how we can use musculoskeletal simulation as a tool to connect muscle biology, dynamics, and mobility.

Slides | Transcript