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1.I don't have anyone in my life who has hearing loss but I can see the usefulness of having a hearing aid that looks like Bluetooth earbuds, they would help you fit in and you would feel more normal 

2.I have worked with a couple people who are disabled but none with spinal injuries, I would like to learn more about this but right now I have no experience with this

3.I can relate to taking a nice walk and tiring out my legs so having one of these to take a quick rest on would be a huge relief to my legs then I can go on my way without cramping

4.I don't know anyone with severe anxiety or autism but my sister get very anxious before a big show (she does ballet) but when she sits on me or my mom's lap or gets hugged by either of us she calms down pretty quickly so I can see great usefulness for kids with anxiety and I can see this in theatres

5.I can relate to feeling like you are alone and the only communication you get with the outside world is through strangers on the internet so I can see how a communal activity like sewing can be emulated through these mini-machines 

6.As I said before I have no relations with disabled people so I don't have much to talk about here but I can understand how you may want to "wear your disability with pride" and instead of trying to hide it, show the world who you really are

Suprised With

1.I was surprised that the splint wood bending technology  could be so useful for things other than just splints 

2.I did not know that there were already commercially available exoskeletons, I have seen videos of the military (DARPA) developing exoskeletons for soldiers so that they can carry more weight though I did not think that the technology would be so commonly available to our society and I just think that it is very cool

3.i was surprised and intrigued by the tongue receptor and I thought it was cool that we are able to so accurately track these things without the need for cameras

4.I was surprised by the fact that Temple Grandin worked on the squeeze chair, I thought it was someone else who had worked on the cow calmer and I thought it was that person who worked on the squeeze chair

Disagreed With

I disagree with the main premise of the article in that not all technology is assistive, for example, some weapons. Some weapons (Such as the famous double-edged sword) are harmful to both the attacker and the attacker and I believe that this is non-assistive technology.

Favorite Device

The Tongue Thingy

“All Technology is Assistive”

• For each of the 6 categories, can you think of an example from your own life?
  • “Invisibility is overrated.” My aunt walks on crutches that have handles. Normally, I see crutches that are just a generic black or gray, trying to blend in. My aunt instead puts different bold fabrics like animal prints on her handles to make them a fashion statement instead of something she tries to hide.
  • “Rethink the default bodily experience.” Sometimes, when my hands are full of stuff coming through the door from our eating area to the kitchen, I will knock open the door with my shoulder, a foot, or my chin instead of putting the stuff down to open the door with my hands.
  • “Consider fine gradations of qualitative change.” My aunt has only one leg and walks on crutches, so she has a hard time carrying stuff. When she comes to our house, my mom usually had to help carry in all her stuff from the car. Then she got my aunt a backpack, which allowed her to carry around her stuff by herself while still being able to use her crutches.
  • “Uncouple medical technologies from their diagnostic contexts.” I don’t have any diagnosed disorder like ADHD or anxiety, but I still like to use fidget toys. I just find them fun to play with. They don’t help me concentrate or anything, so I don’t use them in school. Instead, I use them when I’m bored I just want to play with something with my hands.
  • “Design for one.” I have made a certain organizational system for myself with my binders at school. I have one binder that I bring home every day, and I have a specific set of papers that I put in that binder instead of the subject binder. I devised this system through experience in sixth grade, and I made it in a way that made sense to me, which did not always agree with how the teachers were telling me to organize my stuff.
  • “ Let the tools you make ask questions, not just solve problems.” One example of this for me is the Google Home and other similar home speakers. Though I get the appeal of being able to ask the internet anything without using one’s hands, I find it incredibly creepy that the speaker is always listening to you. It makes me think about what happens to the information technology companies get and if we should trust them with it.
• What were 4 things that surprised you from this article?

One thing that surprised me was that wood splints were not used in battle until the 1940s. Wood seems like the logical material, and I am surprised they did not start using it sooner. Another thing that surprised me was that Despina found that the reason she enjoyed sewing was not for the sewing but for the people she sewed with. I personally, in my extracurriculars, find that the people are an added bonus, but I do the activities for the activity. A third thing that surprised me was the tongue sensor. I find that I don’t really pay attention to the position of my tongue, and it probably moves a lot without me realizing it. I think it would be hard to adapt to controlling the movement of one’s wheelchair using the often-forgotten tongue. A final thing that surprised me was how the Eameses used the techniques for making a splint to make famous furniture. I would never have thought of that connection.  

• What was 1 thing you disagreed with?

I disagree with the idea that the new hearing aid described is something that shows that one is wearing a hearing aid. Yes, the hearing aid necklace is more obvious than a normal hearing aid, but the necklace is still a way of disguising the hearing aid. Even the motions used to control the hearing aid were made to be motions that people normally made so that it would be less obvious that the person was controlling the aid. These are all ways of disguising the aid, not showing it off proudly.

• What was your favorite device?

My favorite device was the hugging chair because I thought it is a smart and visually appealing application of Temple Grandin's ideas.

“The Four Pillars of Ability Awareness: It’s Not Rocket Science”

1. When talking about people with disability, use people first language (e.g. "person with autism” instead of “autistic person”) to avoid labeling people based solely on their disability.
2. If you are not sure how to help a person with a disability or if they want help, ask because they know about their disability and what they want.
3. Be polite to people with disabilities, and treat them as you would treat any other person.
4. When interacting with people with disabilities, act like yourself; people with disabilities deserve to be treated like you would treat anyone else.

• For each of the 6 categories, can you think of an example from your own life?

1. Contact lenses hide the fact that someone needs eye aid but glasses can bring some style.
2. VR is a form of rethinking the default body experience.
3. Poles in the bus or train make it easier for people to stand up as the vehicle is moving.
4. In some airplanes, the seat offers a massage option where it moves and shakes a little to gently rub your back.
5. This reminded me of Snapchat as people are not actually together but the app brings people together through sending pictures of yourself to your friends, or any video app like Facetime or Skype. 
6. Wearing all black to mourn someone is somewhat similar as you make a statement through fashion.

• What were 4 things that surprised you from this article?

1. The chair invention that wraps around you really surprised me 
2. How many different technologies can be developed to assist people because there are so many different issues that can be addressed through technology
3. How people are trying to make assistive technologies more visible
4. How someone can control a wheelchair with their tongue using a receptor

• What was 1 thing you disagreed with?

I think the reality is that some assistive technology will always be perceived by others and raise stereotypes. Invisibility can really help sometimes to avoid people judging others.

• What was your favorite device?

My favorite device was the perch for pausing outdoors: it shows how simple little things that one never thinks about can make a big impact on many people lives.

• Takeaway from Second Reading

Treat people with disabilities like your friend.

• For each of the 6 categories, can you think of an example from your own life?

1. Bluetooth headphones- less cords help make it "invisible" as talked about in article.

• What were 4 things that surprised you from this article?

1. Some of the creations were very surprising, because some of the things I would have never thought anyone would ever need or want. Such as a device only allows certain sounds and frequencies through the ear. 

2. How simple things that we dont realize is technology that is assistive, such as as simple as a bench on a light post, which affects our day to day lives. 

3. How big the rang of assistive technology there is, from medical to simple life assistants. 

4. How this tech can be used as fashion and serve a purpose was surprising because i never thought of these things being considered fashion. 

• What was 1 thing you disagreed with 

To be really honest I didnt not agree with anything 

• What was your favorite device?

My favorite was the device that allows someone to rest there arms crossed without the use of there muscles, because it is supported by this metal (wearable) device that goes around the neck. I liked this one the most because it is quite creative and such a simple thing that some people dont have the capability to do. 

Second reading takeaway: Is to treat everyone as if they didnt have a disability and be respectful and proper with what terms and language one would throw around.

1.A friend from my old school used hearing aids and she wished that it wasn't as clunky and noticeable as she would hope because it becomes very distracting and easily seen. The design of around the ear to make it seem more real is very assistive and I think she would like something more on that side of things.

2. I have never seen someone with a tongue driver but for people in wheelchairs, this seems like something very handy.  One of the directors at beaver is in a wheelchair and this could easily solve many problems she has.

3. I have never really seen a chair like that in my life and personally, I wouldn't probably sit in one. It is a very cool and innovative idea that can help many people. One student in Beaver is creating an arm sleeve that can help strengthen the arm through jolts. This seems similar to the exoskeleton idea.

4. The huggable chair isn't something I normally see anyone using in my life including me. It seems very inviting and comfy.  My late great-grandmother had something similar to that chair for her back and it helped her easily get up without damaging her back. 

5. This idea is something I have never seen and is very unique. I think this is great to keep in touch and see when people are doing things. It also makes you feel less lonely or together when working and seeing the other machines go on. Knowing your not the only one doing it can help to relieve stress which this seems perfect for.

6. No one in my life has had many physical problems with limbs or has had a disability. This idea can make it more inviting to use the tools to help your body. I like the idea and it seems more fashionable.

Suprised me 

1. The complex and unique ideas of all the creations and how they were put into the real world

2.How everything is assistive I didn't really look at it that way until reading this.

3.People should be paying more attention to disabilities and these devices helped me see that. 

4.We are all the same and we all get help in some sort of way and these devices can help bring others together.

Disagreed with

1.I think that the chair on the wall when walking on the streets is something that I personally think isn't necessary. Although some may disagree and may think it is useful I feel like it would be weird to stop and sit in an awkward position as others walked past.

Favorite Device.

1.I personally was a big fan of the huggable chair. It seems very comfortable and easy to relax in. 

Going into this article, it's interesting to think about what we talked about today when on the topic of refining ideas. We talked about thinking of the refining process as a "survival of the fittest" concept, and linked it to evolutionary traits. When reading the excerpt on how it's easy to assume that the Eames recliner ottoman design solution would "trickle down" from many ideas into few refined and improved models, it was fascinating to see that the process happened in reverse, which happened to be a very rare case of innovation, especially for it's time.

4 things that surprised me:

1. I was surprised by the modern concept of able-bodied normality. I didn't know that it was a rather new norm of society to be so obsessed with formatting and conforming to a "normal able body," and that it was so linked to The Bell Curve. I also found this interesting and ironic, "Exceptional normal-ness is what they prize above all else" (speaking on parents of young children). I feel like today it's important to value and celebrate differences among one another, but at the heart of it all in the back of everyone's heads is the pursuit of this "exceptional normal-ness." It all seems pretty ignorant and foolish, but I suppose that's a part of the society we live in.
2. When reading the snippet from the piece below the picture of the man using four or five devices, I began to think about self awareness. "But they’re also allowing you to decide whether to be available for approach in public, or not; to check out or in on a conversation or meeting in a bunch of subtle ways; to identify, by your choice of brand or look, with one culture group and not another." This passage was a little eye-opening, because I found it so interesting how most of us are very self aware on how our appearance can shape not only our image, but our state of being, and how technology can be such a factor in this matter. This man is sending a ton of messages to the people around him, and he's probably aware of it. He has a computer, a tablet, and his phone running, all while he has headphones in. It makes me think back to The Bell Curve and the concept of "normality." How is this man's environment impacting his choices on appearance? How does he want to appear in order to fit in, or feel comfortable in his environment? Does his appearance send good or bad messages to the environment around him, and how does technology effect those messages? (etc.)
3. I never thought of a multi-purpose invention as a questionary matter. When reading about the exoskeleton, I was interested in the fact that the purpose of this invention could have possibly changed before, during, or after the design process. Initially, the designer could have wanted to create an apparatus that allowed enhanced ability for the user, but without changing a thing about the device, the purpose could have been changed. The designer could have said, "Hey, maybe we could use this to aid people that have a disability standing up and walking," and poof, it's a whole new invention, but at the same time it's not. I was surprised by this because I didn't know how easily it can occur in the world of technology, and it makes me think about what tech today might have had a different original purpose.
4. This is kind of funny, but I didn't realize how receptive the tongue was until I tested it out myself. when reading about using your tongue as a control device for a wheelchair, I wasn't aware of how good of a navigation tool your tongue can be, simply because it's usually not. The passage went on to talk about how the tongue can act as a great tool to move a cursor on a screen, and then I went on and imagined that I was doing that with my tongue, at which point I understood the practicality of it. Again, it goes back to multi-purpose instruments, and the tongue is a great example. I bet up until recently no one had ever thought of one day someone using their tongue to dictate wheelchair movements.... pretty interesting. 

6 examples from the 6 categories:

1 (Invisibility is overrated): The first thing that I thought of when I saw this was how walking canes were turned fashionable in the 18th century as an accessory, sometimes rather than an actual walking aid (Goes back to flexibility of purpose in technology).
2 (Rethink the default bodily experience):  During our studio today when talking about disabling and enabling, I heard a cool example of playing soccer with only your head (if you were taken away use of your feet). It's fun to think about alternate purposes of body parts that you usually wouldn't think of.... even everyday things like performing tasks with your feet/head/elbow if your hands are full (pressing an elevator button, opening a door etc.)
3 (Consider fine gradations of qualitative change): One thing that this reminded me of was different ways of public transportation, specifically............ public slides. I've seen slides placed in public places (like staircases) online before, and it always king of just stuck in my mind as something cool and different, and that was the first thing I thought of when I saw the lamp post bench.
4 (Uncouple medical technologies from their diagnostic contexts): The squeeze chairs immediately made me think of sleeping pods, specifically the ones that Google uses. I just found a parallel between the comfortability of it all. The chair kindly squeezes and supports with its cushions, and the pods are able to shield and create an enveloped environment that provides comfortability, isolation, and safeness.
5 (Design for one): The sewing machine made me think of the logistical and sentimental side of the invention, and reminded me of the logistical and sentimental sides of the creation of photo albums. Though pretty simple, I find it cool how memories are not only captured, but can be stored in an organizationally sound manner, not just with books, but also on our phones / devices.
6 (Let the tools you make ask questions, not just solve problems): While I was reading on the final category, there was an advertisement on the right side of my screen for a curved television, and it made me think about curved technology and how it is becoming more prevalent in our world today. Along with the televisions, I've also seen people make flexible phones that act as wristbands, and with any out of the box invention like this, it poses a couple of questions like: Is it fashionable? Is it practical? will it work just as well as my regular phone or will it be a hassle?
It's important to note that all of these questions come during the design process and are direct factors of the outcome of a product.

1 Thing I disagree with: I didn't really disagree with anything in this article, but I just thought that the light pole bench invention was a little far fetched. I guess if I was going to disagree with one thing, I would disagree with the assumption that people would actually sit down on that thing and reflect on whatever, and not get self concious on how weird they look to other people walking past.

Favorite Invention
My favorite invention was easily the chairs that hugged you. Personally I love sleeping (probably top 3 favorite things to do) so I found this invention really comforting and inviting, and I immediately wanted to use one. I think the practicality and comfortability of the invention was incredibly appealing.