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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

I really enjoyed reading both of the articles + both excerpts from E.B. and Sara talking about their experiences on the hike. It's exciting to think that we'll be able to meet these people tomorrow and ask them about their experiences - can't wait. I especially thought it was cool how thrilled Sara was to challenge herself while on the hike, and how excited she was to simply be outdoors.

The Waypoint Promo Video was awesome to watch because it was great to see such energetic groups of people having so much fun together while growing as individuals and as a whole. I really liked the way that the group leaders at Waypoint used specific words and wrote them on whiteboards in order to create a common goal for however long they were working together (support, challenge).

The Waypoint youtube channel was great to explore, and two videos stood out to me.
1. "A Parent's Perspective": I really liked this video because it not only showed how Alex (has a rare form of epilepsy) has conquered challenges of his own (surfing, snowshoeing, backpacking trips etc.), but also inspired his mom to conquer the challenge of climbing a rock wall, something that she was initially afraid to do, and then ended up becoming "addicted to it."
2. "Program Partnerships": I liked how in this video Waypoint teamed up with Somerville public schools to take a group of special ed. students on a snowy hike, which ended up being a great success. It allowed kids to realize that they were able to accomplish things that they never thought that they could do, while working together to help each other out. I really loved the story of Matthew, who was having a little bit of trouble with the hike at first, but he got some help from his friends to get up the mountain and ended up having a great time -- that was really cool to watch.

Draw: Kitchen Tool in Location and in Action

Read:  "My First Hike" by E.B. http://www.waypointadventure.org/my-first-hike-by-e-b/ and "Meet Sara" http://www.waypointadventure.org/meet-sara/

Articles are short but click on the links in the articles to learn more about Waypoint, Cotting School, and students' experiences! Be prepared to talk about the articles. 

Watch: Waypoint Promo Video: http://www.waypointadventure.org/waypoint-promo-video/

Visit Waypoint Youtube Channel to learn more about their work: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHyuFUKbGWU3eUDxlOx-GIg

“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.