Disability, Technology, and Society
DST 4980.002 (CRN25891)
Spring 2021
Course Description
From smart phones to brain implants, our social lives, bodies, and minds are entangled with the tech we make and use. Visions of a tech-enhanced future include superhuman cyborgs and “designer babies.” In this course, we will learn about the relationship between disability and technology, focusing on the social and political dimensions of designing and using technology with, for, and by disabled people. We will use this knowledge to engage in critical design projects.
Topics will include:
• Histories of design of medical, assistive, and everyday technologies
• Social aspects of innovation and design
• Best practices and pitfalls for inclusive, human-centered, and emancipatory design
• Disabled users as “hackers” of inaccessible tech
• Policies and practices about disability and tech
• Universal design and infrastructure
Why Take This Course?
This course’s interdisciplinary approach to designing, evaluating, and using technology provides a foundation for critical analysis in many areas, including medicine, engineering, education, social work, and disability studies.
Who Can Take this Course?
This course is open to all undergraduate students. Interested majors may include disability studies, engineering, pre-health professions, and more.
Details
Course Number: DST 4980.002
(CRN25891)
Semester: Spring 2021
Days and Times: MW 2:30-3:50
Course Delivery: Remote
Synchronous
Instructor: Dr. Rebecca
Monteleone
Contact Rebecca.Monteleone@utoledo.edu for more information
Rebecca Monteleone 