The Taskar Center for Accessible Technology (TCAT) at the University of Washington Department of Computer Science & Engineering develops and deploys technologies that increase independence and improve quality of life for individuals with motor and speech impairments.
We aim to enhance access to everyday technologies through the development of user-focused novel interfaces, the addition of sensors and input devices to existing technologies, and promotion of accessible design best practices in engineering.
TCAT engages in research collaborations, community outreach, and technology design, translation, and prototyping. Our goal is to develop innovations that empower individuals living with disabilities in a variety of ways, including:
- Supporting access and integration of individuals in community settings, including educational settings.
- Improving functional capacity of individuals through enhanced sensory and motor function.
- Enabling community living and participation by individuals through accessible information technology, including software, systems, and devices.
Here are some opportunities to participate and design with us:
- Biweekly user accessibility troubleshooting and customization group (for technology users, caregivers and therapists)
- Biweekly user-focus design lab (for technology users, STEM teachers and students)
- Online community of open source technology developers (open to the community at large)
- Research projects (for students)
In addition to the two million people in the United States living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, an estimated 19.4 percent of non-institutionalized civilians in the U.S. - a total of 52.6 million people - live with a disability. Almost half (an estimated 24.1 million) are considered to have a severe disability, and mobility-affected individuals comprise a significant portion of that population. According to the Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center, approximately 1.9 percent of the U.S. population, or 5,596,000 people, are living with some form of affected mobility resulting in difficulty or inability to move the upper or lower extremities.