communicATor

I am a recent graduate of the Bioengineering program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and now work for the university with the Center for Inclusive Design and Engineering (CIDE). There were many wonderful courses that were part of my curriculum as a student, but two specific courses made a large impact on my perspective of the bioengineering industry and on how I wanted to proceed with my career after graduation.

Transformative Learning: Rehab & Assistive Technology

Rehab & Assistive Technology and Device Design for Disability and Aging are two courses that are taught by Dr. Cathy Bodine, PhD, the Director of CIDE and an Associate Professor for the University of Colorado Denver. I took Rehab & Assistive Technology in the Fall semester of 2023 and found the type of coursework and engagement that I had been searching for to motivate me towards a career. Before taking this course, I knew that I wanted to work in an industry that was focused on helping others, but I wasn’t quite sure what was available in the bioengineering industry. Rehab & Assistive Technology focused on a wide variety of topics that were deeply intriguing and was incredibly different from any other information that I learned from other courses.

Dr. Bodine introduced the topic of assistive technology and explained the importance and need for support within this growing industry. In this course, I learned about assistive technology assessments and how they are performed by professionals, usability testing, augmentative and alternative (AAC) devices, cognitive disabilities, visual impairments, and universal design and usability. Each of these topics was covered in great depth and helped me understand individuals with disabilities in a way that I never had before. I was able to have hands-on experience with AAC devices and different types of wheelchairs to gain insight on what was available on the market. This course also placed a great importance on how underserved this community is and the number of opportunities that are available to make a difference. Additionally, I had the opportunity to experience working with a client and clinician in a team setting to design an assistive device that would help the client with a specific need. Being able to work directly with a client was such a great way to take all of the engineering principles and technical skills that I had learned and apply them to create an assistive device that would help the client.

Deep Dive: Device Design for Disability and Aging

I took Device Design for Disability and Aging in the spring semester of 2024. This course really went into depth explaining a large variety of disabilities and how they can affect the daily lives of individuals. It really opened my eyes to all of the daily challenges that can be a part of living with a disability that abled individuals don’t experience and often do not know about. While I learned a lot about the effects of certain disabilities and how it can change the length of time required for individuals to complete daily tasks, I also learned about all of the assistive technology that is currently being used and the areas where it is successful and where it is lacking. Dr. Bodine talked about how there is a market full of assistive technology that is available but that some areas are lacking usability and/or creating new challenges while fixing another. This taught me how to view devices from a different perspective and approach problems in an entirely different manner. This course also allowed me to work in a team setting to create another assistive device for a client. Being able to do this for both courses gave me a lot of experience working on a design project that focused on user needs while including the user throughout the entire design process.

Career Reflections and Recommendations

Each of these courses helped me find what industry I wanted to work in and changed the way that I approach any type of problem as an engineer. There really are so many opportunities within this industry that allow you to make a difference in others’ lives. I chose bioengineering because I knew that I wanted to help others. I would highly recommend taking these courses to explore a career path and industry that is in need of passionate engineers who want to make a change.

Learn More

If you are interested in earning a graduate or undergraduate degree in Bioengineering with an emphasis in Assistive Technology at CU Anschutz Medical Campus, please contact Dr. Cathy Bodine at cathy.bodine@cuanschutz.edu.