Tucked inside the UCF Health Communication Disorders Clinic in Research Park is a bustling facility that could perhaps be described as part library, part factory, and part lifeline.
Shelves, cabinets and bins are stocked with a wide range of technology, tools and gadgets. A visitor to the center will see hundreds of products that range from specially designed kitchen equipment and gardening tools to computerized utensils, iPads and adaptive gaming consoles. There’s a robotic feeding device compatible with switches that enables users with physical disabilities to independently feed themselves and a Control Bionics wearable system that empowers a person with limited movement to use small muscle contractions to accomplish activities of daily living through electromyography (EMG).
There are also a wide range of traditional building tools and a set of 3D printers always at the ready for the faculty and students employed at the facility — the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST) Center — to modify and personalize “out of the box” products to meet the specific needs of individual clients with their communication, recreation, transportation and activities of daily living.
This year is the 20th anniversary of the center, which has aided thousands of children, seniors and families by connecting them with assistive devices; trained caregivers and future clinicians; and served as a key partner in research initiatives designed to find long-term gains in the application of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
The FAAST Center is led by highly experienced speech-language pathologists and faculty researchers in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, all of whom are certified as Assistive Technology Professionals: Senior Associate Dean Jennifer Kent-Walsh, Associate Instructor Carolyn Buchanan ’12MA, Senior Instructor Nancy Harrington, and Instructor Punam Desormes ’02.
Their shared goal: improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
Connecting Clients with Assistive Technology
One of 12 Regional Demonstration Centers in Florida, the UCF FAAST Center has an Assistive Technology Equipment Loan program that offers an easily accessible way for individuals with disabilities, their family members, service providers and other caregivers from Brevard, Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties to test different types of Assistive Technology (AT) at no cost. The program includes an interlibrary loan system that lends an average of more than 600 items a year and can tap into a statewide inventory of 6,500 AT devices. The center serves clients of all ages, helping people with cerebral palsy, acquired brain injuries, autism, Down syndrome and other conditions to increase their independence.
Most often, the FAAST Center loans AT devices that help with communication, cognition, recreation, and activities of daily living. Popular supports are communication-related items like tablets and mounts that help position equipment on a bed, chair or table, switches that make it possible to turn things on and off, and 3D-printed key guards — protective overlays for keyboards that have openings to help users with limited motor skills press keys.
Clients come to the center to test out AT devices for ongoing personal use, to acquire devices for particular events or activities, or to borrow a device to use while a primary device is pending repair or funding.
Strong relationships within the community have allowed the center to reach a large number of families. The Center connects with clients through community events and networking with healthcare providers, as well as partnerships with organizations such as the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida, and Early Steps, a Florida Department of Health program that offers services for infants at-risk for developmental disabilities.
“The work of our center is driven by service to our community.” — Associate Instructor Carolyn Buchanan ’12MA
“The work of our center is driven by service to our community. All our projects – whether through FAAST or the AAC Lab – are designed with input from people with disabilities, their families, and the providers that work with them,” Buchanan says. “Whether it’s creating solutions to problems that have not yet been solved, or providing more robust treatment options, our collaborators inform everything we do. This creates a unique opportunity in our region for both our students and our community members.”
Adapting Devices
The center has a Maker Space equipped with soldering irons, laminators, two 3D printers and more, to make everyday equipment accessible.
Recently, a parent of a child with fine motor impairments was searching for the types of handles most often found on cups for young children. As her child aged, the small cups were no longer appropriate, but they were unable to locate options with that style of water bottles used by older children. The Maker Space created prototypes and then custom fabricated modifications using 3D printers, ultimately leading to a solution both age appropriate and accessible.
Students serving with the Aphasia Family, a support group for people with the communication disorder, contacted FAAST when they were organizing a crocheting event for their members but were not sure how to make it accessible to those with challenges with dexterity and range of motion. A FAAST team member worked with them to fabricate a custom stand that enabled everyone to participate.
The center frequently uses switches to access toys, like musical instruments, dolls and toy vehicles. Switches enable a person with physical, cognitive or motor limitations to physically access and manipulate a device, whether that’s by physical touch, voice or blinking.
The center employs a doctoral student from the College of Engineering and Computer Science and often collaborates with the Society for Women Engineers and Engineering Without Borders to host events like adapt-a-thons.
“It’s about matching clients to the equipment, providing training, and enabling engagement in activities of their choice,” Harrington says. “Our focus is helping people reach their potential for participation, well-being, and health with the support of these devices.”
Providing Caregiver Education and Training
The center is a hub not just for lending and modifying AT, but also for providing comprehensive training so products can be used efficiently and adjusted as needed. Over the last 10 years, more than 41,600 clients, caregivers and clinicians have received training at the center as well as at community events and on-site in places like schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and support groups.
Over the last 10 years, more than 41,600 clients, caregivers and clinicians have received training at the center, community events and on-site workshops.
There’s a strong relationship with hundreds of community clinicians — speech-language pathologists, special education teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists and teachers of the visually impaired — all of whom benefit from the center’s resources and expertise.
The center is physically located adjacent to the Communications Disorders Clinic, the Aphasia House, and the Rehabilitation Innovation Center, which houses a Smart Apartment outfitted with technology used to demonstrate how a home can be adapted for safety and better navigation.
Inside the Smart Apartment, visitors can find rolling mounts, voice-activated appliances, and fall detection devices. The center supports multiple clients who have tested the Smart Apartment’s capabilities, along with eye and head tracking technology provided by the center, to explore new tools to make everyday living easier. The co-location of these specialized services is helpful for families and caregivers.
“We recognize that transportation for services can be challenging for this population, but we’re unique in the way that people can come to us for both clinical services and assistive technology,” Harrington says.
Shaping the Future
Over the last two decades, faculty researchers in the center have secured more than $5.2 million for 18 projects tied to developing new assistive technology interventions.
Kent-Walsh is the principal investigator for an NIH-funded grant that will build upon her team’s two decades of work to provide clinicians with evidence-based assessment and intervention options to help children develop language skills through AAC technologies. The clinical trial underway explores how using these technologies, coupled with tailored speech language therapy, can help preschool children with communication challenges improve their expressive language skills.
Earlier this year, Buchanan and Assistant Professor Julie Feuerstein were awarded a $100,000 grant from the WITH Foundation to develop a first-of-its-kind holographic library that will share the lived experiences of adults who use AAC.
The holographic library will improve training for students and healthcare professionals by providing cases of first-hand experiences from people who use augmentative and alternative communication who will share their preferences and priorities related to accessing high- quality healthcare.
In addition to this grant, Buchanan is also the principal investigator on another grant through the VentureWell Foundation that’s building new curricular and co-curricular opportunities focusing on healthcare technology innovation for students. Partnering with Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs Bari Hoffman ’96 ’98MA and Clinical Associate Professor Jennifer Tucker ’23PhD in the Division of Physical Therapy, students are gaining new opportunities to learn from industry leaders and to participate in developing novel technological solutions to human-centered design challenges.
Preparing Tomorrow’s Healthcare Providers
Graduate students studying communication sciences and disorders are exposed to the extensive library of AT and often tap into the center’s resources to support clients they are aiding in their clinical service, whether at the adjacent Communication Disorders Clinic or at sites in the community.
“This hands-on training provides students with critical knowledge and skills to serve as advocates and supports for clients in healthcare and educational settings across the country and well beyond.” — Senior Associate Dean Jennifer Kent-Walsh
A student working to become a speech-language pathologist may borrow an augmentative and alternative communication device, or a hearing or voice amplifier from the center’s inventory when working with a patient in a session. A student serving at the Aphasia House may check out a cognitive aid, like a medication reminder device. Students also learn to conduct comprehensive AAC and AT assessments and treatment plans under the supervision of licensed speech-language pathologists.
“The center has a far-reaching ripple effect in preparing the next generation of clinicians caring for clients with disabilities and a wide range of assistive technology needs,” Kent-Walsh says. “Power is not only in teaching the students to use the equipment, but in providing them with direct service-delivery experience. This hands-on training provides students with critical knowledge and skills to serve as advocates and supports for clients in healthcare and educational settings across the country and well beyond.”
