AdapT Lab
Research in Adaptive Technologies (AdapT)
The mission of the AdapT Lab is to use technology to navigate and structure environments to achieve “barrier-free-living.” The AdapT Lab aims to be a resource for the disabilities community for using technology to remove barriers to full participation in work, in play, and everything in between.
Current projects are focused on using proximity beacons to provide relevant information for one’s immediate surroundings and to streamline accessible technologies, such as elevator calls and automatic door openers. Past projects include an app that senses communication beacons to provide guidance information and a device for tapping power from powered wheelchairs for other purposes.
Justin Blessinger
Professor of English
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Education
Ph.D., University of South Dakota
M.A., Emporia State University
B.A., Tabor College
Biography
Justin L. Blessinger teaches creative writing, modernist lit, media studies, and literature of the British Isles. Winner of the 2008 Doug Fir prize for fiction, he also publishes poetry; his work has appeared in the The Bear Deluxe Magazine, South Dakota Review, and in the anthology In Our Own Words.
Dr. Blessinger brings a wealth of experience in accessibility issues, development, and communication. A native of northeastern Montana, he is the Director of the DSU AdapT Lab for Accessible Technology, he is responsible for the development of a beta-version of the “Goto” navigation-assistance app we plan to deploy. He is certified in Accessible Information Technology by EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information). He is one of 5 founding members of the DSU Barrier-Free Learning Committee, established to create a proactive forum for innovative solutions to accessibility needs and to advocate on behalf of disabled students. He is also the author of a software plug-in for Microsoft Word that improves feedback of writing. He is a champion for the regional Go Baby Go program, providing modified electric “cars” for children with disabilities. In collaboration with Dr. Chris Olson, he has recently created a series of rubrics that digitally submit assessment data needed for accreditation and for internal assessment to a cloud-hosted database, featured at the Higher Learning Commission conference. He is equipped with the electrical, mechanical, and fabrication know-how common to those, like him, who were raised on remote ranches. He has a record of working well with varied groups to accomplish collective goals.
Contact
Office Location: Beadle Hall
Phone: 605-256-5273
Email
Chris Olson
Associate Professor of Computer and Cyber Sciences / Coordinator for MS in Cyber Defense
Department
The Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences
Education
Ph.D., BA - Applied Computer Science, Northcentral University, 2013
M.S., Information Systems, Dakota State University, 2004
B.S., Information Systems, Dakota State University, 2001
Biography
Dr. Chris Olson has extensive expertise in accessible web programming and has presented on making electronic documents and web pages accessible at regional and national conferences. His research interests are varied and include digital accessibility barriers, utilization of assistive software technology, universal design concepts, and secure web and mobile programming practices.
Dr. Olson has been a quadriplegic since a motor vehicle accident in 2001, and thus brings essential first-hand experience in using assistive technology to overcome accessibility barriers. He was appointed to and served on both the South Dakota Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Council and the South Dakota Board of Vocational Rehabilitation. He is also certified in Accessible Information Technology be EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) via the University of Southern Maine.