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: 605-256-7306
Email
Chris Olson
Associate Professor / Coordinator for Information Systems Program
Department
College of Business and Information Systems
Education
Ph.D., Business Administration, Northcentral University, 2013
M.S., Information Systems, Dakota State University, 2004
B.S., Information Systems, Dakota State University, 2001
Biography
Dr. Chris Olson teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses, specializing in Office applications, both client and server side web programming, and developing dynamic mobile applications. He serves on the Barrier Free Learning Committee and his research interests include accessibility, utilization of assistive software technology, and universal design concepts.
Dr. Olson has extensive expertise in database coding and accessibility. He has published three articles on accessibility in Higher education, and his work has been featured at regional and national conferences. He has also developed online tools to check accessibility for faculty teaching materials. Dr. Olson is affected by tetraplegia, which is a form of quadriplegia, and thus brings essential first-hand experience in using technology to solve accessibility problems on our campus and in our region. He received gubernatorial appointment to the South Dakota Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Council and was similarly appointed to the South Dakota Board of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Contact
Office Location: East Hall
Phone: 605-256-5688
Email
Website