The University of Central Florida’s Health Communication Disorders Clinic houses the FAAST Center, a facility dedicated to supporting people with disabilities through assistive technology. The center, located in Research Park, offers a wide array of devices and tools designed to help individuals with various needs. Its inventory includes kitchen equipment, adaptive gaming consoles, robotic feeding devices, and wearable systems that use electromyography (EMG) for daily activities.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the FAAST Center. Over its two decades of operation, it has connected thousands of children, seniors, and families with assistive devices and provided training for caregivers and clinicians. The center is led by certified Assistive Technology Professionals from UCF’s School of Communication Sciences and Disorders: Senior Associate Dean Jennifer Kent-Walsh, Associate Instructor Carolyn Buchanan ’12MA, Senior Instructor Nancy Harrington, and Instructor Punam Desormes ’02.
Graduate students in communication sciences often use the center’s resources during their clinical service. The FAAST Center is one of 12 Regional Demonstration Centers in Florida offering an Assistive Technology Equipment Loan program. This initiative allows individuals with disabilities from Brevard, Orange, Seminole, and Volusia counties to borrow devices at no cost through an interlibrary loan system that provides access to more than 6,500 items statewide.
Most loans involve devices that aid communication or daily living tasks. These include tablets with mounts for positioning on furniture, switches for activating devices by touch or other means such as voice or blinking, and 3D-printed key guards for keyboards.
Community partnerships are a significant part of the center’s outreach efforts. It collaborates with organizations like the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida and Early Steps to reach families who can benefit from its services.
“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.”
The Maker Space within the center is equipped with tools such as soldering irons and 3D printers to adapt everyday objects for clients’ needs. For example, staff created custom handles for water bottles suited to older children with fine motor impairments using 3D printing technology.
Switches are commonly used by the center to modify toys so they can be operated by children with physical limitations. The facility also works closely with engineering students and organizations like Engineering Without Borders on events such as 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.”
Training is another key function at the FAAST Center; over 41,600 clients—including caregivers and clinicians—have received instruction there over the past decade. Workshops take place at community events as well as locations like schools or hospitals.
The clinic is adjacent to facilities including Aphasia House and a Smart Apartment demonstration site outfitted with accessible technology such as rolling mounts and voice-activated appliances.
“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.
Faculty researchers at UCF have secured more than $5 million across 18 projects related to new assistive technology interventions during the last twenty years. Kent-Walsh leads an NIH-funded clinical trial studying how augmentative communication technologies paired with speech therapy may improve language skills among preschoolers facing communication challenges.
Earlier this year Buchanan partnered on a $100,000 grant from the WITH Foundation aimed at developing a holographic library featuring adults who use augmentative communication sharing their healthcare experiences—a project intended to improve training materials for students and professionals alike.
Buchanan also leads another project funded by VentureWell Foundation focused on curricular innovation around healthcare technology design challenges involving students from multiple disciplines within UCF’s College of Health Professions.
Graduate students benefit directly from hands-on experience using these resources when working in clinics or conducting assessments under faculty supervision.
“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.”
