Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities

Coleman Institute to Focus on Assistive Technology for People with Cognitive Disabilities, continued

Faculty and students in the Center for LifeLong Learning and Design work on innovative projects that integrate computer science with individual and group learning. At left is Gerhard Fisher, director of the center, which caught the attention of philanthropists Bill and Claudia Coleman.

In addition to developmental disabilities, such as Down's Syndrome and autism, the term "cognitive disability" covers a wide range of conditions in which cognitive functioning is impaired, including certain traumatic brain injuries, stroke and various forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease.

A workshop held last fall in Aspen, which brought together internationally recognized experts in the field of cognitive disabilities, technology and policy, was a precursor to the institute, which was announced in January 2001.

The institute's activities will begin with a partnership between the CU-Boulder campus and the CU Health Sciences Center. Eventually, the CU campuses at Colorado Springs and Denver also will be involved. CU-Boulder partners will include the College of Engineering and Applied Science as well as the Institute of Cognitive Science, the Psychology Department, the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Science, and the Center for Spoken Language Understanding.

Associate Dean for Special Projects Michael Lightner was named interim director of the institute this spring. He will serve as technology director with David Braddock, a leading expert on cognitive disabilities, joining the institute later this summer as executive director. Braddock is head of the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago and former president of the American Association on Mental Retardation. Enid Ablowitz, former assistant dean for advancement in the college, has joined the institute as vice president for advancement.

The gift will be used primarily to build on existing interdisciplinary research and develop new and creative multi-campus partnerships. A small portion may be used to enhance facilities for these activities.