Activities Of The Chair

OT researchers and partners have launched a new study to understand older adults’ perceptions and experiences with an autonomous shuttle.

Dr. Classen provides a firsthand account of the experience.

The colloquium brings together clinicians, scientists, faculty and students to discuss best evidence and practice in occupational therapy.

Dr. Sherrilene Classen and collaborators Dr. Vandeweerd, Dr. Stetten, Isabelle Wandenkolk and our Industry partner Mark Reid, have been awarded an Office of Rural Health grant to ascertain, statewide in five Florida counties, the Veteran needs, perceptions, challenges, and opportunities inherent to the use of autonomous shuttles.

During a session on “Accelerating Innovation Through Diversity of Thought” at XPONENTIAL 2022, attendees discussed how diversity and inclusiveness impact the uncrewed systems community, the technology we design, and how our systems integrate into society. Sherrilene Classen, Professor and Chair, University of Florida, Department of Occupational Therapy, presented her research findings on how autonomous vehicles can be designed to support populations with limited mobility and how uncrewed systems can be equitably integrated into society.

A delegation of four faculty and five PhD students presented at the 2022 Occupational Therapy Summit of Scholars, hosted at the University of Wisconsin. The OT Summit brings together top researchers in the field and provides mentorship opportunities to build the next generation of OT researchers.

Dr. Sherrilene Classen has received a UF Faculty Enhancement Opportunity Award, entitled: ”Leadership and Spirituality—A “new” model for PHHP Academic Leaders”. During this “mini-sabbatical”, Dr. Classen will study and apply the principles of an Integral Model that subscribes to frameworks of leadership and spiritualty.

The deployment of autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies may hold important health and safety benefits for drivers across the driving lifespan. However, such benefits can materialize only if transportation users are willing to embrace the emerging technologies. Earlier studies document a wide variance in acceptance practices, based solely on surveys of drivers. This research used a combined approach of surveys and lived experiences of drivers engaging with AV technologies to examine technology acceptance and adoption of AV technologies. The webinar summarizes findings from the analysis of younger and middle-aged drivers’ perceptions of AVs before and after a) “driving” an interactive high-fidelity RTI driving simulator, in Level 4 autonomous mode, and b) riding in an autonomous shuttle (AS). Moreover, it discusses predictive models of facilitators and barriers for AV acceptance built from data collected from younger and middle-aged drivers (N=106) and older drivers (N=104). The findings reveal important foundational information about driver acceptance, their intention to use AVs, barriers to AV technology, and well-being related to AV technology across the driving lifespan.

The grant has the goal to determine older adults’ perceptions before and after exposure to autonomous ride sharing services. The information is critical for informing education, practice, and policy initiatives pertaining to facilitators and challenges for autonomous ride sharing services.

The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists (ADED) Board has appointed Dr. Sherrilene Classen as Chair of the ADED Research Committee, effective April 1, 2022 – December 31, 2024.