NSF Convergence Accelerator Track H: Advancement of Driving Technology for Vocational Enablement

The Advancement of Driving Technology for Vocational Enablement project is a multi-organizational and multi-disciplinary effort to improve the quality of life of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) through independent driving, resulting in meaningful employment and inclusivity. Access to transportation is essential for obtaining employment, education, healthcare, and social interaction, yet remains a significant barrier for PWDs, particularly in rural America.

This barrier is further exacerbated for some underrepresented groups, such as African Americans who experience higher strain to obtain the same standard of living as a similar household member without a disability.

The ability to obtain, maintain, and have expanded competitive integrated employment options are limited for PWDs who are unable to independently drive, resulting in reduced quality of life, limited community engagement, and lack of meaningful employment. This project will develop advanced driving technology that will serve to cultivate the skillset and ability to independently drive.

A consortium of researchers, industry leaders, educators, PWDs, and various stakeholders will produce a proof of concept in this Convergence Accelerator Phase I project, to further advance science, prosperity, and welfare of PWDs, who represent the largest minority group in the United States. This project remains deeply rooted in universal design, culturally responsive intervention, and embraces a diverse community in discipline and in representation to bring forward an innovative solution for acquiring the skills necessary to become an independent driver.

The innovative outcomes of this project are likely to transcend PWDs by offering advanced technological and educational opportunities for all individuals to become skilled, independent drivers. Additionally, this project will create a diverse and skilled workforce that includes PWDs—advancing the economic prosperity and social welfare of the United States.

The Convergence Accelerator program addresses national-scale societal challenges through use-inspired convergence research. In Phase I, this project will focus on one of the most important skills necessary to obtain and maintain competitive integrated employment for PWDs: independent driving. Within this planning phase, the diverse team will participate in the innovative convergence accelerator curriculum and will plan and apply this model to the development of technology to support independent driving for PWDs.

The proposed team in Phase I consists of experts in behavioral psychology, rehabilitation counseling, engineering with a focus in human-center computing, virtual reality, machine learning, autonomous vehicles, and partnerships with centers and industries surrounding disabilities, technology, robotics, and artificial intelligence. This diverse group of expertise offers a unique intersection of skills and resources to meet the demands of the project.

During Phase I, the team hopes to accomplish a handful of deliverables lending themselves directly to the development of scalable technology to meet the independent driving needs of PWDs. This project outlined five primary deliverables to meet the demands of the Phase I Convergence Accelerator. First, the team will work to explicitly identify the gaps in the existing research and technology for independent driving.

A large part of the Phase I year will be spend on formalizing agreements with additional partnerships and stakeholders needed to support universal design and culturally responsive intervention. In this vein, partners and stakeholders in the disability community will be vital for ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of the planning, the science, and all other programmatic aspects of the project.

While the initial steps will be ongoing across the life of the project, it is the data and information collected from these steps that will support the team in determining the best innovative and culturally responsive solution to meet PWDs independent driving needs. This will culminate in a final proof of concept and pitch of an idea that will actionably address PWDs becoming independent drivers.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.