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Lily Spitzer-Vanech

Dr. Tabitha Clark

ENGW3302 Advanced Writing in the Disciplines

February 22, 2023

Draft III: Research Questions

Method

I selected Frederick Downs as an interview candidate because he has both personal and

professional expertise regarding prosthetics as he has a prosthetic arm himself, and he worked

for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (Downs, 2008).

He has published several books about his experience returning to “civilian” life after the Vietnam

War such as, The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War and Aftermath: A Soldier’s Return

from Vietnam. Once he became more established in prosthetics, he published an article called

“Prosthetics in the VA: Past, Present, and Future”, to discuss what he has experienced with

prosthetics and the progress being made with them.

The interview will be held online over Zoom, or a different video platform that is easiest

for the interviewee. If the interviewee is comfortable with it, I will record the interview, but if he

prefers that it is not recorded, I will have paper and pencils with me so I can take notes on what

he says. Before the interview, I will send an email to him explaining my research, my interest in

talking to him to ensure that he is comfortable with the questions I ask, and to set a time that

works best for both of our schedules. It is necessary that both the interviewee and I have access

to the internet for this interview to happen. If he is unable to interview with me, I will interview

another veteran with an upper-limb prosthetic, possibly Artie McAuley, who also received the

LUKE prosthetic arm with Frederick Downs.

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Questions

Interviewee: Frederick Downs, army veteran from the Vietnam War and author of The Killing

Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War and Aftermath: A Soldier’s Return from Vietnam.

1. In an article from the New York Times, I read that you received the LUKE prosthetic arm

in 2017. Can you explain the technical information of how your LUKE arm works, how it

differs from other prosthetic arms?

2. Can you describe the process of getting fitted for and adapting to the LUKE prosthetic

arm?

3. How has your experience with the LUKE arm influenced your perspective on assistive

technology and its role in helping individuals with disabilities?

4. Have you ever felt uncomfortable in society having a prosthetic, and how did you handle

feeling that way? Do you think there’s certain societal constructs you had to overcome as

someone with a prosthetic arm?

5. What was your role like as a National Director of the U.S. Department of Veterans

Affairs Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service?

6. How are you involved in raising awareness for veteran’s issues and assistive technology

for individuals with disabilities?

7. I read your article called “Prosthetics in the VA: Past, Present, and Future”, one line that

caught my attention was “we have seen a big increase in the last couple of years of new

veterans coming into the VA prosthetic system.” Why is that and what has changed in the

last couple of years? Why do you think there was less in previous years?

8. How has the technology of prosthetics changed since you received your LUKE arm and

what advancements are you excited to see in the future?

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Speculation

The first three questions dive into Frederick Downs personal experience with his LUKE

arm prosthetic, which was a highly advanced arm prosthetic in 2017. LUKE stands for Life

Under Kinetic Evolution, and this arm has wrists that turn and shoulders that rotate which are

controlled with the amputees feet through tiny wireless transmitters (Rincon, 2017). Frederick

Downs demonstrated using the LUKE prosthetic thumb and index finger to peel a banana, a

seemingly small task, but for someone who can’t do it, having that function is incredible. As

someone who has had firsthand experience with this LUKE arm, Frederick Downs will provide

valuable information about the LUKE arm. Based on the article published by CBS New York, it

seems like he has adapted well to the LUKE arm, however, during this interview, I hope to dive

deeper into the struggles he faced while adjusting to his new prosthetic arm.

Next, question four dives into Frederick Downs experience in general as an amputee in

current society. Many amputees struggle with integrating back into society due to societal

restrictions and stereotypes, making it challenging for amputees to feel like they belong

(Zdrodowska, 2021). From Frederick Downs’ interview in 2008, he seems very content with his

life as an amputee and his experiences during and after fighting in the Vietnam War by using his

books as an outlet to reflect and honor those that served. However, I want to understand the

struggle he has faced because many of the articles and interviews I have read, all display a very

content and peaceful person; this is years after his accident happened and I’m sure he has had

time to process all these changes he’s gone through. I want to understand his thoughts and

feelings in the exact moment after his arm was amputated and he decided to get a prosthetic

because understanding his personal experience can help other amputees who are going through

the same struggles.

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Not only do I ask about his personal experience, but I also ask about his professional

experience working in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Prosthetic and Sensory Aids

Service in questions five, six, and seven. In his article, “Prosthetics in the VA: Past, Present, and

Future”, Downs focuses on the technical side of how the progress of prosthetics affects the U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (VA) and the veterans. He

goes in-depth about the history of prosthetics, financial concerns, and how the organization

handles the veterans and their needs for prosthetics (Downs, 2008). Based on this article and the

interview in 2008, I think Frederick Downs oversees a lot of the funding and distribution of

money in the organization; instead of working with individuals, he oversees how the

organization is functioning. Having this role gives a different perspective on amputees and

prosthetics as his focus is on money and working towards achieving a certain goal with the

resources the organization has.

Lastly, the final question is a broad one that asks about what he believes is the future for

prosthetics and the changes he’s seen since receiving his LUKE arm. There are false perceptions

of the VA that state that they only provide out-of-date limbs, when really, they provide

“computer legs, myoelectric hands and arms, running limbs, dynamic feet, state of the art

sockets, and composite materials” (Downs, 2008), and even have their own first-class prosthetic

lab. Despite being the direct of the VA and focusing on the funding, Frederick Downs is still

very up to date with the current technology and based on that, probably knows or has certain

hopes for future prosthetics. Overall, this research is likely to provide a better understanding of

the issues and challenges facing individuals with disabilities and the role of technology in

improving their lives.

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References

Downs, F. (2008). Prosthetics in the VA: Past, present, and future [article].

https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2008/february/prosthetics-va-past-present-

and-future

Downs, F., & Lamb, B. (2008). Q&A Fred Downs, Jr [interview].

https://www.c-span.org/video/?205200-1/qa-fred-downs-jr

U.S. Naval Institute. (2000). Frederick Downs Jr. [article].

https://www.usni.org/people/frederick-downs-jr

Rincon, S. (2017). ‘It’s like magic:’ Army veterans receive revolutionary prosthetics arms

[article]. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/luke-prosthetic-arms/

Zdrodowska, M. (2021). Prosthetic performances: Artistic strategies, and tactics for everyday

life. Icon, 26(2), 125-146. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/27120658