Assistive technology for computer access and Communication
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This document discusses assistive technology and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices that can help people with disabilities communicate. It provides examples of unaided communication methods like gestures and sign language as well as aided devices ranging from communication boards to speech generating devices. It then focuses on computer access devices, communication devices, and speech generating devices, providing examples like eye tracking technology. One example discussed is physicist Stephen Hawking who relies on an infrared system mounted on his glasses to communicate via computer due to his motor neuron disease.
Assistive technology for computer access and Communication
- 2. Any item, piece of equipment, or product system that can be modified or customized for individuals with disabilities It is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities for individuals with disabilities
- 3. There are several ways that are used to modify technology and environment for people with disabilities. The Assistive Technology includes, among other things: • Wheelchairs, walkers, supportive devices • Aids for Daily Living • Home Modifications - Furniture, Work Surfaces, & Work Stations • Electronic Aids to Daily Living (EADL) • Mounting Devices & Performance Enablers • Single Switches & Controllers • Job Accommodations A holistic approach to every individual’s unique situation, assessing each person’s needs and wants to determine the appropriate equipment to achieve that person’s goals. In this lecture we will focus on: Computer Access Devices Communication Devices Speech Generating Devices
- 4. 94:5 “with every hardship there is relief,” 2:286 “no person shall have a burden laid on him greater than he can bear”
- 7. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is an umbrella term that encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language Unaided AAC systems are those that do not require an external tool, and include facial expression, vocalizations, gestures, and sign languages and systems. Informal vocalizations and gestures such as body language and facial expressions are part of natural communication, and such signals may be used by those with profound disabilities Aided AAC are using any "device, either electronic or non-electronic, that is used to transmit or receive messages"; such aids range from communication boards or books to speech generating devices.
- 8. At the age of 43 French journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a massive stroke. When he woke up twenty days later, he found he was entirely speechless; he could only blink his left eyelid. Called Locked in Syndrome, this condition leaves the mental faculties intact but the body is paralyzed. Despite his condition, he wrote the book The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by blinking when the correct letter was reached by a person slowly reciting the alphabet over and over again. This system is called Partner assisted scanning. The book took about 200,000 blinks to write and an average word took approximately two minutes.
- 9. Perhaps the earliest electric communication device was the POSM (Patient Operated Selector Mechanism) a sip- and-puff typewriter controller was first prototyped in 1960 First fully electronic system operating through EMG (General Man-Machine Interface, or GMMI) were developed in 1970 and allowed users to control a typewriter and other devices using only the electrical signals given off from muscles without requiring actual limb movement.
- 11. English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, writer and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology University of Cambridge STEVEN HAWKING is currently a best known user of computer AAC. Suffering from Motor Neuron Disease since 1963 he lost his speech in the late 70s and started to use various AAC devices since 1986. Basically, a computer highlights cells in a big grid of letters or words, and when the correct one is highlighted the user presses a switch of some sort. When he became unable to move his hands sufficiently to use the switch, he moved to an infrared system mounted on his glasses, which detects movement in his cheek muscle. Now, he is losing even this last movement…but not hope
- 12. A Brief History of Time -Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays - The Nature of Space and Time - The Universe in a Nutshell On The Shoulders of Giants - A Briefer History of Time - God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History The Grand Design - My Brief History - Children's fiction Co-written with his daughter Lucy: George's Secret Key to the Universe George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt - George and the Big Bang. Hawking, S. (2005). "Information loss in black holes". Physical Review D 72 (8): 084013. arXiv: hep-th/0507171. Bibcode:2005PhRvD..72h4013H. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.72.084013.
- 14. Patient with an impairment in order to use a computer require a "special needs assessment" by an occupational therapist to help identify and configure appropriate assistive hardware and software. Alternate input devices like switches, joysticks and trackballs are available for people with residual motoric function
- 17. Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze where one is looking or the motion of an eye relative to the head Origins - In 1879, Louis Emile Javal noticed that people do not read smoothly across a page, but rather pause on some words while moving quickly through others In the 1980’s, marketing groups really began using eye-tracking to measure the effectiveness of ads in magazines. Eye-tracking was able to determine what parts of a magazine page were seen, which elements of the page were actually read, and how much time was spent on each part
- 18. User operates the Eyegaze System by looking at rectangular keys that are displayed on the control screen. To “press” an Eyegaze key, the user looks at the key for a specified period of time
- 19. All too often, I hear people describe ALS as a prison. While it certainly feels like a prison physically, there was no sentencing or due process when it comes to ALS. I was never convicted of anything by a jury of my peers to determine my fate. Yet, here am I am, like my brothers and sisters with ALS and like their caregivers who are now an accomplice to this process. While I understand the prison analogy, for those with ALS, it’s inaccurate on many levels. Convicted prisoners in this country are afforded rights by the 8th Amendment. They have the right to adequate medical care. They have the right to make their medical condition known and have the right to access qualified staff and care. Prisoners also have the right to outside communication, have access to telephones and access to the internet. If you have ALS and you do not have access to large sustainable amounts of money, you have lesser rights than convicted prisoners. I recently wrote an open letter to our state’s legislators asking for assistance with new Medicare rules regarding Speech Generating Devices (SGD) and Advanced Power Chairs. The legislators responded immediately and have been attempting to make change in the Capitol, but to date, the new rules still stand… describing situation in late 2014 Steve played for The New Orleans Saints from 2000-2008. In 2011, Steve was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis…
- 21. July 31, 2015 2015, President Obama officially signed The Steve Gleason Act. The new law helps protects patient access to medically necessary Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) for individuals with communication disabilities, including ALS, Cerebral Palsy, spinal cord injuries, and Rett Syndrome. Specifically, the new law will remove SGDs from the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment (DME) payment category as a “Capped Rental” and provide coverage of eye-tracking technology for patients who rely on this method to access and operate covered SGDs. These amendments are effective beginning October 1, 2015 through October 1, 2018.