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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
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 AccommodationsA 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
94:5 “with every
hardship there is relief,”
2:286 “no person shall
have a burden laid on
him greater than he can
bear”
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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…
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.
