Why, the AT Network's 'Show Off Your AT Video Contest', of
Course!
Our thanks go out to all the wonderful people who sent in
some really great videos for our contest.
Difficult as it was, we've picked five finalists for the public to
vote for beginning on Wednesday, February 6th, 2013. It might be a day or two after our goal date, but that will only add to the suspense, right?
Right now the videos are in post-production;
that is, we're adding captions and audio descriptions so that everyone may enjoy these
fun and creative videos and vote for their favorite one. And, in case you forgot, there are cash
prizes and awards for the top three videos with the most votes.
Once the videos are accessible, we'll post them to the
contest page (http://atnet.org/video-contest/). Visitors can vote once per day for their
favorite video during the voting period that begins8:00
AM (PST) Wednesday, February 6, 2013 and ends at 11:59PM (PST), Thursday,
February 28, 2013.
Prizes
will be awarded no later than Friday, March 8th, 2013.
So
prepare to be amused, enlightened and inspired by the five creative video finalists and visit ATnet.org!
Come early and vote
often. And don't forget to tell your
friends and family to vote too! The
winner is up to you.
Hi! My name is Damary Bustos and I am from
Hayward, California. I just turned 21 years old last month. I was born with Cerebral
Palsy which affects my walking and it’s hard to control my hands movements
sometimes. I also have a speech disability which makes it really hard for
others to understand me. But I'm thankful that last month I finally got a
device to communicate with others!
When I was in elementary
school I had a keyboard to communicate with others. Two years after I got it,
it acted up and was very slow so I decided to not use it anymore. I'm naturally very talkative
but because of my speech disability I was a little shy to talk to others. I started
going to a speech therapist when I was in 4th grade so I would be able to improve my speech.
I was excited every session that I had until, one day, the speech
therapist said to me, "Look at your legs, you will never walk! And you will
never talk!" Those were some really strong words for a 4th grade girl. As
the days passed by, my mom noticed that something was happening to me because I
looked sad and wasn't talking like before, so I told her what had happened and we had
an I.E.P. (Individualized Educational Plan) meeting with my teachers.
I stopped going to that
speech therapist after that, and I decided to just give up and not see other
speech therapists. I was talkative with only my friends; during elementary school
kids would make fun of my speech disability and I felt so bad. I would tell on
them but that doesn't take away the bad feelings that I felt when they were making
fun of me and, as time passed by, I decided to just ignore them.
When I
entered high school, I was very quiet and even a loner. I hated that because I
wanted to have friends to hang out with and say stuff without them having
trouble understanding me. I think I would have friends to hang out with if I didn't
have my speech disability. My sophomore year I was again offered a chance to see a speech
therapist. I overcame my fears of what had happened to me in elementary school and
decided to see him. He told me that there wasn't much to do about my situation
but he said it in a nice way. I still didn't expect that
answer but said to myself, "Oh well." I would communicate with
others by writing on a piece of paper, typing it as text, or someone else would translate
for me.
When I joined DANY (Disability Action Network for Youth) I was happy to
be around other youth that have speech disabilities. I finally felt like I wasn't the only
one. About a year ago, the DANY coordinator told me about this presentation at the Ed
Roberts Campus for people with speech disabilities. So I went and checked it
out. They introduced me to an app on the iPad called Verbally which I felt was really useful to me but I didn't have
money at the time to buy it. Later in that year my dad bought the iPad 2 but I
still never used it.
During Disability
History Week I was doing a presentation at a high school and someone was going to translate for me. A day before the Disability History Week presentation the
person told me that she couldn't make it. I was worried on how I was going to present
with my speech disability. So I asked my dad to let me borrow his iPad 2 and I
downloaded the app Verbally and I wrote out my slides for the
presentation. Then, during the presentation I just copied and pasted my slides from the notes app into the Verbally program and just clicked on the "Speak" icon and it spoke aloud everything that I had written.The students thought that that my presentation and the way I presented to them was so coo.
I used my dad's iPad 2
for like a month for DANY stuff and then I was approved to be a YO! Volunteer
with YO! Disabled & Proud. I realized
that I would really need an iPad now that I'm a volunteer because I'll be going
to lots of events and I also just made the decision to try out college, too. So I earned enough money to buy my own iPad. Last month I bought the iPad Mini and downloaded Verbally.
I take my iPad Mini with me everywhere I go. I'm very happy now that I don't have
trouble communicating with others! It’s very easy to say what I want to say and
everyone can understand me.
Luis had always loved playing video games. However, in 2007, he was in an accident and became a quadriplegic.
Speaking in regards to video games, Luis felt passionate that being able to play video games again was an important part of his independence that he strongly desired.
"I need to learn how to play this, get back to playing this..I needed some interaction," Luis told Steve Krafft, of FOX 10 News.
Luis became determined to figure out a way that he could play video games again - and that he did! He invented a more accessible Xbox video game controller and started his own company so that others could game as well. His controller can be used by people with limited mobility in their hand and/or arms.
"The RT which are the trigger buttons are right here," explained Peña as he demonstrates the newly designed controller. "...The bumper
buttons are in the center so all the buttons that remote has for the
Xbox are right here and then, in my chin stick."
The buttons are very sensitive and only need to be lightly touched to work. The controller includes an oversize joystick and a chin stick for up and down
movements. Luis can now play video games with his new device just like he used to, and, it is an impressive controller that can work for many different people. Check out his demonstration and gaming in this video:
Luis's company is called LP Accessible Technologies and although to date they have only sold about twenty of these controllers so far, Luis says he's not in this for the money.
"I am not after the dollar signs. I am about helping other guys."
The LP pad costs $399. Luis hopes as he manufactures more of them, he can bring the price down.
Check out Luis's company's website for more information.
Do you have an idea for adapting a device for a person with a disability? Do you currently use any Assistive Technology devices? Enter our AT video contest and win $400!
Living in California,the possibility of a high magnitude earthquake hitting and affecting
our lives is very likely! In fact this past fall in October
there was a small 5.3 magnitude earthquake that originated in San Benito County
and was felt in many parts of California.
Coincidentally, also in October, I participated with the Local Office of Emergency Services at
their Emergency Operation Center for the Shakeout!
Shortly after everyone had ducked and covered, we held a three hour long
exercise responding to an imaginary 7.3 magnitude earthquake and its aftershock.
Plan for the possible need to evacuate your home
and do an assessment of the assistive technology (AT) you use in your home. In addition,
make sure you have what you need to shelter in place. Compile a list of the AT
critical to support your physical well-being and ability to communicate during
an emergency. Have an appropriate back-up power supply and know how long the
power supply lasts. The following questions will assist you in developing a
list of AT used in your daily life.
Do
you use Assistive
Technology:
• To assist you with mobility?
• To help with your personal care?
• To help you during meal time?
• For communication?
• For transfers?
• For transportation?
Accessible
Routes
►► If you live in
an apartment complex ask
about evacuation plans and routes. Check
the routes for accessibility and make sure
that designated areas of shelter are clearly
marked.
►► Gather
information about how first responders
will be directed to residents with disability
related needs.
In
the Workplace
►► Evaluate your
assistive technology (AT) needs in
a workplace evacuation. Do you have personal
AT
that needs to be evacuated with you? Make
sure
you have what you need to shelter in place.
Do you
need AT to alert you to a disaster and the
need to
evacuate the building?
►► Become
familiar with the evacuation procedures of
your workplace and consider how a disaster
may
impact your ability to leave the building
safely.
►► Elevators may
not be available for evacuation. If the
elevators are not working, learn the
evacuation plan
if you cannot use the stairs.
►► If you have a
mobility impairment, know what AT can
assist with evacuation. If there is AT
available, where
is it located and is it easily accessible? Is
someone
trained to use it? If AT is not available,
ask if your
employer can purchase it.
►► If you are
asked to go to a designated place to wait
for help, confirm how the first responders
will be
notified where you are located.
►► If you have a
hearing and/or visual impairment make
sure there is a working alert system in
place.
►► Be responsible
for your own safety. Develop
your own evacuation plan. Do not depend
on just one person to assist you.
Create a support network to
ensure assistance will be
available.
General Things to Consider
►► Let your local fire department and/or
utility company knowabout your special needs.
►► If you have a power wheelchair, consider
having a
manual chair as a backup. If you use a custom wheelchair
for medical support (e.g. ventilator or oxygen), attach
information to it for the first responders.
.
►► Store backup equipment at another location.
►► Teach others in your support system how to
use your AT
and attach laminated instructions.
►► Keep critical AT charged and have backup
batteries.
►► Make plans for someone to notify you of an
emergency ifyou are deaf, hard of hearing or have vision impairment.
►► Have a corded land line phone that does not
use
electricity. A land line phone or cell phone can be used
during a power outage.
►► Plan for taking AT with you. Remember to
take chargers
and other components with you!
►► Label or tag your AT with your contact
information.
►► Register your AT with the manufacturer.
►► Take a photograph of yourself using your
AT. This helps
clearly identify the AT belongs to you!
►► Keep photographs and a record of all AT
serial numbers ina safe location (safe deposit box).
►► Think about how you might go about
obtaining a short-term and/or long-term replacement for your AT, if needed.
►► Since homeowner’s/renter’s insurance does
not cover
damage by ground water, flood insurance may be needed
to replace AT lost or damaged in a disaster. Factor in the
cost of home or vehicle modifications when determining
