AT (Assistive Technology) That We LOVE

Valentine's Day is this week and we can think of no better time to express our love for some of the amazing assistive technology (AT) devices that have changed our lives for the better.  Members of the AT staff had the following to say about some choice AT devices that they LOVE...

Christina's handy-dandy wheelchair cup holder

Christina Mills:  I’ve used a wheelchair for as long as I can remember. Of course it’s my AT necessity and I take good care of it because it gets me where I need to go and it isn’t easy to get a new one. However, when it comes to AT I love the most I have to say it’s the cup holder on my wheelchair that I can’t imagine living without. I spotted it at the Abilities Expo back in 2004 and have been in love ever since. I’ve only had to replace it once! I never take it off my chair and with all the traveling I do it’s pretty amazing that the first one lasted me 5 years. By the way, it’s not just a cup holder anymore…it holds bottles and hair clips too! 

Kevin Hansen: The AT device that I love and - literally - cannot live without is my CPAP machine. Without it I do not sleep well, if at all. With it, I sleep soundly and know that I will not die during the night. Unless, of course, my wife gets mad at me!  Read more about Kevin's CPAP machine here

 
Allan Friedman:  The iPad is revolutionizing the whole field of AT and is one of the few devices that incorporates the principles of Universal Design and access.

Many people have described the various iDevices as life-changing AT

Samantha Garcia: I wanted to mention my glasses, touch screen devices, voice recorders, captioning and speech to text so i decided to choose my iPhone, since it has the ability to serve in some capacity as all of the above!

 

Kirk Aranda:  An AT device that I love is my iPhone but, more specifically, the application Google Maps that was recently released and has made traveling and navigating a whole lot easier.  With the old “Maps” feature on the iPhone and I believe the current version that is being used by Apple, it would give me accurate directions of course,but I would always have to click on the next step to see what I needed to do next, which is not safe to do while driving - let alone then having to look at the screen to see what is next adds to this very unsafe situation.  With Google Maps though, I can drive and navigate a whole lot easier and safer because it gives turn by turn directions that are spoken aloud so you can hear what is next instead of having to look down at the phone.  It also doesn’t require you to click for the next step as it dings to let you know once you have completed that step in the directions and then continues on by telling you what to do next as well as giving you advanced notice so you can be prepared for your next move.

It also works really well if you have your phone plugged into your car’s stereo as it will give the directions through the stereo.  Even if music is playing, it will stop the music to give you the directions and then go back to the music after it’s done.  Also if you’re using a blue tooth headset for your phone, Google Maps will give you the step by step directions right through your ear piece!

There are many features within such a small application, yet it has made a big impact on me and helps me greatly!

Teresa Favuzzi:  On the weekends my partner and I like to take Magpie, our cattle dog, for off-leash adventures. I LOVE my trusty walking stick to help me navigate uneven trails, mud zones, and rocky terrain... 

Teresa hiking with her trusty walking stick

 

Ergonomic Chair

Rosemarie Punzalan:  My favorite AT is my ergonomic chair.  I sit in front of a computer nearly every day for work which caused me to have lower back pain and well as worsen my back and neck problems.  As my back and neck were sore from sitting so much, i had a tendency to slouch over in my chair, which exacerbated  the problem even more.  Not using an ergonomic chair for about seven years or so increased stress on my back, neck, shoulders, arms and legs.  Finally, i couldn't take the pain anymore and purchased an ergonomic chair which, so far, has helped.

Word Prediction Software

Rachel Anderson:   At the moment, one of the AT
devices that I really love and that makes my life easier is the  keyboard filter word prediction. It greatly reduces the amount of typing one has to do, therefore helping if you have repetitive wrist strain.  It also assists individuals in inadvertently selecting keys they didn’t want to select.  Thirdly, it makes me laugh a lot when it guesses wrong. It is hilarious when the computer predicts you wanted to say 'peeps' instead of 'peers'.

Do you have a favorite AT device that you LOVE?  Please share it with us using the comment box below.

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Helpful AT for People With Cerebral Palsy

By Alexa McBride, YO! Disabled and Proud Volunteer

Alexa McBride, YO! Disabled and Proud Volunteer

Hi! My name is Alexa McBride. I have cerebral palsy and have found a few adaptive devices that have helped me get through life easier.

  
For example, when I was in high school I started using a laptop computer. However, the way I navigated my way around my laptop is different then using a standard mouse with a computer. The "mouse" that I used was attached to my wheelchair on the sides of my headrest. It had two buttons that I could hit by tilting my head to the side.  One button would move the mouse cursor and another button would select the item that I would choose. The keyboard I had was actually on my screen of the laptop and I would use the same device located on my headrest to select the letter I wanted to type. This device quickly became easier for me to use and I became very accustomed to navigating with my head. This system works the best for me because I cannot really use my hands consistently. Unfortunately, this device was taken away from me when I graduated high school because it was on loan from the school district.

Low vision keyboard with keyguard

Now that I am in college, I decided that I had to teach myself how to use my hands and type on the computer with a keyguard.  A keyguard is designed to help people who may have trouble pressing only one key at a time.  It can be a plastic or metal frame that fits securely over the keyboard and provides physical separation between each key so that one doesn't accidentally hit the keys next to the one they are trying to hit.

Today I can use a mouse that works and looks like a regular mouse except it is a little bit larger and has a ball in the front of it that I use to move the cursor around. The large ball moves around just like the scroll wheel does on a standard mouse.  Both the keyguard and the trackball mouse make navigating the computer much easier for me.

In addition to the computer being adapted to my needs, I also own a van that has a ramp in the back of it for better wheelchair access.  All I have to do is drive up the ramp and sit in the back in my wheelchair. I am grateful for my car and the access to transportation that it gives me. Without my car I could not do -or have- the things that I do now. For example, if I didn't have my car I would not be going to Sacramento State College and pursuing my career dream of being a 7^th grade math teacher. I also wouldn't be able to just hang out with my friends at the library. If I didn't have my van I would always have to plan my entire day in advance.

In conclusion,  I am very thankful for my all my assistive technology devices.  Without them, it would be very difficult to enjoy the same activities, work and study to pursue my career goals. I encourage everyone with a disability to explore the many amazing AT adaptations that can help people be independent. 

What Has 5 Wheelchairs, A Clown, Three AAC Devices, An iPad, A Can of Tomatoes and A Duffle Bag Full Of Cash?

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 6^th, 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 begins 8:00 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 8^th, 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.

Communication AT Success Story

Damary Bustos, YO! Volunteer

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.

screeshot of Verbally app

New Xbox Video Controller for Individuals With Limited Hand Mobility

by Rachel Anderson, Program Coordinator

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!