Today's Technology

In order to be as independent as possible, I count on a lot of different technology. The technology we have today allows me to do many things myself which I would not be able to had it not exist. If my accident had happened say 100 years ago, or even 50 years it would make a huge difference on the way I live and how I do things. My life and the things I would be able to do would be a lot more limited. Luckily, over the years technology has grown tremendously and the market for speech recognition software is increasing.

As a quadriplegic paralyzed from the neck down, I depend on my voice for multiple things which includes using today's technology to be more independent. There are many things out there that can be controlled by voice, although not everything. I've written blog posts before about Dragon NaturallySpeaking, speech recognition software that I use for my computer. The program allows me to train my voice so that it can recognize what I'm saying and identify my speech patterns. Also, I can create different commands based on things I say often or passwords that I use daily. It is how I type, search the web, write papers and blog posts, and communicate with others in different parts of the world. Dragon has given me the independence I need to have full access to my computer by use of voice. I also use voice activation to control my TV in my bedroom. Click here to read a post about Dragon NaturallySpeaking and other things I control by voice.

One thing that I've been wanting for a while, especially since the technology is out there, is to be able to run my cell phone using my voice. For the longest time I've had what many people may referred to as "ancient" cell phones. I started out a few years ago with one that just had numbers and in order to text you have to figure out which letters coordinated with which number. I never had any reason to text so it didn't matter as much. Later on, when I started texting more, I switched to a little bit more user-friendly phone that had a keyboard. My nurses and PCA's typed out all of my text messages.

Seeing all of the newest technology of smart phones develop lately had sparked my interest in trying out a new phone; one that allowed me to be more independent. Obviously I wouldn't be able to use the handy touchscreens or press buttons but many new phones have incorporated voice activation software. The two phones that intrigued me the most were the iPhone 4S and the Droid Razor. After doing a bunch of research about the two online, a week ago I went to Verizon wireless to check them out. I ended up buying an iPhone 4S because it had Siri built-in. I really like it because I can do all of my text messages by voice. It recognizes me fairly well but does have a few drawbacks.

Although it's a huge step up from my last two phones, I'm not able to just fire away commands and start dictating without someone pushing a button first. When searching online I actually couldn't find a cell phone that is completely voice-activated. However, I've really enjoyed being able to ask Siri to schedule appointments, set reminders, send text messages, and see what the weather's like. It's given me another level of independence that I didn't have before.

If you have any suggestions about other speech recognition/voice-activated products you think I'd be interested please let me know!

Jenni

Using My Movement

I thought I'd show a video that was taken when I was at Gillette Lifetime Clinic for an OT appointment. In an earlier post, I talked a little bit about the environmental control unit called Relax II that I could run with my thumb movement. The pictures above are of the system and the micro light switch that plugs into it. The video below shows me pushing the switch and controlling it all by myself. A single tear started to roll down my cheek when I was doing it. This is the first time that I've actually used my movement to do something, even though it wasn't set up to anything. I was having trouble putting it on my blog so I uploaded it to YouTube. Check it out!



They let me take it home for a trial, but there's a slight problem. My thumb doesn't always cooperate so I'm not able to do it every time. Plus the switch is a little too sensitive so if my thumb is just a little bit tight it holds the switch down which makes me unable to use it. Hopefully when I get my new wheelchair they can mount something that comes around to my cheek and I can use it that way.

The picture below is of the page turner that I want to get. I can also use the switch to control that. Jenni

Finding Independence

A week ago I went to Gillette Lifetime clinic in St. Paul for an occupational therapy appointment. My plan was to see if they could help me find some things that could make me more independent.

The first thing we talked about was an automatic page turner. A switch could be attached to it that I could push with my cheek or chin to turn the pages. I picked one of two options that I liked. I didn't realize it but page turner's aren't cheap. It would cost a little over $3000 for it. The other one was almost twice as much. I'm sure I could get an outside source to pay for it. It would be great for my school textbooks. I've tried reading books on my computer before but it's just too difficult. It hurts my eyes to look at the screen for too long. I also thought about a portable e-reader such as the Amazon Kindle or nook from Barnes & Noble, but someone would still have to push the button to turn the page. They don't have anything out there like that that's voice-activated or able to operated by a switch.

The second thing I looked at was an environmental control unit that can be activated by any type of switch. When I was there, I found out I could operate it by a switch using my left thumb. The only problem is that my hand doesn't always cooperate and if it's tight, I'm unable to move it. The other option is to mount the switch to my wheelchair and have it come around to my cheek. I could then push my cheek out using my tongue to hit the switch. That's probably going to be the best option.

Sadly, New Abilities, the company that I got my tongue touch keypad from, went out of business. Apparently it happened last summer. I received a letter from them at the time that explained this but when I called, they denied it. I'm guessing they just wanted people to keep sending them money because they didn't have any funding left. When I was at Gillette, the OT confirmed with me that they weren't in business anymore and that they had called telling them not to refer anyone.

The third thing we talked about were other options for driving my wheelchair. The three that could possibly work for me would be a sip and puff, a chin joystick or head control. I need to call another company, Reliable, to set up an appointment to go over this further. I think I might try the sip and puff first because I've tried the chin joystick before and I don't think I want that and also I don't have much head control so that way might be hard.

*Note: Wheelchair Troubles-I wrote this post a few days ago but hadn't published it yet. Two days ago my electric wheelchair all of a sudden stopped working. After looking for a while, we found a cord that had been pinched and had exposed wires. That's the reason the electric part in the chair went out. It is able to be moved manually, but it is very heavy and hard to move. Also, the tilt and recline mechanism is out as well. The last two days I've had to use my manual wheelchair. It is the most uncomfortable thing to sit in; I don't know how I did it for 3 1/2 years. I'm going in to reliable medical tomorrow so they can hopefully replace the cord. Then I'm going to talk to them about other options for driving my wheelchair.

Jenni

Speech Recognition Software

You may have noticed that I haven't been doing as many posts lately. I apologize for that. On Friday, my computer froze up and I had to do a hard shutdown on it. Somewhere in the process, my voice files for my speech recognition software Dragon NaturallySpeaking got either erased or lost. I was without the program for a day and ended up having to change something and then retrain it. It still wasn't 100%. It was very difficult to type without it making mistakes. A tech guy came out yesterday to help me fix it and it's pretty much back to normal. I appreciate your patience and will be up and running with many more posts from now on.

Because of the poor speech recognition, I have changed my e-mail address from yahoo to Gmail. For those of you who have my e-mail address, the beginning part of it is still the same, it is just at Gmail.com instead of yahoo.com. For those of you who don't have my e-mail address, the new one is jtic20@gmail.com. You can also look in my profile to get it.

Jenni

A New Gadget

The other day I went to Best Buy and bought a camcorder. I also bought software to edit the videos that I make. I figured I could videotape parts of my life and add them to my blog. Right now I'm just using my digital camera to make short videos. It definitely isn't as good of quality. Now I just have to figure out how to use it. I'm going to write and direct my own documentary one day. Yeah right, like that will happen. I guess anything is possible. The video camera that I bought is a Panasonic with image stabilization. Image stabilization is a feature that compensates for peoples shakiness.

I merely just made a joke but I think I embarrassed the guy that was helping me. I was talking to my mom and I told her out loud that it was a good thing that we got image stabilization just in case while I was holding the camera I spasmed. Obviously it wouldn't matter since I can't hold the camera anyways. We both started laughing and the poor guy thought we were laughing at him. My mom explained to him that I was paralyzed and that I was just making a joke and then he felt bad. Earlier he had tried to hand me the software that would edit the videos for my computer and I didn't take it from him. Once he found out I was paralyzed he said "so that's why you didn't grab it from me. I kept trying to give it to you and you just wouldn't take it. I didn't realize you were paralyzed; you should have said something." Sorry Jeff!

Jenni

The Power of Technology

For those of us who lack independence, technology can be a powerful thing. It frees us from our inability to communicate otherwise. It is our way of gaining back the independence that we lost or do not have. Technology is growing every day, allowing us to express ourselves and have the independence to do things that we would not otherwise be able to.

I myself use technology for daily activities. In order to type and move freely through the Internet I use a voice-activated program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I am able to speak into a microphone and use commands that allow me to independently use a computer. It is so easy to use and cool that you can just say what you want and have the words magically appear on the computer. If you click on the link, there is a video demonstration of how Dragon works.

Also, in order to have independence while lying in bed, I use a voice-activated Environmental Control Unit by Quartet Technology Inc. This box and microphone give me all the independence I need to control things in my environment. It is capable of controlling anything electronic or that can be plugged in. I use it for my radio, phone, DVD player, and TV. It is able to control lights as well, however, it doesn't work with my lights because it is not on the same strip. If I wanted to, I could have it control my bed, lamp, fan etc. There are endless possibilities. It is very easy to train and responds fairly well to my voice. By the way, his name is Denver. He repeats everything I say to him. He is very polite and says excuse me when he doesn't understand what I say.

The last piece of technology that I use every day allows me to move freely without help. It is called a Tongue Touch Keypad by newabilities. By using my tongue, I am able to drive my wheelchair with ease. The Tongue Touch Keypad fits in the roof of my mouth similar to a retainer. It has nine buttons to choose from and there is a menu screen with a choice of nine options. If I push the back left button (chair), I will be able to move my wheelchair. If I push the front button (position), I can tilt or recline. There are other features to the chair that work with the Tongue Touch that I don't have. If I wanted to, I have the option to use the Tongue Touch for my computer and environmental controls such as the lights and TV. However, these fancy features come at a cost. I would have to buy each one separately. If you click on the link above, the newabilities website will show you all the features and tell you about the Tongue Touch Keypad.

The Tongue Touch Keypad does have its faults. Because it is a wireless device, other things sometimes interfere. I may be in an elevator and if I'm not on the park mode, the interference will push buttons and make the wheelchair start moving by itself. Funny sounding, but not fun when I'm driving and the interference will make it so I can't stop and I run into walls. I guess it is kind of funny when I think about it after the fact.

I am thrilled to have this type of technology in my life. It is only a matter of time before they come up with something new that will help me become more independent. Often times I have people guess how I drive my wheelchair. Most of them say "with your eyes" or "with your mind". It sounds crazy but this technology is out there. I watched this on 60 minutes a couple of weeks ago. There is a cap that fits over your head and measures your brain and thoughts. It is able to determine which letters you want to use to type on a computer just by you thinking it. I wanted to post the video, however, there was an error. Click here to see the video called "Harnessing the Power of the Brain".

Just think of the other possibilities. I am excited to have shared this technology with you. If you would like to purchase Dragon NaturallySpeaking or the Environmental Control Unit by Quartet, or if you would like to find out more about assistive technology, click here to contact The Speech Gurus.

Jenni