DAY FIVE - PART 2

During the second part of the class, we were re-introduced to Tyler.  I have seen Tyler before in this course and the previous course taught by Barb, but this was a more in depth look at his life.  It was great to see all of the pictures of Tyler when he was a baby, toddler, kid.  As I watched the presentation I was struck with two thoughts.... the overwhelming amount of assistive technology required for Tyler's successful integration and the overwhelming support of his family (especially his mother).  As a mother of two boys, I often wonder about how I would deal with a situation like this.

The "Tyler clip" was an introduction to switches -- identifying control sites, how to set them up, the training involved, how they can change over time, the various types of switches, and the incredible ways in which switches can open the world up for many people.

We were introduced to PowerLink.  This is an environmental control unit used with switches and often used to intially train people how to use a switch.  Various devices (ex. lamps, toaster, etc.) are plugged into the PowerLink and, as a result, can be control via a switch (which is also plugged into the PowerLink). 

The PowerLink system is explained in the video below:



As a group, we made a list of the many different devices you could use with a PowerLink system.  Here are just a few of the possibilities:

Paper shredder

Pencil sharpener

Vacuum

Toaster

TV

Blender

Toaster oven

Slow cooker

Alarm clock

Fan

Music/radio

LCD on

Kettle

Overhead

Razor

Christmas lights/tree

Laminator

Musical chairs

Sewing machine

Listening center

Tech ed tools

Stopwatch at track and field meet

Smoothie maker

Click HERE for a link for more ideas on incorporating PowerLink at home and at school

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 It was very interesting to see the different youtube videos Barb showed us regarding switches.  There was one in particular of Nicole.  She was a young woman who used a pillow head switch.  It was heart warming to see her realize that moving her head up and down would turn on her music and lights. 

This video was also important as it showed us the importance of WAITING!!  Learning how to wait for a response is an important part of the training process.


See Nicole's video below:






Two of the MOST AMAZING videos with regards to SWITCHES featured Mike Phillips, a young man who played video games using SwitchXS, and a woman diagnosed with ALS who uses SwitchXS and a control site on her cheek.

See the videos below:

Mike Phillips using SwitchXS







A Pivotal Role in the Household







At the end of our class, we learned about Dr. Karen Erickson, is the Director of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies and a professor at the University of North Carolina.  Her research focuses on literacy assessment and insturction for struggling readers including those with significant disabilities.

She is involved in the North Carolina Deaf-Blind Project which is a project designed to identify and implement exemplary practices in literacy and communication for students who have been identified as deaf-blind. 

You can follow the project and the individual CASE STUDIES by going to the following links below:

http://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/clds/projects/north-carolina-deaf-blind-project

http://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/clds/projects/north-carolina-deaf-blind-project/db-case-studies


The class was split into SIX groups and given a task to locate a HIGH IMPACT video per person that displays ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY being used by a group of people with a particular disability that was assigned to us.

My group was assigned the "deaf-blind" disability.  I found an AWESOME video used by people who are deaf-blind to communicate with others.  The device is called the MOBILE LORM GLOVE.  It uses the LORM alphabet typically used by people who are deaf-blind and takes it to a new and exciting level!!

Watch the video below to learn more.  You can also visit the website listed below to get more information.

The Mobile Lorm Glove

http://www.design-research-lab.org/?projects=mobile-lorm-glove

The Mobile Lorm Glove is a mobile communication and translation device for deafblind persons. The glove translates the hand-touch alphabet “Lorm”, a common form of communication used by people with both hearing and sight impairment, into text and vice versa.

Textile pressure sensors located on the palm of the glove enable the deafblind user to “lorm” onto his or her own hand to compose text messages. A Bluetooth connection transmits the data from the glove to the user’s handheld device. It is then automatically forwarded to the receiver’s handheld device in the form of an SMS. If the wearer of the Mobile Lorm Glove receives a text message, the message will be forwarded via Bluetooth from his/her handheld device to the glove. Initiated by small vibration motors located on the back of the glove, tactile feedback patterns allow the wearer to perceive incoming messages.