Amazon Product:
Author: Suzanne Robitaille
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant (2010)
Binding: Paperback, 332 pages
If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."
~Thomas Edison
Suzanne Robitaille begins her book with Thomas Edison's quote.
But very quickly, the reader is aware that the author knows what she is talking when she says that "having a disability isn't easy". Ms Robitaille became profoundly deaf as a young child, and learned that her disability affected her entire family, friends, teachers, and employers. But through it, she developed empathy and was able to appreciate that the world she lived in gave her the insight and encouragement to pursue a career far beyond what she thought possible.
The premises of the book were given as 1) A desire to help people with disabilities make informed purchasing decisions that will help them to succeed in their workplace and lifespace, and 2) a desire to teach others, including family members, educators and employers, how individual technologies are able to make an impact on a disabled persons's life and open up their opportunities for advancement and prosperity.
We are all included. Everyone can relate. My aunt had that, or my sister had a learning disability. Disability affects most of us, at some point in our lives. In our country, a physical or mental disability affects 20 percent of the population - that is 54 million Americans - twenty million families with at least one family member who can claim a disability. Thanks to persons like Eunice Kennedy Schriver and the Special Olympics that she championed, disability has become a part of our national discourse. And it affects every aspect of American life. Most currently, it has taken center stage as the passage of the Health Care Bill is debated with vigor. And technology for the disabled had progressed as well…the Assistive Technology Act states that "disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to live independently, enjoy self-determination and make choices, benefit from an education, pursue meaningful careers, and enjoy full inclusion and integration in the economic, political, social, cultural, and educational mainstream of society in the United States"..
Technologies for People with Visual Disabilities
"Live without seeing, but be what you are."
~Louis Braille
Ms. Robitaille's descriptions of the many types of computer and electronic access programs that aid with low vision provide a discussion of the advantages of PC or MAC computers, and give specific web sites to enable individuals to research and decide for themselves, after reading the alternatives. Descriptions of monitors, keyboards and mice are also provided. Electronic magnifiers and digital imaging systems, or auto-readers, are available.
As she details the technologies that are available for those with increasingly visual challenges, her examples enable you to understand even more what a note-taking device, or talking word processor, or netbook could mean to a person who as a student or employee needing to improve their vision to live their life. And when considering even further visual impairment, the examples are detailed in a section entitled "Technologies for Blindness". She notes that "people with disabilities have a combined income of more than a trillion dollars-and are willing to spend it on products and technologies that make their lives more productive." Accessible cell phones, or "smart phones", give a person access to all phone functions including text messaging, email, and web-browsing through a screen-reader, including Apples' addition of a "VoiceOver". And with our consumer driven society, the competition will only drive the increase in technologies further. From education to employment, recreation, travel, and living in a community - the technologies for people with visual disabilities are only increasing.
Technologies for People with Hearing Disabilities
"Deaf people can do anything a hearing person can, except hear."
~I. King Jordan
The author gives many examples of famous persons who used innovative ways to aid their hearing loss, because it was so difficult to admit "I cannot hear!!" More than thirty million people in this country are classified as hard of hearing, and that number excludes the 35 percent of persons age 65 and 75 who have some form of hearing loss. For those persons who are experiencing hearing loss and not wearing a hearing aid, there is encouragement to consult an audiologist who will screen your hearing and recommend an aid that fits your individual needs. For those not willing to use a hearing aid, there are assistive listening devices such as loud telephones and other technologies that help combat sound distortion and distracting background noise by transmitting sound directly to the listener.
Approximately 40,000 persons in this country have a profound or total hearing impairment. Many of them use assistive technology to hear. Telephones, cell phones and accessories, such as bluetooth, have made it possible for many hearing impaired persons to actively participate in their daily lives to a degree that was not possible not so long ago. Assistive listening systems interface with a telecoil and either a neckloop or ear hook are used predominantly between two or more people. FM Systems, Sound Field Systems, and Loop Systems are ways that increased technologies have made communication possible among persons with a profound hearing challenge. Alerting devices have increased safety and even saved lives with increased technology. iCommunicators are now used to communicate between a doctor and a hearing impaired patient. The hearing impaired patient uses iCommunicator to describe his symptoms in sign language and the computer will "speak" the results. The doctor, who uses voice recognition and wears a headset with a microphone can talk to the patient. iCommunicator translates the video sign language on the computer screen. These devices can be utilized in the workplace at meetings and classrooms . Ms. Robitaille has done an excellent job in guiding us through the history of and the future of assistiive technological devices.
Technologies for People with Physical Disabilities
"The fact is that even if your body doesn't want to work the way it used to, the heart and mind and spirit are not diminished."
~Christopher Reeve
More than one million Americans are paralyzed with a spinal chord injury and about a half-million live with multiple sclerosis waiting for a cure. Christopher Reeve, the actor who played Superman and was paralyzed in a riding accident, worked tirelessly advocating for treatments and new technologies for people living with paralysis. People who experience fine-motor or gross-motor limitations would require very different types of assistive technologies.
Alternative Input Devices have come a long way. They can replace a standard keypad or mouse on a laptop, replace finger-pointing or a stylus on a PDA, use an ergonomic keyboard for people with arthritis, or utilize a mouse that you can control with your head or foot. A trackball requires less motor skills to control it than the normal mouse for a computer screen. Speech recognition software and headsets can assist a person in their work by enabling them a hands free use of their computer. A mobility disability can cause someone to find even the most normal tasks like reading, cooking, cleaning overwhelming. But with a little help, and alternative technologies and solutions can be found to meet your needs.
Manual wheelchairs, scooters, power wheelchairs, and specialized wheelchairs can provide a person a way to move around in their world. And financing or donations are also available for these alternatives and can be found at places like "The Scooter Store"and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Shopping malls sometimes provide wheelchairs free of charge or for a small fee., as do places like The Wounded Warrior Project helps injured veterans with health care and assistive technologies, including prosthetics.
There are many choices for the disabled to enjoy sports and exercise. All it takes is the desire and passion - and sometimes the help of adaptive equipment. From wheelchair basketball, to guide dog golf, you name it and someone has probably figured out how to do it. And for those who want a way to stay fit in a less participatory fashion, there are all kinds of videogame consoles like the Nintendo Wii, or Chair Aerobics for Everyone, or Chair Tai Chi. Life on wheels isn't easy, but it is doable.
Technologies for People with Cognitive Disabilities and Learning Disorders
"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
~ Albert Einstein
This is often a place where parents try to understand why their child is not progressing as other children are, and confusion and anxiety cloud their minds. Places like LDOnline (Idonline.org) is a tremendous source of information for parents, educators, and children to start searching for descriptions of the behavior that they are experiencing. A service provided by the public television station WETA in Washington, DC, provides expert advice, resources, as well as questions and answers.
Technologies that aid in information processing, as well as modified work schedules, and flexibility in teaching methods would be beneficial to persons dealing with a developmental disability.
The Web and e-mail have played a huge role, especially with today's youth who, as a result, are unable to read or understand text. Third-party talking web-browers, some government agencies, organizations and a few corporations have web-sites with BrowseAloud - a free service to the consumer. easier for some persons with intellectual disabilities.
How to Pay for Assistive Technology
The cost of freedom is always high.
~John F. Kennedy
Once you have found the appropriate assistive technology for your needs, you may be feeling like you have only accomplished half the battle. Paying for it may seem frustratingly unreachable. But Suzanne is not done yet. She provides many resources for getting what you need, and as she says "assistive technology doesn't have to break your bank account". Employers, educational institutions, as well as private health insurance are detailed as a resources that may have a "responsibility to provide and pay for assistive technology". Government Health Insurance - Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Affairs, Vocational Rehab, and Workers' Compensation are listed as potential sources for funding. Personal loans, charitable organizations and employer tax breaks are also discussed and should be considered. There is also a chapter included at the end of the book which gives a detailed list of web-sites about the products listed in this book.Overall, Ms Robitaille has provided the physically and mentally challenged with a very valuable resource.
Click here to buy this book.
Amazon.com will donate 5% of your purchase to MSWorld by clicking on the link above.
The book review represents the opinions of the writer only. You may have a different opinion when you read this book. Information shared here is not for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. For specific information and advice, consult your personal physician.
