Week 5 Assistive Technologies

2/20/2012 Assistive Technologies and other thoughts

Seeing Ray Kurzweil continuing his groundbreaking work along with the Keystrokes software with Elina, elaborated uses of switches,  sip/Puff, Wisp, Joystick mouse control, rollerball mouse use, half sized portable keyboards, pneumatic desks, frogpad input pad for one handed input, customizable electronic keyboards and the use of braille input and output devices fills in some gaps for me and leaves me wondering about other technology I have seen before.  Eye tracking mouse control software seems ground breaking of what I have seen of it's uses and there was a bio-organic computer chip which was capable of implant and used then for controlling digital devices.  It is clear to see some barriers are definitely being lowered and removed but I am sure as tech develops we will see even greater developments come along or at least I hope.  It is abundantly clear from personal experience that even though someone may seem impaired, you need to see that there is no impairment, only the same person as you with a need for better communication or an improved chance for input or output.  I have witnessed this many times over even up and in to people with serious cognitive abilities.  I was very happy to read about a breakthrough in betaroxene for improving and removing 50% of myoidal plaque from the brain for Alzheimers patients the past week.  I have seen where their mind is working but the communication aspect of communication is jumbles and difficult or impossible.  I believe if  you are alive your mind more often than not is functioning with a high capability.