RESNA 2002
SIG-11 Show and Tell Session
Monday, July 1, 2002
1:15 - 3pm
Computer Tech Lab
The SIG-11 Computer Applications Show and tell will provide an opportunity for at least 5 people to present slides or video on unique cases, techniques, or tools involving computer applications in assistive technology. Topics may include (but are not limited to) adaptations made to computer devices or software, tips on the use of new computer hardware or software, little-known products, unusual combinations of different devices or programs, and unique ways to use computers as assistive technology. Presentations will be short and informal.
John Goldthwaite, Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access, Atlanta, GA
Muscle Communicator
Kim Adams, Neural Signals
The Muscle Communicator detects miniscule electromyograph (EMG) activity and translates it into computer cursor movements. Thus, people who have little or no controllable kinetic motion can navigate a Graphical User Interface or perform text entry using an onscreen keyboard. The EMG signal is detected using surface electrodes positioned over top of the muscle. Three muscle sites are used, one for cursor movement in the x direction, another for y direction, and the third for mouse click.
The Muscle Communicator can also accept electrical signals other than EMG to make cursor movements. NSI has tested it with local field potentials obtained from bone screws installed in the human skull. It could also accept signals such as galvanic skin response from polygraph equipment.
SerialKeys for the RIM 950
John Anschutz, Shepherd Spinal Center, Wireless RERC
One project of the Wireless RERC (NIDRR project# H133E010804) is the development of a SerialKeys application program that runs on the RIM 950 class of two-way pagers. The functions are derived either directly or logically from the General Input Device Emulating Interface (GIDEI) Proposal Draft Version 2.0 developed by Trace R&D Center. More information about the GIDEI standard that this program is based on can be found at http://trace.wisc.edu/docs/gidei/toc.htm .
We will demonstrate a DynaVox 3100 working with a Research In Motion (RIM) 950 Blackberry pager. The integration allows a user to send and receive email, to send messages to a telephone with the text converted to speech and to send messages to a fax machine. All functions are available in a mobile environment as long as the RIM 950 has coverage. Although, service coverage is still somewhat scattered for the RIM 950 it is being rapidly expanded.
EZKeys Macros Demonstration
Margaret Cotts
Margaret Cotts will demonstrate a series of macros to speed up communication and simplify navigation for individuals who use EZKeys.
There are certain simple macros I set up for all clients - macros which launch programs, close windows, move the EZKeys scanning block, and play digitized speech.
SideTalk Macro:
Problem: An individual spends a good deal of time composing a message in "SideTalk". After creating the text, he realizes he would like to save the message to reuse it in the future.
Solution: A macro which selects all of the text in SideTalk, copies it, goes to the abbreviation editor, pastes it, and inserts the cursor in the "abbreviation" field.
Macro for Non-English speaking caretakers.
Problem: A woman who uses switch scanning has 2 Spanish –speaking care givers. The woman can get by in Spanish, but there are times when she can't get her message across.
Solution: A system whereby all of her abbreviations also have an equivalent in Spanish which starts with the letter "S" (for Spanish.) If the abbreviation "NS" expands to the message "I need suctioning, please", then "SNS" would speak (or write) the phrase, "Necesito succion, por favor".
Combining standard computer access tools with creative use of office and
hardware items
Ray Grott, RET Project, San Francisco State University
A person with high spinal cord injury needed to work at a computer both while in bed and in his wheelchair. Access tools included speech recognition with GN Netcom digital array microphone, a Boost Tracer head mouse, a mouthstick, and a LittleFingers keyboard. To make it all work together, the system was mounted to a height-adjustable overbed table. A mouthstick holder was constructed from PVC pipe and LocLine tubing (1). The keyboard was held at a specific angle using a HumanScale Copy Drawer (marketed as a drop-down copy holder) (2). An interesting combination of hardware store items was used to design a way for him to access four different remote control pads for his multimedia system. (3)
Magic Mouse Cap
Denis Anson, College Misericordia
Denis Anson demonstrated a great way to configure a baseball cap for use with cordless head tracking devices.
Gnopernicus screen reader for the GNOME desktop environment
J.P. Schnapper-Casteras
If the code is stable enough at the time of the Show and Tell, we will demonstrate Gnopernicus, a screen reader for the GNOME (graphical) desktop environment. GNOME is one of the two popular desktops (like the GUI on Windows or Mac OS) for the Linux / Unix environment and has many applications written for it. The GNOME Accessibility Project, manned primarily by Sun and Baum, is developing this software along with a sophisticated onscreen keyboard (GNOME Onscreen Keyboard, or GOK) that I may demonstrate.
Eacspeak and IBM ViaVoice Outloud were most reliable, most economical and easiest solutions to install and configure with Red Hat. FreeTTS 1.1 is a speech synthesis system written entirely in the Java programming language.
Festival is a general multi-lingual speech synthesis system developed at The Centre for Speech Technology Research, University of Edinburgh.