PaperPort notes app

I downloaded the PaperPort notes app by Nuance yesterday and am using it on my iPad. It offers a variety of ways to enter notes quickly, including voice recognition, using a keyboard or handwriting. You can also annotate. I'm using the voice-recognition mostly and am very pleased with its efficient way of taking short notes during the day.

It's easy to create new pages to separate notes by different topics. For example I made a to do list, a page of reading notes, and some notes while I was on a phone conversation. The dictation was accurate, quick and it was easy to correct the few mistakes I ran into.

The app was free and I recommend it to anyone looking for a 24/7 assistant.

Teen uses VGo robot to attend class

A New Castle teen with spina bifida who can't attend class due to a seizure disorder uses a VGo robot, shown in the above video, to participate in class from home. Chris controls the robot via remote, moving it through the hallways, and is able to see his teachers, the blackboard and classrooms. A teacher sits alongside him during the day to assist him and he's able to interact with his classmates and friends via the VGo.

Fastest Hands Free Typist: Quad with TrackerPro and Swype Keyboard

See this article for more.

A Fire, Facebook and a Man with MD

via ncpad.org

Bob Chambers, who has muscular dystrophy, was online playing a game on Facebook when a fire started in his kitchen. He provided his address on Facebook and others summoned help for him.



Luckily Bob had access to the internet and a way to reach out for help. Far too many people with disabilities can't afford to connect.

Meredith drew my attention to this article by Susannah Fox discussing the Pew report about people with disabilities and access to the media. It talks about barriers to the internet for disabled people and the need to develop low cost accessible hardware and software technology. Worth a read.

I'm glad Bob is doing okay and hope he has a speedy recovery.

Looking for assistive technology?

Check out blind bargains.

technology and a Spelling bee

You can read the article here:http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=13654478

Living with Paralysis? Guide to Best Apps for Your Smartphone and iPad

...offered by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation here for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android.

Check out everything from accessories to productivity (i.e. voice controlled apps) to games to travel and assistive technology and health and fitness and news and more. I found a few that I didn't know about over there to use on my iPod Touch.

Christina Symanski, a quadriplegic, also has several videos up about how she uses her iPad and the apps that help her do things independently.

New Robotic Arm to Help Quadriplegics

You can read more about it here.

Assistive Technology Can Be Easy

Today my nephew received his mic to try out Dragon Dictation on his iPod touch.

Here's a demonstration by another young man:



Yes, it's that easy.

Daytona Beach nonprofit gets adaptive technology to those in need

Visual Innovations and Solutions in Daytona Beach is a nonprofit company that tries to fill the needs of people who fall through the cracks when trying to get assistive technology.

Their services include help with computer technology, instruction and job searches.

The Cripper Arrives!

I wrote a while ago about a quad reacher called The Cripper. It was on my wish list after I saw how it worked because I needed a reacher that would fit me properly and save as much energy as possible. Living alone can involve a lot of reaching issues, especially when your arms are paralyzed. It's a real drag to risk falling out of your wheelchair or wait for someone else to come over to get some things done. So I ordered The Cripper a few weeks ago. I've tried out a lot of quad reachers, so I'll admit I was wondering if my money would be well spent or once again wasted.

Today my custom made Cripper came. I was thrilled with the speed of delivery. The first thing I noticed when I slipped it on was how well it fit (see photo of Cripper on my hand and arm above). I had to take a moment or two to figure out exactly how far to push my arm into the device, but once I had my wrist and forearm in the right place, the Cripper felt comfortable , like a new arm. And the next time I put it on, my arm went exactly into the right place without a second thought. I love that kind of ease of use.

I began right away to pick items up. Letters, envelopes, plates and coins were first. I noticed that instead of my arm getting tired, it felt supported by the Cripper. Since using it only involves a slight raise of your wrist, I was able to do much than usual without stopping to rest my arm. I also seem to be able to pick up items that are heavier without hurting my arm. I could easily reach my printer and hit the buttons with more accuracy. (See photo at right).


The paperwork that comes with it suggests practicing a bit and there were certain items I tried to pick up that took a few tries. I'm not concerned about this because I'm learning new ways to use it every time I put it on. The grippers on the end aren't the usual dull plastic I'm used to, but have edges. So when I picked up a plastic fruit cup with a clear cover on it, the Cripper not only put it on the table but opened it as well. I'm looking forward to using that feature since opening items is difficult, particularly many of those single serving snack packets that are handy to keep around, but are packaged in a way that require assistance. The Cripper also effortlessly holds slippery items such as pens. (See photo at left).

The workmanship on the Cripper is very impressive. I was relieved when I saw that, since years ago I spent at least twice as much on a quad reacher that broke easily and often. I'm a busy and active person who needs equipment that can keep up with me and prefer items that are durable and don't require frequent replacement. In fact, the Cripper comes with paperwork that assures that ordering parts at a minimal cost is possible - even if your arm changes sizes. The good thing about this reacher is that there aren't many parts, unlike other quad reachers I tried.

If you're a quadriplegic with use of your tenodesis muscle, I recommend the Cripper. The web site can be found here. A video demonstrating it is shown below.

A Day in the Life of Richard Devylder

via YouTube

Richard Devylder shows how assistive technology and public transportation allow him to live independently as a person with disabilities.

Clip courtesy of the California Department of Rehabilitation and the California Employment Development Department.

Sorting through

Thank you all for your patience this week with my shorter posts. I'm using a headset to dictate this so there's good news -voice recognition is up and running. I'm up early on a Saturday morning to catch up on everything now that the voice recognition is working. I've actually been up since 5 AM because I'm so excited that I can write again!

I've spent much of the last 24 hours working on the profile for this new headset, which is a Plantronics USB audio 470. Headsets are not my favorite thing as a quadriplegic because you have to reach up to put them on but there's a little trick I use to level the playing field which is to put them on when reclined.

So what have I been doing without voice-recognition, you might ask? Using the phone and rustling up helpers for my correspondence and e-mail.

The one thing that I can do even when voice recognition doesn't work is send tweets through twitter via Hoot Suite. Hoot Suite has a browser button which allows me to click while on any webpage and it types out the headline of the article I want to send via twitter. It also has a scheduling button so that I can set up tweets for any time and don't have to do them live if I'm busy with work. I've found twitter to be an excellent tool for networking, keeping up with the latest technology, breaking stories and more in-depth coverage on international disability issues.

Of course all of that is interspersed with things you just have to sort through, like pictures of Snooky Ookums.

Am I glad the voice recognition is working!

Internet Archive digitizing million of books for disabled

See article here.

Video review of a Quad Reacher: The Cripper

Chris shows in this video what this quad reacher called The Cripper can do. Some pretty amazing stuff! It's on my wish list.

Stanford students design assistive devices in course

Via YouTube:

Stanford lecturer David Jaffe's "Perspectives in Assistive Technology" class gives budding engineers hands-on experience with projects that help people with disabilities in the local community.

Students came up with several assistive devices after working directly with people with disabilities to find out what their needs were.



The four year old course is designed to provide engineering students with practical experience rather than come up with a product for the commercial market.

However, as students said in the video, they also learned that having a disability does not mean one has to be disabled.

O.P.EN. that door

The students at Gulliver Prep are at it again - designing assistive tech devices for those with disabilities.

The Operational Portable Entry Device aka O.P.EN., might win them a prize this Thursday at the National Engineering Design Challenge in Washington, D.C., but they say that's not what it's about anymore. The device "uses a telescopic mechanical arm with a clamp at the end to open doors. When attached to a wheelchair, it pivots horizontally and is adjustable vertically." It's shown in the video below.




Good luck to these hardworking students!

Accessible solutions for the iPad

Matt sent me two articles about using the new iPad if you have a disability, which I'm passing along because they're pretty useful. They both come from ATMac, which covers using Apple products if you have a disability.

In the first article, Ricky Buchanan writes about new accessible features as well as those already on the iPod touch. Ricky lives with severe CFS/ME and also writes a blog.

The second article is written by Paul Natsch, a quadriplegic, and discusses using mouthsticks and styluses with the iPad. He gives very specific information about how to use the iPod touch (and the iPad) in different ways, depending on your needs. Paul also writes about Assistive Gaming on the Mac.

A less expensive alternative than the new iPad, as Paul discusses, is to use an iPod touch as an assistive device. Although the larger size of the iPad would help some people, the smaller size of the iPod Touch has its advantages as an assistive device. I use an iPod Touch for many tasks, and because there are so many free apps, its usefulness keeps growing for me without any additional cost. I now keep the iPod touch nearby most of the day to help me with my work, read ebooks and documents, take voice memos, use Skype (with a mic), do calculations and more.

Zyxio Sensawaft hands on : video from CES

I received a couple of e-mails asking about my reference to this, so here you go!

Not just for quadriplegics...

Intel is predicting that chips in brains will control computers by 2020. Scientists believe people want freedom from their keyboards and will adapt to new ways to use technology.

Scientists at Intel's research lab in Pittsburgh are working to find ways to read and harness human brain waves so they can be used to operate computers, television sets and cell phones. The brain waves would be harnessed with Intel-developed sensors implanted in people's brains.

To read other articles using similar technology, see this link.