UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 20, Page 6
February 15, 1996
DATI success stories from accross the First State
The Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative's Assistive
Technology Resource Centers (ATRCs) are busy places, dispensing advice
and equipment to persons with a wide variety of disabilities.
With a location in each county, the ATRC network is part of a
program of the Applied Science and Engineering Laboratories,
administered jointly by the University of Delaware and the A.I. duPont
Institute of the Nemours Foundation.
The stories of some of the individuals who have taken advantage
of the ATRCs in Delaware are told here:
* Mrs. Lavine, an 85-year-old woman with diminishing hearing, was
having a difficult time listening to television without disturbing
the other tenants in her apartment building. After she received
several complaints from the property manager that her television was
too loud, she called the ATRC for help. The staff encouraged her to
visit the center to try out different hearing aids. When she
arrived, she was able to experience firsthand the effects of an
amplified stereo listener-a hearing device used to add crispness and
clarity to sound for comfortable listening. The moment she was able
to hear, tears of joy began to stream down her face. She decided to
borrow the device for two weeks and then purchased one from a local
store.
* Gary, a 9-year-old with a learning disability, was having problems
at school. His teachers and speech therapist noted that he was
easily distracted by classroom noise. After a call to the ATRC, the
therapist set up a meeting, where a member of the staff suggested
trial use of a wireless FM system to reduce the amount of classroom
noise Gary heard. The ATRC loaned Gary the system, and he responded
well. With the system in place, he paid better attention in the
classroom. Because he heard less classroom noise, he was better able
to concentrate on his work. A creative teacher extended its use,
occasionally hooking it up to a Walkman to reward Gary for his
positive behavior. Due to this success, the school bought the
listening device and Gary's parents purchased one for the home, too.
* Ilene's mother, who is visually impaired, was coming for a visit. To
make her mother's stay more comfortable, Illene started looking for
assistive technology to meet her mother's needs. After talking with
staff at the resource center, Illene visited to take a look a the
Magni-Cam, a visual aid for magnification of print materials. She
borrowed the system and reported that her mother's visit was greatly
enriched by being able to read independently.
* Peter was an eighth grader in an inclusive school setting. In
addition to mental retardation, he had speech difficulties that made
it hard for his teacher and classmates to understand him. His family
explored options for augmenting Peter's communication with the help
of the staff of the ATRC. The family chose the Franklin
communication system, which allows Peter to type in messages and
then have them spoken out loud. His mother reports that he is able
to do his assignments and transfer them to the Franklin. When he is
called on in class, he can respond by pressing the key that
generates the appropriate answer, so the whole class can hear. The
family said that the device has greatly increased Peter's
independence and self-confidence. In fact, with the help of
Franklin, Peter has even been able to prepare and present an oral
report in class.
* Jim was 92 years old and had limited hearing, when members of his
family joined together to purchase a special Christmas gift for
him-a hearing device they learned about from DATI. Jim had
faithfully attended St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Smyrna for most
of his life. In recent years, he had resigned himself to sitting in
the back of the church because he could no longer hear the service.
After a visit to DATI, he was able to borrow a hearing enhancement
system and once again hear the service. The system was not ideal,
but it did convince Jim that he no longer had to live in a silent
world. DATI put him in touch with a vendor who had a product more
suited to his needs and, thanks to his family's Christmas gift, he
can now hear every word of the church service. He also uses the
system at home to communicate with guests or with his sister when
they are in different parts of the house. His sister and guests wear
a sending unit that enables him to hear through a receiving unit
that he wears.
* Dawn received a bachelor's degree in psychology and was interested
in pursuing a graduate degree in counseling, but because of her
cerebral palsy she expended too much energy trying to use a
traditional keyboard. Consulting DATI about a more efficient way to
complete her school work, Dawn learned of a voice-activated computer
system with the added features of word prediction and abbreviation
expansion. She also was able to compare several other systems and
find out about different costs. Using that information, the Delaware
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation will soon be purchasing a
voice-activated computer system.
* Lennon is a ninth-grader in the Lake Forest School District. He has
muscular dystrophy, which affects his ability to write. His family
and school contacted DATI to learn about accommodations that might
allow him to take notes more efficiently. The ATRC staff provided
information related to laptop computers and alternative keyboards,
offered equipment demonstrations and loans and assisted Lennon with
the setup and installation of the system that best met his needs.
* Liz is a 3-year-old with epileptic-acquired aphasia (the loss of the
ability to use and understand words). She has very limited
communication skills and, over a six-month period, her speech
pathologist conducted a communication assessment using several
communication devices borrowed from the ATRC. Her family also
contacted the center for information on computer hardware and
software to use with Mears at home. Funding for a communication
system was recently approved by Medicaid, and she will be getting a
state-of-the-art Dynavox speech output system with a color display.
* Jack is a 36-year-old who sustained a severe head injury 17 years
ago. He is interested in acquiring computer training to make better
use of his leisure time. He received information from the ATRC about
various computer systems, software packages and adapted keyboards,
and his occupational therapist used the services of ATRC to conduct
a search for age-appropriate software to meet Jack's needs. Jack
chose Intellikeys, an adapted keyboard that can be customized to the
abilities of the user. His mother reports that he uses his computer
at least four hours every day at home and that he is hoping to take
a word processing course soon.
* George was taking a word processing course but experiencing great
difficulty accessing the keyboard. Because of his cerebral palsy,
the 24-year-old's speech was nearly unintelligible. As a result of a
consultation with the ATRC, George received both a communication and
a computer access assessment. He is now receiving training on his
System 2000, a sophisticated communication system that he operates
by using a switch. The system also has an environmental control
unit, which will be of great assistance when he moves into his own
apartment.
* Artina is a 45-year-old interested in returning to work after a l0-
year absence. She sustained a spinal cord injury as a teenager, and
the resulting physical limitations caused her to be concerned about
how she could use a keyboard, especially since her major career
interests involve data entry. The ATRC staff provided information to
the Division of Rehabilitation about computer access alternatives.
After a computer access assessment, Artina is now receiving training
to improve her data entry skills. The agency providing the training
has purchased the alternative keyboard and trackball for Artina and
plans to use them with other trainees in the future.
For information on the ATRC in your county, call 651-6790 (voice)
or 651-6794 (TDD).
-Beth Thomas