Enabling Technology

CavesNotes

Avery’s Notes on Kevin Caves’ Talk





  • Kevin Caves
    • Instructor, Department of Biomedical Engineering
  • Augmentative and Alternative Communication Center
    • Goals of AAC:
      • Language
      • Communication
      • Participation
      • Social Memberships
      • Personal Needs
    • Communication is essential to life, and everyone deserves to be able to communicate regardless of their capabilities. AAC strives to take advantage of the capabilities available so the person can become part of society and not isolated.
    • AAC Users
      • All Ages
      • People with physical, sensory, cognitive impairments
      • Brain injuries
      • Cerebral Palsy
      • Autism
      • Neurological Diseases
      • Overall, people with various disabilities can benefit from AAC devices
    • Note that the needs of people with disabilities changes over time.
      • Children – learning how to communicate, play
      • Adolescents – learning in school, work, socializing
      • Adults (acquired disability) – how to go back to the life they lived before (normalcy).

  • Current Issues:
    • Improve linguistic load
      • Ex: Impact Emulator – uses scanning with word prediction and one switch to type (includes voice).
      • Issue: Very Slow (30 words/min for scanning). The user has to be very attentive in order not to miss the word or will waste time.
    • Improve Interface Performance Efficiency between AAC/IT systems.
      • Most systems can send text to PC
      • However difficult for these people to do???too technical
      • Want to remove access barriers

  • Communication Devices Presented to Assist with Communication:
    • Morse Code Box
    • Handheld Device (Windows CE operated) that uses pictures and video
    • Symbol-Based
    • Handheld Digitized Speaking Device that has preset phrases.
    • Talking Photo Album

Some of the devices are very sophisticated and may be difficult to operate, while others are easy to use.

  • Possible Projects:
    • Usability tests to develop prototypes (surveying)
    • Multimodal input systems (excluding direct select)
    • How to access particular interfaces such as Cell Phones, IM
    • Smarter Systems or systems that share or eliminate the user’s workload.
    • Expressive voice output (to reflect varying degrees of emotions)