Lost Voices, Gained Hope
Computer Science Class Designs iPad Application for Boy Who Can't Speak.
So many people, including myself, take communication for granted. No one really realizes just how important it is and how often we use it in every day life. Everything we do on a daily basis revolves around communicating with others, the world around us and utilizing our five basic senses. So imagine what it would be like not to be able to speak? Not to be able to express to your loved ones how and what exactly you are feeling?
Although we are left imagining, it is a reality for so many people including this five year old boy, Victor Pauca. The boy has a rare genetic disorder called Pitt Hopkins Syndrome that delays development of several skills including his ability to speak. Pauca’s father Paul, a professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, enlisted the help of his computer science class to discover a way for him to communicate with those around him. The class after much trial and error successfully developed an iPad application; they appropriately named VerbalVictor, which transforms the iPad touch screen into a communication tool. The app allows caregivers to take pictures, which then act as “buttons,” and record phrases that relate to the pictures on the screen. When Victor touches a picture, such as a picture of the backyard, the appropriate sentence will play for example, “I want to go outside and play.” Victor’s parents and teachers then know what exactly it is that the boy wants to do or how he is feeling. Another feature of the application is that the user, such as the child’s parent or guardian, records the phrases so it’s not a robotic voice that the child is unfamiliar with. The application is not the first program of its kind but is significantly more affordable than others that are available. There were no direct costs of development because the hardware, iPad and iPhone, already exist and the work was done as part of a class.
The application is now available for purchase in Apple’s iTunes store for only 10 dollars while other programs of the same type may cost thousands. This is only one of many applications that are becoming available for people with disabilities. The category is expanding so fast that Apple has created a separate listing for the applications and more are added each week including, Sign4Me, a sign language tutor that uses an animated avatar to teach people how to sign.
As of May 2009 there was an estimated 48 million Americans with a disability, with arthritis quickly taking the lead. This article affected me personally since I found out in 2007 that my father is legally blind and his condition is only worsening. It puts joy in my heart to see that there are people out there trying to help and that technology is not only evolving but becoming more affordable and reasonable with each day that passes. If there is someone in your family with a disability do not lose hope and realize that if there isn’t already someone or something out there to help them that you can make the difference.
Remember, “Memories and loneliness look backward. Fear looks around. Faith always looks forward.”- E. Lynn Harris
-Alisha Mychele
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This is such a cool article. We get so far removed from the purpose of innovation and technology that it's nice to see things like this. Great post!
ReplyDelete-Julie Verdes