For Peter G., assistive technology
offers people with disabilities a game-winning Hail Mary pass; the
problem is that more people need the chance to get in that end zone.
In
1988, Peter G. became disabled and had to withdraw from Bates College
six weeks before his expected graduation. For the next eleven years,
homebound and in bed, Pete relied on his parents for most of his needs,
and experienced profound social isolation. As an avid sports fan, he said, "It felt like the game was over."
That was before he learned about assistive technology.
This
past October, Pete won the AT Industry Association's AT video YouTube
contest. His video, "My Assistive Technology (AT) Success Story,"
includes a reference to Doug Flutie throwing a Hail Mary pass from the
48 yard line. "This game is over," declares the announcer, before
erupting, astonished, at Boston College's unexpected win. That moment,
Pete explained in a recent phone interview, is a metaphor for his own
experience. Learning about AT provided him that same transformative
moment. Turns out it wasn't "game over" after all." I
was looking for meal services, talking on the phone to MRC [the
Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission], when the man asked me, 'would
you like a voice activated computer?' And I was, "Excuse me? Did you
say 'voice activated'?!"
Today
Pete uses multiple forms of voice activated technology. Pete has many
of the limitations of someone who is quadriplegic and the technology helps him be
independent on a level that had previously been impossible. A Quartet
Technology Environmental Control Unit (ECU) allows him to manage his
living environment (hospital bed, lights, television, drapes, computer
monitor); the voice recognition software Dragon Naturally Speaking
provides him with comprehensive computer access. And computer access
has enabled him to create a website for his family's business, write
articles on AT for newsletters and magazines, and effectively tear down
his social isolation.
"Before
AT became a part of my life, I was merely existing," Pete calmly
reports in his video. "Now, thanks to AT, I am truly living."
On
the phone Pete admits that an important hurdle remains: finishing that
Bates College degree. Until recently, Bates College didn't accept
online course credits, his best bet for finishing those incompletes.
"And until recently I didn't have the technology to follow through
anyway."
His
technology hurdle was a problem with Dragon Naturally Speaking. Dragon
is powerful software that enables Peter's computer to respond to
customized voice commands, providing a hands free operation that is
nearly as efficient as conventional computer access. Dragon's principal
weakness, however, is its tendency to freeze up. It's a problem that
required Peter to reboot multiple times a day, over a hundred times a
month, each time requiring help from his parents. "Under those
conditions I couldn't really imagine signing up for online college
courses or taking online exams," he explains on the phone.
In
his video, Pete doesn't get personal. We don't learn much about his
disability and he never mentions those unfinished college credits. "I
didn't want to distract from the AT," he explained on the phone. "The
AT is the point."
Indeed,
the unique strength of his video is his demonstration of the innovative
and pragmatic way he now gets around Dragon's weakness. Pete and his
Easter Seals AT specialist, Eric Oddleifson, solved the problem by
installing ViaVoice, back-up voice recognition software. Together they
learned that ViaVoice can co-exist with Dragon in sleep mode when
Dragon is operable. When Dragon freezes, Pete can wake up ViaVoice and
use it, along with a HandiEye hands-free mouse emulator and a Logitech
QuickCam, to reboot his computer and get Dragon moving again. "Now," he
reports, "I need my parents, maybe, once a month." And, "Yes," he
confirms, "I am researching online college courses."
Pete's
video won the ATIA's Grand Prize: an all-expenses-paid trip to attend
the ATIA 2009 Chicago Conference at the Renaissance Schaumberg Hotel
and Conference Center. He also won the Member Physical Access/Mobility
Special Interest Group Award: a $400.00 visa gift card. Pete was unable
to attend the conference, but donated his conference winnings to the
Easter Seals AT department.
The
rewards for entering ATIA's contest go far beyond the prizes, however.
Winning the competition was partially dependent on the number of views
Pete could generate to his YouTube video. To help, Easter Seals spread
the word, and the provider of his personal care attendant (PCA) sent an
announcement on their listserv. Pete also got the word out through his
Bates College e-zine, through Facebook to college friends, and through
his father's fraternity brother network. "People were amazed by the
technology. Many didn't know anything like that existed. I had over 300
hits from my college newsletter, and over 100 hits on the PCA network,
all with similar comments. Even people working with people with
disabilities didn't know much about AT."
Which,
for the ATIA, is the whole point. "Since our inception 10 years ago,"
asserts Executive Director David Dikter in his press release, "the
overarching goal of ATIA has been to educate and create awareness about
assistive technology and the enhanced benefits and opportunities it
brings to people with disabilities."
But
for Pete, AT is really much more. It turns Game Over to a game-winning
Hail Mary Pass. "It's what motivates me. To help more people achieve
unexpected success."
Learn more: Read Tips from Pete at the Easterseals-MA website. To view Pete's video as well as the 28 other video contest entries visit this ATIA video contest web page.
Have a success story you wish you had time to write? ATPN can draft a profile that your program's
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