TalkingTiles: Supporting Personalization and Customization in an AAC App for Individuals with Aphasia

This is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in the Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Interactive Tabletops & Surfaces on the ACM Digital Library http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2817721.2817723The development of ‘Post-PC’ interactive surfaces, such as smartphones and tablets, and specialized support software informed by HCI research has created new opportunities for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tech- nologies. However, it is unclear to what degree these opportunities have been realized in practice. We conducted a field study to explore the use of one such application, TalkingTiles, by individuals with aphasia. Following a training session and one week of use, we conducted interviews with participants, their partners, and their caregivers at a local support facility. We found that TalkingTiles can be effective in supporting communication when used in concert with other communication methods, and when time can be invested in customizing the app. We discuss our findings, and implications for design with respect to customizability, simplicity, and the limitations of interactive surfaces in supporting communication

Experiencing EVA Park, A Multi-User Virtual World For People With Aphasia

Virtual worlds are used in wide-ranging ways by many people with long-term health conditions but their use by people with aphasia (PWA) has been limited. In contrast, this paper reports the use of EVA Park, a multi-user virtual world designed for PWA to practice conversations, focusing on people's emotional, social, and conversational experiences. An analysis of observation and interview data collected from 20 people with aphasia who participated in a 5 week therapy intervention revealed key themes related to user experience. The themes offer a rich insight into aspects of the virtual world experience for PWA that go beyond therapeutic outcomes. They are: affect (positive and negative), types of conversation, miscommunication and misunderstanding, immersion in the virtual world, social presence and initiative and flow. Overall, the study showed that participants experienced positive emotional and social outcomes. We argue that this was achieved as a consequence of EVA Park being not only accessible but also a varied and entertaining environment within which PWA experienced both the realistic and the quirky whilst engaging with others and having fun

Detecting Linguistic HCI Markers in an Online Aphasia Support Group

ABSTRACT Aphasia is an acquired language disorder resulting from trauma or injury to language areas of the brain. Despite extensive research on the impact of aphasia on traditional forms of communication, little is known about the impact of aphasia on computer-mediated communication (CMC). In this study we asked whether the welldocumented language deficits associated with aphasia can be detected in online writing of people with aphasia. We analyzed 150 messages (14,754 words) posted to an online aphasia support forum, by six people with aphasia and by four controls. Significant linguistic differences between people with aphasia and controls were detected, suggesting five putative linguistic HCI markers for aphasia. These findings suggest that interdisciplinary research on communication disorders and CMC has both applied and theoretical implications

An exploration of the friendship experiences of working-age adults with aphasia

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Aphasia impairs using and understanding language, and thus impacts on communication, identity and relationships. However, little research has investigated how people with aphasia understand friends and friendship. This Participatory Action Research (PAR) study explored how younger adults with aphasia experience friendship. Participants were 28 people with aphasia, some of whom were members of the Research Group. Data from 12 initial interviews in Phase 1 of the study led to a model of friendship and aphasia. This underpinned development of peer-led Friendship Events in Phase 2 of the study, after which 16 additional participants with aphasia were interviewed, contributing to elaboration of the model. Within the context of living with aphasia, which was central for all participants, eight inter-connected themes emerged. Friends could be anchors in a time of change and trusted stabilising influences while reconfiguring identity. Participants described the hard work of friendship, the place of communication in supporting friendship, and the challenge of equality within post-aphasia friendships. Time, humour and two-way flexibility were crucial in developing new kinds of friendship. Participants categorised a wide variety of relationships as friendship. These findings elucidate understandings of friendship loss and change as well as strategies to maintain friendship post-onset of aphasia. The study sheds new light on social connectedness and social support provided by friends, family and peers with aphasia. It emphasises the role of friendship in reconfiguring identity, and offers practical recommendations for harnessing the benefits of friends and friendship in life with aphasia. PAR methodology facilitated creation of accessible tools to support conversations and awareness-raising about friendship. The study highlights the strengths of relational methods for researching friendship and the transformative potential of doing PAR with marginalised groups such as people with aphasia

An Exploratory Study of Storytelling Using Digital Tabletops

Storytelling is a powerful means of communication that has been employed by humankind from the early stages of development. As technology has advanced, the medium through which people tell stories has evolved from verbal, to writing, performing on stage, and more recently television, movies, and video games. A promising medium for the telling of stories in an in-person, one-on-one or one-to-many setting is a digital table—a large, horizontal multi-touch surface—that can provide quick access to visuals and narrative elements at the touch of one’s hands and fingers. In this work, I present the results of an exploratory study on storytellers’ interaction behaviours while working with digital tables, and its physical counterparts of sand and water. My results highlight some of the differences in these media that can both help and hinder a storyteller’s narrative process. I use these findings to present design implications for the design of applications for storytelling on digital multi-touch surfaces

Exploring the contextualisation of methods in research synthesis: Three studies in dementia and communication

This thesis constitutes a programme of research to adapt and test three review methodologies. The methodologies include: a Scoping Review, a Meta Study and a Narrative Synthesis. The objective of methodological development was to create systematised processes for identifying suitable forms of communication for participants from contextualised research evidence and synthesis. Communication (data collection) methods are pivotal in understanding lived experience and representing views. The empirical focus of the thesis surrounds forms of alternative communication methods in the context of people with dementia. These alternative research methods are particularly important for participants who may not use verbal forms of communication as their primary method of interaction. The thesis proposes the introduction of a new review genre called ‘methods contextualisation’ which could assist reviewers in critiquing data collection methods and interpreting voices in research. The thesis is structured in three phases: development, implementation, and conceptualisation of the methodologies. Outcomes of the thesis produced both methodological and empirical findings. The adapted methodologies are presented as a typology, offering different forms of critical understanding about communication methods to influence future choice and use of those methods. Findings identify and synthesise relevant forms of knowledge. The thesis proposes methods contextualisation processes could be embedded into dementia theory, research and practice

Evaluating a technology-based reminiscence program on engagement and affect in respite aged care : time travelling with technology

With an aging population, there is greater focus in ensuring that aged care facilities are delivering high quality care. This is particularly important with the increase in aged related diseases, such as those that result in dementia. Previous research makes clear the value of meaningful activity, socialisation and engagement for wellbeing and quality of life for older adults. Reminiscence therapy (RT), is as well-established a non-pharmacological intervention, used to increase engagement in older adults. It actively involves stimulating conversation through discussion of past events and experiences. The theory behind RT is founded in person-centered care and meaningful activity. Person-centered care focuses on the needs of an individual and has an emphasis on interpersonal relationships. Through personal life events, autobiographical memories are recalled, which assist in creating a meaningful experience and connecting a person to their identity. Additionally, technological developments (such as sharing video/images) offer possible new methods for increased engagement in the RT approach. However, there is controversy in existing research as to the benefits of RT and there is limited understanding of the effect of RT when driven by digital technology. The aim of this thesis is to build on and refine previous research by conceptualizing and quantifying older adult engagement. It explores this through investigating the impact of an experimental framework Time Travelling with Technology (TTT) on the engagement of older adults in respite aged care. TTT is a dynamic, interactive and immersive, technology driven RT program, that enables older adults to travel to locations of their past and novel places of interest. The research objective of this thesis is to investigate the effect of technology driven group RT on older adult engagement. More specifically, the focus is primarily on characterising engagement of older adults in residential care. This will be achieved through a multi-dimensional approach to measuring behavioural markers as proxies of the concept of engagement. The dependent variables include facial movement, lexical use and prosodic patterns of speech. Potential covarying factors, such as cognitive capacity, will additionally be considered to further explain such relationships. The central research question addressed in this thesis is: To what extent does technology delivered through TTT impact the engagement of older adults in respite aged care

Identity and meaning-making in children with primary speech/language impairments

Primary speech and language impairment (PSLI) is a term used to describe children with a range of significant speech and language impairments, in the context of normal cognitive abilities. The aims of this thesis were firstly to explore identity construction in children with PSLI, and secondly to explore how these children made sense of their experiences. Narrative inquiry was used to conduct this study. The participants were 11 children aged 9-12 years-old, presenting with PSLI. The aim was to generate storied accounts of events and happenings in their lives using interviews, supplemented with visual methods. An innovative analytical framework was designed, drawing on a range of narrative analytical methods, including an analysis of verbal and nonverbal evaluation markers, cohesion markers, as well as an analysis of agency and identities presented in the children’s narratives. The key findings were four interrelated themes, which were conceptualised in a working model comprising facilitators and potential barriers to well-being and belonging. The four themes which contributed to well-being and belonging included: relationships; autonomy, agency, and competence; identities of belonging and difference; and hope and concern for the future. Facilitators of well-being and belonging were life events and experiences that the children evaluated in positive ways, whereas potential barriers were life events and experiences which they evaluated in negative ways. Although some children evaluated their experiences in mixed and sometimes contradictory ways, their evaluations were predominantly positive. This thesis contributes to the field in four ways. Firstly, it provides new insights into identity construction in children with PSLI. Secondly, it adds to understandings of ways in which children conceptualise communication impairment. Thirdly, it deepens understandings of the determinants of well-being and belonging in children with PSLI. Finally, this thesis highlights the value of narrative inquiry as a means for listening to the voices of children with communication impairments

Living With Dementia: How Do Literacy Practices Change Over A Lifetime?

People who have been diagnosed with dementia typically experience a progressive deterioration in cognitive function, memory, comprehension and language abilities. There is a substantial and established field of medical research which focuses on the language disorders associated with various types of dementia (Coltheart et al., 2010; Forbes et al., 2004; Glosser et al., 2002; Lambert et al., 2007; Rousseaux et al., 2010). However, this field of research tends to focus on language and literacy loss and deficits, and give little consideration to how people with dementia socially interact and the sociocultural contexts of their lives. This research project draws on perspectives from the New Literacy Studies that literacy is socially embedded in the practices of people’s everyday lives and understanding of knowledge and identity (Street, 2001), and explores how people with early stage dementia engage in everyday literacy practices (Barton & Hamilton, 1998, 2012). Using a life history approach, this study focuses on two older people in the United Kingdom who have been diagnosed with early stage dementia. Data was collected using a series of semi-structured interviews with the research participants with dementia, along with members of their families who have an integral role in their day to day lives. The interviews have produced autobiographical accounts which review engagement in a range of literacy practices throughout their lives and also explores more recent changes to engagement in literacy practices since dementia has become part of their lives. The personal narratives have also provided a way for dementia to be explored using a social lens which contextualises the lived experience of dementia for families; provides a way for self-identities to be preserved and gives a voice to people with dementia who can often feel they are “silenced” (Ward, Campbell & Keady, 2014, p.64); have an “excluded voice” (Wilkinson, 2002, p.9); or they are “invisible” (MacRae, 2011, p.446)