Multi-Communication System for Physically Disabled PeopleUsing Raspberry Pi

Today to lead our life we needed to keep running with our quick materialistic world. We express our considerations, by speaking with various individuals in various languages and in various ways Therefore there effectively. In any case, it is troublesome for physically incapacitated individuals, for example, for example, dump, hard of hearing, visually impaired and deadened to express their considerations and thoughts. Is a need to develop such a concrete solution for physically disabled people which will results as a better communication media for them. The designed system resolves the said problems. (1) Dump people can express their thoughts by pressing keyboard buttons (2) When blind/deaf person speaks, Raspberry pi based device converts it into text and displays on screen. (3) The paralyzed people by wearing flex sensor glove can express their thoughts through feasible figure movement. All these activities are possible with a unique embedded system using raspberry pi and disabled people can lead their life peacefully and independently through smooth communication of their ideas and thoughts with their family members, friends and society

Health Technology Case Study 26: Assistive Devices for Severe Speech Impairments

A case study by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) that is "about the revolution in communication aids that has since changed the outlook for this population [nonspeaking population], its accomplishments to date, its promise for the future, and its problems" (p. 3)

Suggested approach for establishing a rehabilitation engineering information service for the state of California

An ever expanding body of rehabilitation engineering technology is developing in this country, but it rarely reaches the people for whom it is intended. The increasing concern of state and federal departments of rehabilitation for this technology lag was the stimulus for a series of problem-solving workshops held in California during 1977. As a result of the workshops, the recommendation emerged that the California Department of Rehabilitation take the lead in the development of a coordinated delivery system that would eventually serve the entire state and be a model for similar systems across the nation

Effectiveness of Morse Code as an Alternative Control Method for Powered Wheelchair Navigation

We applied Morse code as an alternative input method for powered wheelchair navigation to improve driving efficiency for individuals with physical disabilities. In lab trials performed by four testers, it demonstrated significant improvement in driving efficiency by reducing the driving time, compared to traditional single switch wheelchair navigation

Preservice Teacher Attitudes towards Nonvocal Individuals using High Technology Augmentative Communication Devices versus Low Technology Communication Boards

The attitudes of preservice teachers towards individuals who are nonvocal and using either a high technology augmentative communication (HAC) device or a low technology communication board were investigated. A rating scale was devised, consisting of three sub-scales. The three sub-scales measured preservice teachers' estimates of intelligence, academic potential, and social acceptance in the regular education setting. Reliability and validity were established through a pilot study. Preservice teachers viewed videotapes of children using either high technology or low technology augmentative communication devices and subsequently completed the rating scale based on the videotapes. Results indicated that preservice teachers perceived the same child as having greater academic and social acceptance potential when using high technology augmentative communication

Accessibility, Acceptance, and Equity: Examining Disability-Linked Health Disparities as Nursing and Communication Scholars

People with disabilities (PWD) experience health disparities, often related to contextual factors beyond the physical differences in body structure and function. The purpose of this article was to develop a research agenda for nursing and communication scholars that explores how developing accessible and empowering communication environments in healthcare contexts might mitigate disability-linked health disparities. We focused on two broad research objectives: developing both accessible communication environments and empowering communication environments in healthcare settings. Elements proposed as comprising accessible communication environments were: making health literacy accessible, addressing complex communication needs, and communicating the embodied experience of disability. Empowering communication environments were explored in light of various models of disability and their resultant effects on stigma and on promoting empowerment or disempowerment. Finally, an agenda for future research was proposed that considers: barriers to developing accessible communication environments, how communicative patterns in the patient-provider encounter create (dis)empowering communication environments, the ways in which providers draw upon models of disability in their actions with PWD, and the role that providers can play as allies for PWD

Use of electronic communication aids by temporarily nonvocal patients in the ICU

Purpose: To examine the enactment and progression of assistive and augmentative communication (AAC) device use by nonvocal intensive care unit (ICU) patients during nurse-patient communication over two days. Background: Patient-nurse communication in the ICU is a complex process. Endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy renders patients temporarily unable to speak. ICU nurses occupy a crucial role in facilitating patient communication. The Study of Patient-Nurse Effectiveness with Assisted Communication Strategies (SPEACS) presented basic communication skills training and training in electronic communication devices to nurses in two ICUs to improve communication with nonvocal patients. Methods: We used a descriptive multiple case study design and applied microanalytic communication coding with descriptive analysis using primarily qualitative techniques. A subset of patients (n = 9) who were physically (i.e., upper motor) and cognitively intact (RASS = 0, CAM-ICU negative for delirium), throughout all study observations was extracted from the SPEACS sample. The patients were > 21 years old, intubated, scored 13 on the Glasgow Coma Scale, and received a communication plan and electronic AAC device matched to patient ability and preference from a speech language pathologist. For two days directly after the plan was developed, the nurse-patient dyad was videotaped four times (twice daily) during routine care. The full-length videos (3:25-19:38 minutes) were coded for patient use of natural, low tech AAC, and high tech AAC communication modality; nurse facilitative behaviors/strategies; and patient communication topic. Results/Conclusion: Five patients used the high tech AAC device during observation; 4 patients did not. The Lightwriter device was most common (n=4) and most popular among the high tech AAC users. Nurse facilitative behaviors were observed with 7 dyads; positioning the high tech device appropriately was the most common facilitative behavior for patients who used high tech AAC. The most common topics were comfort care/needs, patient’s condition, and greetings/small talk. These were also common topics during high tech AAC communication. All patients used multiple communication modalities and used natural communication modalities most frequently. Although the pattern of AAC use over time differed among the patients, communication rates dropped in most (8/9) cases during session 4. This information regarding how patients use AAC devices may help nurses to better predict their patients’ communication needs and to facilitate effective communication