Multimodal and ubiquitous computing systems: supporting independent-living older users

We document the rationale and design of a multimodal interface to a pervasive/ubiquitous computing system that supports independent living by older people in their own homes. The Millennium Home system involves fitting a resident’s home with sensors – these sensors can be used to trigger sequences of interaction with the resident to warn them about dangerous events, or to check if they need external help. We draw lessons from the design process and conclude the paper with implications for the design of multimodal interfaces to ubiquitous systems developed for the elderly and in healthcare, as well as for more general ubiquitous computing applications

Ability-Based Methods for Personalized Keyboard Generation

This study introduces an ability-based method for personalized keyboard generation, wherein an individual's own movement and human-computer interaction data are used to automatically compute a personalized virtual keyboard layout. Our approach integrates a multidirectional point-select task to characterize cursor control over time, distance, and direction. The characterization is automatically employed to develop a computationally efficient keyboard layout that prioritizes each user's movement abilities through capturing directional constraints and preferences. We evaluated our approach in a study involving 16 participants using inertial sensing and facial electromyography as an access method, resulting in significantly increased communication rates using the personalized keyboard (52.0 bits/min) when compared to a generically optimized keyboard (47.9 bits/min). Our results demonstrate the ability to effectively characterize an individual's movement abilities to design a personalized keyboard for improved communication. This work underscores the importance of integrating a user's motor abilities when designing virtual interfaces.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

Writing supports for older students with significant disabilities: examining two students\u27 journeys towards becoming writers

This study describes the changes in linguistic and social communicative competencies that occurred when two older students with significant disabilities where provided with writing opportunities, instruction, and supports over a semester of the academic year. The goals of the study were to identify themes and patterns in the skills associated with linguistic and social communicative competence as evidenced in writing over time. A second aim of this study was to identify instruction methods and assistive technology supports being used in the classroom and describes the themes and patterns that emerged in the students’ writing given the presence of these curriculum components. Video and writing samples from the two students were collected and analyzed using a checklist of selected linguistic and social skills from the formal assessment, Augmentative and Alternative Communication Profiles. The checklist was determined to be not sensitive to the subtle changes in linguistic and social communication competence skills that were seen over time frame of this study. Themes of engagement with the writing process and access methods became evident and were explored. Instruction and opportunities in the areas of revision and writing for different audiences and purposes were identified as critical components of the writing process that were not addressed consistently for the two participants studied. Overall, the two students in this study demonstrated improvements in linguistic and social communication skills with the addition of writing instruction and support

Developing a Tool to Analyze Communication Access in Restaurants for Individuals Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Communication accessibility has been defined by many scholars and organizations, but it is generally described as clear communication that everyone can access and understand. The objective of this research thesis is to create a tool for assessing communication accessibility for people who use augmentative and alternative communication (PWUAAC) within a variety of restaurant settings. Through a two-part study, researchers interviewed 5 adults who use AAC (Study A) and created a survey rated by an additional 10 adults who use AAC (i.e., Study B). The interviews from Study A were qualitatively coded and revealed common communication accessibility themes that restaurants and restaurant staff were not implementing, such as direct communication, respect, and ample wait and response time. This information from the interviews, alongside current AAC research literature and communication accessibility guidelines from organizations in other countries, was used to create a checklist to evaluate the communication accessibility of restaurants. In Study B, a survey was created for participants to evaluate the content of the checklist. Results from Study B indicated communication accessibility topics of high and low priority, which were utilized to scale down the length of the checklist. The implications of the final checklist from the survey include its potential usage in training restaurant staff and management to utilize communication accessibility tips and features to increase the communication accessibility of the restaurant patrons they serve, especially for individuals who use AAC

Effects of a Mixed-Mode Instructional Program on the Communicative Turns of Preschoolers with Down syndrome who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Children with Down syndrome are at increased risk for a variety of deficits, including those in the area of speech, language, and literacy. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have historically focused on building children\u27s verbal and signed vocabulary, but these efforts do not always result in significant changes in children\u27s functional communication. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and interventions have been recommended by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association as appropriate options for facilitating functional communication skills with children with Down syndrome ([American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2010; New York State Department of Health [NYSDOH], 2006). In spite of these recommendations, there exists a critical shortage of SLPs who are clinically competent in providing necessary AAC services to children with Down syndrome (Edgar & Rosa-Lugo, 2007; Light, McNaughton, Drager, Roberts, & Wilson, 2004). As a result, families of children with varying disabilities, including Down syndrome report high levels of stress related to accessing important professional expertise and intervention for their children (Dabrowska & Pisula, 2010). Researchers and clinicians alike must consider alternative treatment delivery options that are responsive to the needs of families and children with complex communication needs (Cirrin et al., 2010; Light & McNaughton, 2015). A telepractice service delivery model has been documented to ease burdens felt by families when attempting to access rehabilitative services (Gladden, 2013). Telepractice involves the use of technology to connect clinicians and clients at a distance for the purposes of assessment, intervention, or consultation (Theodoros, 2011). An expanding body of research promotes the use of telepractice service delivery within AAC to address the needs of both children and families. One evidence-based AAC intervention of interest is communication partner instruction. Communication partner instruction, even in small doses, has been proven to be an effective method for providing parents and children with complex communication needs, specifically children with Down syndrome, access to necessary intervention (Kent-Walsh, Murza, Malani, & Binger, 2015). Partner instruction involves educating those critical stakeholders who surround the child most frequently (e.g., parents, educators, educational assistants) to recognize and respond to children\u27s communicative signals and to create opportunities for children to participate in the conversation (Pennington, Goldbart, & Marshall, 2004). Despite the evidence supporting the use of communication partner instruction, SLPs continue to struggle with implementation in billable contexts (Ogletree, 2013). SLPs in the United States often operate in a billable context, where the client must be actively involved in the therapy session in order for practitioners to receive reimbursement from insurance companies for time spent with clients. This issue has served as a barrier to use of communication partner instruction, as currently accepted research-validated models use introductory parent sessions independent of the children\u27s learning to teach partner skills. Therefore, the current investigation examined the effects of a communication partner instruction using a mixed-mode service delivery model, which incorporated face-to-face and telepractice sessions, as well as a billable context. The focus of the protocol was on educating parents in one aided language strategy using a communication partner instruction program incorporating continuous child involvement and a mixed-mode service-delivery model, including both face-to-face and telepractice intervention components (e.g., Skype/FaceTime), to address the need for interventions which consider stressors faced by families when attempting to access evidence-based AAC intervention. The study utilized a single-case, multiple-probe experimental design across three parent-child dyads. Baseline, intervention, generalization, and maintenance phases were used to investigate the efficacy of the nine-session intervention. Visual analysis and Improvement Rate Difference (IRD) analyses indicated that the intervention was highly effective in increasing parents\u27 use of the target strategy and children\u27s communicative turntaking during shared storybook reading. One-hundred percent of parent participants increased their performance from baseline to post-intervention (IRD = 1.0), and all parents maintained these levels of achievement during the maintenance phase (IRD = 1.0). Similarly, children increased their frequency of communicative turns from baseline to post-intervention (IRD = 1.0), and all children participants maintained these levels of turntaking during the maintenance phase (IRD = 1.0), as well as during a novel book series (IRD = 1.0). These findings suggest that the mixed-mode service delivery model, which includes both face-to-face and telepractice sessions, as well as continuous child involvement is an effective method for increasing parents\u27 use of a target strategy and children\u27s frequency of multimodal communicative turns. Clinical and professional implications, as well as future directions for research are discussed