Use of an agile bridge in the development of assistive technology

Engaging with end users in the development of assistive technologies remains one of the major challenges for researchers and developers in the field of accessibility and HCI. Developing usable software systems for people with complex disabilities is problematic, software developers are wary of using user-centred design, one of the main methods by which usability can be improved, due to concerns about how best to work with adults with complex disabilities, in particular Severe Speech and Physical Impairments (SSPI) and how to involve them in research. This paper reports on how the adoption of an adapted agile approach involving the incorporation of a user advocate on the research team helped in meeting this challenge in one software project and offers suggestions for how this could be used by other development teams

Evaluating Camera Mouse as a computer access system for augmentative and alternative communication in cerebral palsy: a case study

PUPRPOSE: Individuals with disabilities, who do not have reliable motor control to manipulate a standard computer mouse, require alternate access methods for complete computer access and for communication as well. The Camera Mouse system visually tracks the movement of selected facial features using a camera to directly control the mouse pointer of a computer. Current research suggests that this system can successfully provide a means of computer access and communication for individuals with motor impairments. However, there are no existing data on the efficacy of the software’s communication output capabilities. The goal of this case study is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of Camera Mouse as a computer access method for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for an individual with cerebral palsy, who prefers to use her unintelligible dysarthric speech to communicate her desires and thoughts despite having access to a traditional AAC system. METHOD: The current study compared the Camera Mouse system, the Tobii PCEye Mini (a popular commercially available eye tracking device) paired with speech generating technology, and natural speech using a variety of tasks in a single dysarthric speaker. Tasks consisted of two questionnaires designed to measure psychosocial impact and satisfaction with assistive technology, two sentence intelligibility tasks that were judged by 4 unfamiliar listeners, and two language samples designed to measure expressive language. Each task was completed three times—once for each communication modality in question: natural speech, Camera Mouse-to-speech system, and Tobii eye tracker-to- speech system. Participant responses were recorded and transcribed. RESULTS: Data were analyzed in terms of psychosocial effects, user satisfaction, communication efficiency (using intelligibility and rate), and various measures of expressive output ability, to determine which modality offered the highest communicative aptitude. Measures showed that when paired with an orthographic selection interface and speech-generating device, the Camera Mouse and Tobii eye tracker resulted in greatly increased intelligibility. However, natural speech was superior to assistive technology options in all other measures, including psychosocial impact, satisfaction, communication efficiency, and several expressive language components. Though results indicate that use of the Tobii eye tracker resulted in a slightly higher rate and intelligibility, the participant reported increased satisfaction and psychosocial impact when using the novel Camera Mouse access system. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to provide quantitative information regarding the efficiency, psychosocial impact, user satisfaction, and expressive language capabilities of Camera Mouse as a computer access system for AAC. This study shows promising results for Camera Mouse as a functional access system for individuals with disabilities and for future AAC applications as well.2018-08-28T00:00:00

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) advances: A review of configurations for individuals with a speech disability

High-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods are on a constant rise; however, the interaction between the user and the assistive technology is still challenged for an optimal user experience centered around the desired activity. This review presents a range of signal sensing and acquisition methods utilized in conjunction with the existing high-tech AAC platforms for individuals with a speech disability, including imaging methods, touch-enabled systems, mechanical and electro-mechanical access, breath-activated methods, and brain–computer interfaces (BCI). The listed AAC sensing modalities are compared in terms of ease of access, affordability, complexity, portability, and typical conversational speeds. A revelation of the associated AAC signal processing, encoding, and retrieval highlights the roles of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) in the development of intelligent AAC solutions. The demands and the affordability of most systems hinder the scale of usage of high-tech AAC. Further research is indeed needed for the development of intelligent AAC applications reducing the associated costs and enhancing the portability of the solutions for a real user’s environment. The consolidation of natural language processing with current solutions also needs to be further explored for the amelioration of the conversational speeds. The recommendations for prospective advances in coming high-tech AAC are addressed in terms of developments to support mobile health communicative applications

Assistive Technology For Hearing and Speech Disorders

Many individuals with hearing loss will need rehabilitation in order to live maximally productive lives. As such, they need a variety of assistive technologies that provide them with improved access to information thereby enhancing their communication capabilities in a wide variety of environments. Most devices either provide sound amplification or alternate ways to access information through vision and /or vibration. These technologies can be grouped into three general categories. Within each main category, there are subcategories based on different purposes or the intended audiences when utilizing the technology. The overall goal of these devices is improved accessibility to information as close as possible to that enjoyed by individuals without speech and language disorders. The paper discusses the assistive technology for those with hearing impairment. Keywords: Assistive Listening Device, Hearing Technology, Alerting Devices, Communication Suppor

Family and cultural issues in AT service delivery

Effective assistive technology planning and decision making for children and youth with disabilities should include careful consideration of family and cultural factors. Inclusion of the family when considering assistive technology needs of the child is the key to identifying important family and cultural perspectives that can “make or break” the successful integration of assistive technology in the home, school, and community. Despite the recognition that families should be integral to the AT decision-making process, family and professional partnerships have often been difficult to establish in practice. Cultural and language barriers may compound the difficulty of forging a strong connection between families and professionals. Families from different cultural backgrounds may be less inclined to participate in the process of considering assistive technology for their child for a variety of reasons, such as lack of knowledge about assistive technology, attitudes held by professionals, and differing cultural perspectives about assistive technology. This month’s discussion experts, Phil Parette and Tom Nurse, will answer your questions and share their experience and knowledge about family and cultural issues in AT decision making. They will also offer strategies for educational professionals to develop more family-centered AT practices

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS - A LITERATURE-BASED ASSESSMENT AND IMPLICATIONS OF DIFFERENT CONVERSATION PHASES AND CONTEXTS

Even though AAC systems and corresponding AI approaches have been investigated in the extant research, they still show remarkable drawbacks, resulting in a low prevalence among speech-impaired individuals. As the suggestions and adaptions proposed by AI within AAC systems may show insufficiencies in certain situations (e.g., unreliable suggestions, low conversational rates, unauthentic adaptions towards the users), we aim to take a more up-close look at the conversations, especially the conversational contexts and conversation phases in which the supporting AI is applied. Therefore, we have conducted a Systematic Literature Review as well as Literature Analysis. Thereby, we could reveal that there are indeed several gaps within the extant research on AI regarding the coverage of the conversational context “informativeness” and the conversation phases “beginning” and “closing”. To dismantle the existing communication barriers that speech-impaired individuals suffer from, several implications for investigating AI in the context of AAC systems are derived and proposed for future (IS) research