Angela+S

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The Eyegaze Communication System is a communication and control system for people with complex physical disabilities. It is used by children and adults who have cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, brainstem stroke, brian injury, ALS, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy. It is amazing how this piece of assistive technology actually works! There is a camera on the screen that looks at the users eyes and it can tell where on the screen the user is looking. There are two infrared lights on the front of the computer and the camera looks for the reflection of these lights off of the users eyes. The screen itself is divided into a grid that is made of lots of different cells. Each cell contains either a word, letter, number, picture, or phrase. The user then stares at a word or phrase for a certain amount of time and the computer knows he/she is looking at that particular cell and will repeat out loud what the user is looking at. This is such an amazing way for disabled people to communicate! My dads best friend is in the final stages of ALS and he has lost full control of his complete body, except for his mind. If advanced technology like this would not be provided for him he would no longer be able to communicate in any sort of way. But thankfully he has this system and can still be a part of our conversations and can communicate with his friends and family. The only downside to this particular system is that it will not function in full sunlight. Because it is run by the two infrared lights on the front of the computer, sunlight would confuse the system and give inaccurate results. Users have said that the system will function outside as long as they are in a shaded area. Overall, I think Assistive Tech is incredible and it so amazing that we can now give people with severe disabilities a chance to learn and communicate.