Figure 4 - uploaded by Gregg Vanderheiden
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"The Talking Brooch," a wearable communication aid, was designed for individuals who could not talk but could type on a keyboard held in the hand.
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... early systems gave way to transistorized sys- tems, including systems operating through EMG (Gen- eral Man-Machine Interface, or GMMI) (Figure 3) and even a pocket display which was operated via a key- board and called "The Talking Brooch" (Newell 1973) (Figure 4). The Talking Brooch and a communication device created by Toby Churchill called Lightwriter were probably the first portable communication aids, and the Talking Brooch is almost certainly the first wear- able communication aid. ...
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This letter introduces a new inductive tongue computer interface to be used by disabled people for environmental control. The interface demands little effort from the user, provides a basis for an invisible interface, and has potential to allow a large number of commands to be facilitated.
Citations
... The most commonly used AAC tool is the transparent text board, which uses letters, pictures, or symbols to facilitate communication. Caregivers rotate the board and identify the text by pointing, reading aloud, and observing the user's facial expressions, while users transmit their commands by pointing or gazing at the content [83,96]. With the development and increased availability of technology, different evolutions of these traditional boards have been created, integrating interface modalities ranging from switches [30,87], gaze-based input [8,31], brain-machine interfaces [18,66], and more recently generative AI models [20,78], to accommodate different input capabilities and allow for independent communication without the need for an external assistant. ...
Individuals with upper limb movement limitations face challenges in interacting with others. Although robotic arms are currently used primarily for functional tasks, there is considerable potential to explore ways to enhance users' body language capabilities during social interactions. This paper introduces an Augmented Body Communicator system that integrates robotic arms and a large language model. Through the incorporation of kinetic memory, disabled users and their supporters can collaboratively design actions for the robot arm. The LLM system then provides suggestions on the most suitable action based on contextual cues during interactions. The system underwent thorough user testing with six participants who have conditions affecting upper limb mobility. Results indicate that the system improves users' ability to express themselves. Based on our findings, we offer recommendations for developing robotic arms that support disabled individuals with body language capabilities and functional tasks.
... The research field of AAC developed primarily in the United States from 1980 onwards and was still in its infancy in Germany at the time of Stefan's childhood. The engineer Gregg Vanderheiden, himself a protagonist of the new movement in his capacity as director of the Trace Research and Development Center on Communication, Control, and Computer Access for Handicapped Individuals at the University of Maryland, has described how AAC emerged from the fusion of three previously independent technologies or research areas: 'electromechanical communication and writing devices (typewriters with script output), research into the general language acquisition of children, and communication and languageboards' (just like Stefan's Bliss board).30 The interdisciplinary research field of computer-aided communication was established in 1983 at the latest with the founding of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communications (ISAAC). ...
The article presents a case study on the history of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in West Germany from the 1980s to the early 2000s, with a regional focus on the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). The conceptual framework guiding this study is the question of how the meaning and individual experience of assistance evolve in conjunction with the technical development and practical use of speech computers. The article sheds light on the interplay between historical contingency and individual socio-technical situatedness of disabled AAC-users. It brings together two disciplinary perspectives in a dialogue based on interviews, published primary sources, and the description of historical hardware and software. Biographical narratives of AAC users in NRW are combined with a media archaeological case study of the institutional and technological formations and developments of AAC in the region. We discuss assistive technologies as a historically variable phenomenon. Assistance is a precarious undertaking that is constantly renegotiated by new technological developments. Each stage of assistive technology has consequences for everyday communication practices and the provision of communicative assistance, creating possibilities and impossibilities for the use of technology. For AAC users, this means that they find themselves in specific constellations that affect both their relationship with the device and their subjective preferences and established routines. We argue that so-called assistive technologies are involved in the co-constitution of disability, and therefore suggest referring to them as ‘assistive media.’
... In fact, the practice goes back roughly a century with examples such as the communication board designed for and with F. Hall Roe, who had cerebral palsy. This board was reportedly created in the 1920s and (Vanderheiden, 2002 The term first appeared in one of the presentations at the workshop, and then later was used in a chapter in a book that resulted from the workshop (Schiefelbusch, 1980). Next, David proceeded to champion the field in the halls and committee rooms of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA), working in subsequent years to make AAC a legitimate part of the speech-language pathology profession rather than a career-ending threat. ...
... Data on the prevalence of specifically high-tech AAC is limited, however there will be an increase in the number of individuals requiring AAC interventions [9,107,135]. Also, there has been sustained academic research into high-tech AAC devices and interventions since the formation of the International Society for AAC (ISAAC) in 1983 and the AAC journal in 1985 [155,183]. Since then, high-tech AAC has been developed to support wide age ranges [106] and serve many communities [135]. In many cases, high-tech AAC devices and interventions have contributed to positive and successful outcomes for individuals with CCNs whilst advances in computer technology, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) hold much promise for future high-tech AAC [140,185]. ...
... Surveys and questionnaires (N=65, 15.7%) have been regularly deployed to assess over large groups of users and gain an understanding of potential patterns and commonalities [168]. Furthermore, surveys enable high-tech AAC users to communicate at there preferred rates without feeling pressure to provide feedback quickly [133] and AAC is a well established community with foundations/charities with extensive mailing lists [47,121,183]. Focus groups (N=21, 5.1%) and workshops (N=4, 1%) feature quite lowly -due to the complexities of gaining feedback from users with communication barriers [16,90]. ...
... Some solutions explore the use of alternative human-computer interfaces. Vanderheide, (2002) proposed an AAC system integrated to a webcam computer that captures the movements of the head in order to select symbols on the screen. The system develops the construction, validation and transmission of messages based on symbols and synthesised speech. ...
... Some solutions explore the use of alternative human-computer interfaces. Vanderheide, (2002) proposed an AAC system integrated to a webcam computer that captures the movements of the head in order to select symbols on the screen. The system develops the construction, validation and transmission of messages based on symbols and synthesised speech. ...
... In 1990, the Americans with Disability Act is legislated and in 1998, Section 508 requires information technology is made accessible to people with disabilities. Stakeholders, including the Trace Center, now promotes a more proactive approach to accessibilitymoving away from third-party add-ons to provide out-of-the-box accessibility at no extra cost to users [20]. We start thinking about accessibility as something to be designed from the start. ...
Over the last decades, the field of computer science has moved from specialized adaptations and add-on assistive technologies, toward universal solutions catering to a diverse set of user needs. Two paradigm shifts have arguably occurred on this journey: 1) a shift in disability perspective (from a medical model to a psychosocial and situated model) and 2) a shift from reactive accessibility efforts to proactive inclusive design efforts. In addition, we have changed our perception of the end-user (from ‘Mr. Average’ to situated individuals), have expanded our disciplinary epistemologies (from positivist objective knowledge to critical and empathic qualitative insights), and changed the way we build digital solutions (from plan-based with little user contact to iterative with high user contact). This article tells the story of this journey, and how these shifts have all influenced the way we think today. We argue that different ways of thinking about and arguing for universal design today are not necessary confrontations – but can be seen as evolvements over time to complement the different societal systems in which we are designing.
... In 1990, the Americans with Disability Act is legislated and in 1998, Section 508 requires information technology is made accessible to people with disabilities. Stakeholders, including the Trace Center, now promotes a more proactive approach to accessibilitymoving away from third-party add-ons to provide out-of-the-box accessibility at no extra cost to users [20]. We start thinking about accessibility as something to be designed from the start. ...
This paper discusses how organisations pro-actively can ensure compliance with disciplinary best practice and regulations on Universal Design (UD) of ICT. We apply system-oriented design to analyse and engineer organisational compliance. The focus is on how best practice – disclosed in theory on how to design for UD, as well as coming regulatory updates – relate to current practices and systems theory on where in a system to intervene in order to change systems most effectively. The aim is a blueprint for a compliant, stable and improved organizational system. The case for the study is the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV). The work presented is part of ongoing strategic work on UD for NAV. Two contributions are made; 1) a discussion on the success of the utilized approach to inform strategic work on intervention points, and 2) recommended system mechanisms for NAV and similar organizations in order to meet the intention of the UD legislation and current quality benchmarks.
... Children with severe speech and physical impairment (SSPIs) have limited opportunities for social interaction owing to the disabling interplay of their physical impairments and environmental barriers. In the 1960's, early electronic communication devices emerged as a way of supporting adults with acquired disorders, such as stroke, to replace or augment natural verbal speech through the option of electronic speech [29]. This same logic was then adopted for creating technologies for children with communication disabilities and it continues to underpin the design of contemporary augmentative and alternative (AAC) devices to date. ...
This paper shows how design documentaries can motivate new perspectives for design and disability. We critically consider the ways in which design documentaries can foreground children's lived experiences and priorities, in cases where it is not always possible to involve children early on in the design process. By presenting a design case for supporting communication that involves children with severe speech and physical impairments and their social peers, we discuss how this narrative method can evoke designer empathy and guide new interpretations. Our findings show that design documentaries can convey to designers rich and multifaceted accounts of children's communication experiences. Although this is found to be generative, we also identify a tension with a bodily impairment understanding of disability. Drawing on reflections from our case study, we propose new methodological implications for embedding design documentaries in the design process of technologies for disability.
... Children with severe speech and physical impairment (SSPIs) have limited opportunities for social interaction owing to the disabling interplay of their physical impairments and environmental barriers. In the 1960's, early electronic communication devices emerged as a way of supporting adults with acquired disorders, such as stroke, to replace or augment natural verbal speech through the option of electronic speech [29]. This same logic was then adopted for creating technologies for children with communication disabilities and it continues to underpin the design of contemporary augmentative and alternative (AAC) devices to date. ...
This paper shows how design documentaries can motivate new perspectives for design and disability. We critically consider the ways in which design documentaries can foreground children's lived experiences and priorities, in cases where it is not always possible to involve children early on in the design process. By presenting a design case for supporting communication that involves children with severe speech and physical impairments and their social peers, we discuss how this narrative method can evoke designer empathy and guide new interpretations. Our findings show that design documentaries can convey to designers rich and multifaceted accounts of children's communication experiences. Although this is found to be generative, we also identify a tension with a bodily impairment understanding of disability. Drawing on reflections from our case study, we propose new methodological implications for embedding design documentaries in the design process of technologies for disability.
