ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 30, 1996 TAG: 9601300058
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Home With Technology
SOURCE: DAVID BUTLER
Q: I have a niece who is quadriplegic. Like other teen-agers, she enjoys listening to the radio, watching TV and talking on the phone. However, she must rely on a sitter to take care of mundane tasks such as turning on the lights and making phone calls. How can I adapt home control technology to accommodate her specific limitations?
A: Adapting technology to assist someone who is disabled is a compelling and rewarding endeavor. However, high prices have kept assistive technology beyond the reach of many who need it - that is, until now. With a few modifications, competitively priced home control products are capable of serving people with even the most serious physical limitations.
In particular, the user interface must match a person's specific abilities and limitations. The user interface is the method by which we interact with a product or controller, something most of us take for granted. However, someone who can't see would have little use for an on-screen menu. Likewise, a hand-held remote can't help someone whose hands and fingers are paralyzed.
A wide variety of special-purpose switches and actuators are available that take advantage of whatever motion a person is capable of. Most function as dual-position controls - for example, an up/down tongue paddle, a sip/puff switch, or an up/down chin switch. With one or more dual-position controls, your niece can operate just about anything electrical or electronic.
An inexpensive power line carrier system is ideal for turning on lights and appliances. However, a switch for each product would be impractical. One way around this is to use a "scanning" controller - a special console with a row of LEDs. Each LED lights in sequence, "tagging" individual control options. The user selects a product by activating a switch as the desired option is tagged.
Many consumer products come with a full-featured remote control, capable of handling more than simple on/off commands. The trick is finding a way to adapt them to work with dual-position switches. One company produces a "keyless" universal remote: Instead of buttons, it accepts input from an external controller such as a scanning console. It can learn up to 16 commands.
For more complex tasks, I recommend a speech-based user interface. For example, a growing number of voice-activated telephones are available. Using a "hands-free" model, your niece could receive and make phone calls without assistance. Furthermore, a voice-activated phone provides an inexpensive way to add speech recognition to a home control system.
Perhaps the ultimate tool for anyone with physical limitations is a personal computer. Special keyboards and switches have been developed to accommodate a variety of disabilities. Apart from conventional computing such as word processing and surfing the 'Net, the latest PCs can play CDs, tune a radio or TV station, place telephone calls and take messages ... even wake you up each morning!
Again, speech recognition is the user interface of choice. Two types of software are available: One, often bundled with multimedia computers, allows the user to select files, icons and menu options via spoken commands. The other type also takes dictation. It's more reliable but costs a bundle.
Since most home control systems are based on (or at least can be accessed from) a personal computer, it's possible to have a single platform that combines multimedia, communication and home control. One company that specializes in assistive devices has created such a system. It operates lights, appliances, audio/video gear, as well as heating and cooling equipment. Just say the word!
To receive a list of manufacturers and outlets for switches and other assistive devices, please send $1.50 and a self-addressed envelope to David Butler F-549, Department TWN, 14713 Pleasant Hill Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28278-7927. The list includes toll-free phone numbers and a summary of each company's products. You'll also receive a list of related information resources.
HomeTech News: The Electronic Industries Association Consumer Electronics Group (EIA/CEG) recently changed its name to the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA). It continues to be part of the EIA. CEMA, the sponsor of the gigantic Consumer Electronics Show, houses the Assistive Devices Subdivision and the Home Automation/Controls Subdivision.
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: A variety of special-purpose switches and actuators isby CNBavailable for handicapped people.