Maureen lives in a supported living apartment, and drives her own power wheelchair using a chin joystick. Her speech is understood by some very familiar listeners, but not by others. Maureen wants more freedom to communicate with more people.
Two of our staff members worked with Maureen to first find the right communication device and then to find the tool to help her efficiently manipulate the device. Maureen is very intelligent and has a wide vocabulary. After several trials and visits with one of our augmentative communication specialists, Maureen settled on the DynoVox X, a computer based AAC device.
For years, professionals working with Maureen had her using switches to scan through choices on a device. This proved slow and frustrating to Maureen. One of our assistive technology specialists completed an access evaluation with Maureen. They explored the possibility of controlling the AAC device through her wheelchair, they experimented with different switches and finally settled on a trackball.
Being able to communicate with new people will enable Maureen to follow her dreams to volunteer in her community and participate in daily life.