Sunday, December 7, 2014

About Me (My Personal History)

     My story begins like everyone else's story, with one exception.  I was born about eight weeks early and had difficulty breathing correctly.  I have cerebral palsy due to the lack of oxygen at birth.  My first major surgery, at the age of two, was to improve my vision.  My next surgery was at age three for tendon release, which is basically a lengthening to increase stretching ability.  When I was eight, my first baclofen pump was installed.  This pump releases chemicals directly into my spinal cord in order to make me less rigid.  Without it, I would be like a statue in a seated position!  My baclofen pump also needs to be refilled every six months without fail.  I attended school as everyone else does, but the highlight of my calendar year is my annual summer visit to Camp Jabberwocky in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. 
I've been going to Jabberwocky since 2001, between third and fourth grade.  This camp for persons with disabilities was founded in 1953 and has approximately one hundred campers over two summer sessions.  One of the biggest reasons I look forward to camp each year is that no one ever looks at me as if I'm different.
     From ages five to thirteen, I was always able to drive my own wheelchair, but then another setback showed up.  At age thirteen, my spine began to curve to the right due to my use of my wheelchair controls.  By age fifteen, my head was at a ninety degree angle parallel to the floor when my waist was still in its normal position. 
You can imagine what fun it was to watch my favorite television programs!  Luckily, at age seventeen (right when I returned from Camp Jabberwocky), I had two steel rods and thirty screws installed into my spine and now I'm straight as an arrow.  The only drawback is that I set metal detectors off wherever I go!  The TSA hates my guts!
     Life is pretty good right now.  I haven't had any major surgeries since 2010. 
I graduated from Harrison High School and am now a college student at Ivy Tech community college.  I will be attending Camp Jabberwocky for the fifteenth time this summer, and will get to see all my friends in person that I only chat with online regularly.  At least I won't have any homework over the summer!

PRC and the ECO2


     My career goal is to be a spokesman for the Prentke-Romich Company (PRC).  PRC is a company that manufactures, sells and customizes augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices.  AAC is a term used to describe various methods of communication that can help people who are unable or have difficulty using verbal speech to communicate.  My personal device is called the ECO2 and is pronounced "echo."  AAC can benefit a wide range of individuals, from the beginning communicator to a more sophisticated one that generates their own messages.  For more information about PRC and their products, visit: http://www.prentrom.com/.  For general information specifically about the ECO2 device, please read: http://assistivetechnology.about.com/od/AugmentativeCommunication/p/Prentke-Romich-Aac-Devices-Give-Users-Language-Not-Just-Words.htm.
     Part of my driving motivation for potential employment at PRC would include benefiting others with a communication device in the same manner that I myself have benefited.  There may be people who have never had an AAC that are in dire need of such a device.  They simply may not know they exist, or, more realistically, they cannot afford one.  I would not be able to enjoy a higher quality of life without my ECO2, and so I would feel irresponsible by not sharing such opportunities with those in need.  PRC could also benefit from having a spokesperson that is a daily user of their devices, rather than a sales person.   
     In the past, I have been given opportunities to give speeches and demonstrations concerning my experiences while utilizing my Prentke-Romich AAC.  I gave these speeches twice at Vanderbilt University, three times at Purdue University, and once at Ivy Tech community college in Lafayette.  These speeches were organized through the department of augmentative and alternative communications (Dr. Lyle Lloyd; http://www.edst.purdue.edu/aac/).  While giving these speeches, I felt an incredible sense of purpose and was happy to be included in spreading the word about the benefits of AACs.  To read a transcript of my speech, documented as a Wikipedia entry, please read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:ScottandyThe speeches are a big part of why I would like to be employed by PRC in this manner, getting paid to advertise and present information about the company’s AACs (which I myself use on a daily basis).

Daily Use of the ECO2 (and Pathfinder)

     Most people probably recognize that my AAC device, the ECO2, allows me internet access like any laptop or smart phone would.  My older device was called the Pathfinder, and it was the last AAC device that could not access the internet.  Formerly, prior to the ECO2, I was forced to use a laptop connected to the Pathfinder in order to access the internet.  The ECO2 drastically increased my speed and allowed me to eliminate the chain of devices.
     I would not be able to complete my homework, get on Campus Connect, or have a Skype or Facebook conversation without the ECO2.  I doubt that many non-users have any idea how essential my communication device really is to me.  Because of my limited dexterity, it can take me a phenomenal amount of time to type a simple sentence.  Many times I have to answer a whole bunch of Facebook messages from the Purdue volleyball players and cheerleaders,
and sometimes those women can be downright impatient!  Luckily, the ECO2 helps me form sentences and spell checks me with greater accuracy than a regular device.
     When typing, whether it's in response to a Skype text, an online message or e-mail, or for homework or the great American novel, the ECO2 shortens my task.  I have categorized icons that represent various items. 
For example, an apple represents all food items, a shoe is sporting event related, while an image of "Father Time" represents all time indicators such as days of the week, months, and holidays.  If I tell someone that we can meet at the pizza place near the sporting goods store at noon on the second Thursday of January, this is how I would type that information.

From the Minspeak.com website (http://www.minspeak.com/):

            Minspeak is a way of representing language in a communication device.  If you show
            people a picture of something simple, like an apple, they will naturally associate more
            than one idea with that picture.  People usually say the most obvious idea first - "apple"
            - but then they start associating more ideas - "fruit," "red," "eat," "bite," and "hungry."
            Minspeak takes advantage of this natural tendency by using a small set of pictures to
            represent a large number of words in a communication device.

I just press the icon and it will keep breaking down the category into more specific terms.  Food is broken down into fruits, vegetables, desserts, main courses, breakfast items, beverages, etc.  I'm pretty sure I don't have an icon for kiwis, crème brulee, lobster bisque or eggs benedict, but I do have a caregiver that helps me edit my work and he is a real smart aleck!  The great thing is that I can create my own personalized icons for something as obscure as crème brulee.  Just the other day, I created an icon for my favorite celebrity crush, an Australian actress of Polish descent.  Her name is Yvonne Strahovski, so it's obviously a challenge to type her name.  She was in my favorite television show, but it was canceled.  I created the icon so I could easily check her Twitter updates for future projects.
 
 
 
 

Alex

     One of the most important contacts I have made would be Alexandra Da Fonte, associate professor of special education at Vanderbilt University.  She teaches classes for college students that are entering the fields of augmentative and alternative communication, speech language pathology or special education.  Alex was my caregiver between my ages of eleven and sixteen, but she went on to become an important humanitarian in the field.  We are still close friends, and she was the driving force behind my speeches at Vanderbilt.
 
 
I assure you that she does not dress as Velma from Scooby-Doo while teaching her courses!  One of her classes entailed a workshop where I presented information to all of her students in a question and answer format.  Sine AAC methods vary and may be personalized to meet each individual's needs, many forms of AAC include an assistive technology component that ranges from high to low-tech strategies.  An article detailing the politics of the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) and how AAC technology factors in appears here: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/220415-communication-technology-opens-doors-for-everyone-not-only.
While I do not expect many readers of my blog to become professors in the field, it should help others empathize with myself and other users of AAC devices.

The Conclusion, the Future and "Definition of Disability"

    While working on this blog, which is also a graded project for one of my Ivy Tech courses, my father thought it would be important to make Prentke Romich aware of the blog.  Within a day, the PRC Regional Consultant contacted me back with information about the Prentke Romich Company Ambassador Program.  My blog was also shared with the entire PRC family of employees, and I immediately noticed a spike in my page views.  This made me feel incredibly proud that the company whose product enriches my life on a daily basis would see some value in my online work.  The future remains unwritten!
     I have decided to wrap up my blog/project with a thought that is the highlight of the following article: http://www.postcrescent.com/story/opinion/readers/2014/10/01/disability-might-surprised/16502513/

            So, to answer the question, "Who has a real disability?" the answer is that no one has
            a real disability.  Everybody in the world has a disability.  You may need to wear
            glasses to read or to see. You may need to eat healthy. You may need to have
            something to put in your hand when you're working on something.
            What is your disability?

The PRC Story


Augmentative & Alternative Communication Devices


Characteristics of Bad Blogs


1.       No repeated posts (posts on the same subject)

2.       No spelling/grammar errors

3.       Having an inappropriate title or no title

4.       No sensory overload

5.       Pictures are good, but not too many


References

Corralejo, R., Nicolás-Alonso, L., Álvarez, D., & Hornero, R. (2014). A
     P300-based brain-computer interface aimed at operating electronic devices
     at home for severely disabled people. Medical & Biological Engineering &
     Computing, 52(10), 861-872. http://dx.doi.org.allstate.libproxy.ivytech.edu/10.1007/s11517-014-1191-5

Hipple, M. (2014, October 1). What's a disability? You might be surprised.
     Retrieved October 23, 2014, from Post-Crescent Media website:
     http://www.postcrescent.com/story/opinion/readers/2014/10/01/
     disability-might-surprised/16502513/

Kemp, J. D., & Macsata, B. M. (2014, October 13). Communication technology opens
     'doors' for everyone, not only people with disabilities. Retrieved October
     23, 2014, from http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/
     220415-communication-technology-opens-doors-for-everyone-not-only

Leibs, A. (2014, October). Prentke-Romich AAC devices give users language, not
     just words. Retrieved October 23, 2014, from About Technology website:
     http://assistivetechnology.about.com/od/AugmentativeCommunication/p/
     Prentke-Romich-Aac-Devices-Give-Users-Language-Not-Just-Words.htm

Scherer, S. (2013, October 24). Speech for Jim Sands 2013-10-24. Retrieved
     October 22, 2014, from Wikipedia website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
     User:Scottandy

Stern, S. E. (2014). Listeners' preference for computer-synthesized speech over
     natural speech of people with disabilities. Rehabilitation Psychology,
     59(3), 289-297. Retrieved from EBSCOhost database. (Accession No.
     97563760)

references courtesy: http://www.noodletools.com.lafayette.libproxy.ivytech.edu.allstate.libproxy.ivytech.edu/noodlebib/mybib.php