Donation of iPad gives a voice to those who lose that ability
THERAPY for islanders with a range of degenerative conditions affecting speech and motor function will benefit from a new iPad Pro, which has been donated to Adult Hospital Services by iQ Guernsey.
It will be used for eye gaze assessments by people with progressive disorders such as motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s to work text-to-speech communication.
‘As speech and language therapists, we believe that everyone has a right to a voice, no matter how that is delivered,’ said speech and language therapist Fiona Gardiner.
‘If someone gets to the point where they can’t move, then they may have to use eye gaze technology.
‘It is something that has
been around a while but it has been developed to be the faster option.’
The technology was already available to service users prior to the donation from iQ, but only for individuals who use Android phones and software.
‘One difficulty is that Apple have good accessibility up until the point when people need eye gaze, and people want to continue with the system they know. It means they can browse the web and send emails.
‘Everyone deserves a voice even if they need to communicate in an alternative way. It’s our job to support them,’ said Miss Gardiner.
Progressive neurological disorders cause a progressive deterioration in functioning, which can be gradual over many years or decades, or can progress rapidly in a short period of time.
These disorders are likely to affect the individual for the rest of their life.
‘When Fiona approached us for support we were more than happy to help such a worthy project,’ said. Caroline Slowey-Dickinson, brand director for iQ Guernsey.
‘How our products will benefit others and deliver support functions is truly amazing and a further example of how Apple products continue to reach so many people in so many different ways.'
