User Criteria Considerations/Population

  1. User Criteria Considerations
  2. Population


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User Criteria Considerations
User Characteristics and Skills
The iCommunicator program provides communication accessibility for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and other persons with unique communication challenges. The Candidacy Criteria Considerations include end user characteristics and skills that should be considered by evaluation and planning teams (e.g., assistive technology, IEP, transition, rehabilitation), disability coordinators, human resources departments, and other decisionmakers to determine the appropriateness of this communication access technology for a specific end user or special applications in a variety of settings, such as education, workplace, and public venues.


Special Communication Needs
Individuals with special communication access needs may be candidates for the iCommunicator program.

  • Deaf or hard of hearing
  • Significant speech or voice disorder
  • Learning disability (e.g., dysgraphia)
  • Auditory processing disorder, learning disability, and/or severe language impairment that results in difficulty with multitasking and notetaking
  • Attention deficit disorder that results in the need for notetaker assistance
  • Visual impairment (e.g., low vision)
  • Physical impairment
  • English as a Second Language (ESOL)


Independent Use: Candidacy Criteria Considerations

These characteristics, abilities, and requirements should be considered by the evaluation and planning teams when determining if the iCommunicator program is the appropriate communication access technology. The criteria considerations for independent use should be factored into the evaluation and planning process to reach an informed recommendation. Communication access needs should be identified in order to determine effectiveness gains. For use as a learning station in a classroom or other facility, there are no limitations, as the use of the iCommunicator program would be under the direction of the classroom teacher, supervisor, or other professional.

1.  Communication Access Needs (i.e., workplace, education, lifestyle)


2. Age of user

3.  Cognitive level

  • Ability to learn and remember new procedure
  • Ability to troubleshoot and/or problem-solve
  • Attention span
  • Divided attention (i.e., ability to divide attention among windows displayed, the speaker, and other visual displays in the environment)
  • Working memory

4.  Language level and primary mode of communication (receptive and expressive language)

  • Language processing ability
  • Vocabulary level
  • Language comprehension level (e.g., ability to chunk information, use tag words as meaning clues)
  • Ability to derive meaning using contextual clues

5.  Reading comprehension level

  • Word recognition level (i.e., at least second grade level)
  • Spelling ability
  • Grade equivalent/Standard Score
  • Visual processing speed

6.  Personal Characteristics

  • Motivation to use the iCommunicator software program
  • Responsibility and maturity
  • Self-discipline
    • Patience with using advanced technology
    • Appraisal by teacher(s)/supervisors and parent/ caregiver (as appropriate)

7.  Computer literacy

  • Keyboarding skills
  • Ability to navigate the Windows environment
  • Need for external mouse or other peripherals

8.  Purpose for use (e.g., classroom instruction, access in the workplace, access to services)

  • Content (e.g., core subject area, therapy tool, staff meetings, training, counseling, intake data)
  • Delivery style (e.g., primarily lecture, highly interactive, small groups, one-on-one)
  • Amount of use per day
  • Availability of back-up plan for when the iCommunicator™ interface is unavailable

9.  User supports

  • On-site and off-site staff support
  • Technical support
  • Resources (batteries, transporting to classes/other sites, cart, case)
  • Family/caregiver/supervisor



Training Requirements and Supports

    The end user must be completely trained in the operation of the iCommunicator program to achieve positive outcomes.

    Adequate technical assistance/support will need to be available for the end user. This will vary with individual end user’s level of independence in using a computer and the software program for the specific application of the technology. Implementation managers should possess computer literacy skills necessary to use and maintain the computer, software program, and peripherals, and to train both end users and speakers in the unique features of this communication access technology.





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Population

The iCommunicator™ software program offers features and capabilities that render it an appropriate assistive technology for many individuals who face communication challenges. Systematic evaluation of assistive technology should include wither formal or informal assessment of the end user’s unique communication needs and the features of the iCommunicator™ system.

The initial population targeted as end users of the iCommunicator™ was persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. However, the program has applications as a reasonable accommodation for many other individuals who face unique communication challenges. For instance, persons with auditory processing disorder, learning disability, and/or severe language impairment who experience difficulty with multitasking will benefit from the iCommunicator™ program as a sophisticated notetaking technology. Persons with a specific learning disability known as dysgraphia, and other persons with motor disabilities, may also benefit from the program for access to communication and notetaking during classes and training session, discussions, and meetings.

Those individuals with significant expressive speech or voice disorders may benefit from the voice output capabilities that will allow them to interact independently in personal and group conversations. A severe language impairment, either acquired or developmental, results in the need for communication accessibility, and the iCommunicator™ program provides the opportunity for a number of linkages to assist these persons through the developmental or recovery process. Persons with visual acuity and visual perceptual deficits also have special communication needs, such as the size of the visual display and background/foreground contrast, and the iCommunicator™ program can accommodate these types of needs. Another very large group of persons with special communication access needs are nonnative speakers of the English language.

The table below lists special populations and the features of the iCommunicator™ program that could match their unique communication challenges. Refer to the Candidacy Criteria Considerations for additional information about factors to be considered in evaluating the iCommunicator™ program as an appropriate assistive technology.
Population
Needs and Opportunities Related to iCommunicator™
Capabilities and Features
Auditory processing disorder
  • Need for notetaking assistance due to difficulty multitasking
  • Need for text display due to difficulty applying metalinguistic and metacognitive skills necessary for message comprehension
  • Opportunity to have documents read to the end user to enhance comprehension
Deaf and hard of hearing
  • Need for sign language to augment oral communication in various settings
  • Need to improve literacy skills
  • Need for voice output to communicate in one-on-one or group settings
  • Need for notetaking assistance due to difficulty multitasking
  • Opportunity to improve speech recognition and speech intelligibility
  • Opportunity to have documents read and/or signed to the end user to enhance comprehension
English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
  • Need for written English to augment oral presentations
  • Need to improve English literacy skills
  • Opportunity to hear playback notes and stories to learn the English language
  • Opportunity to improve speech recognition and speech intelligibility
  • Opportunity to have documents read to the end user to enhance comprehension
Learning disability
  • Need for notetaking assistance due to difficulty multitasking
    Need for notetaking assistance due to dysgraphia
    Need for visual augmentation due to visual processing deficits
    Opportunity to have documents read to the end user to enhance comprehension
Low Vision
  • Need for increased font size
    Need for high contrast schemes
    Need for voice output
    Opportunity to have documents read to the end user to enhance comprehension
Physical impairment
  • Need for notetaking assistance due to difficulty multitasking
  • Need for voice output
  • Need for portable assistive technology that will accommodate peripheral and/or alternative devices
  • Opportunity to have documents read to the end user to enhance comprehension
Severe language impairment (developmental or acquired)
 
  • Need for notetaking assistance due to difficulty multitasking
  • Need for visual augmentation to (re)learn metalinguistic and metacognitive skills to enhance comprehension
  • Possible need for voice output
  • Opportunity to have documents read to the end user to enhance comprehension
Speech or Voice Impairment
  • Need for voice output device
  • Opportunity to improve speech recognition and speech intelligibility