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>
>BK> Hi all,
>BK> I am starting to help the son of a friend that has Cerebal Palsey. His
>BK> case is severe but he can make repeatable sounds so I will try to adapt
>BK> Dragon Dictate to his needs.
>
>BK> The biggest question I have so far is "What are the 100 most commonly
>BK> used EVERYDAY words in the English Language?"
>
You could do a search on "Dolch vocabulary" on the web because I believe
they have a pretty good set of the most common words in English.
However, another question might be whether this is really the best
technology for this persons needs.
I have doubts about that. Anyone with severe CP is going to most likely
have rather severe articulation problems. Also it isn't entirely unusual
for people with severe CP to have low frustration tolerance. The
difficulty
in training the software is considerable. Other factors to consider are
his
age and reading level. My understanding is that a fourth grade reading
level is pretty much required. I might be wrong here however.
Another thing, since the boy is not your own son, this couldn't really
be his system for writing or communication.
I have a learning disability, and no where near the difficulty this boy
would have. But I believe some of my problems with the software are
related
to the disability. I don't know what state you are in, but most states
have
a center where a person can be evaluated for access to computer
technology.
There is a very good book called "Computer resources for people with
disabilities" by the Alliance for Technology Access.
>Are you asking this because he can only make 100 repeatable sounds?
>Don't use them up on words. Create topics. Create macros. Create
>
>Can he hit any kind of a switch? If he can, a lot of software and
>other devices exist for someone who can hit even one on-off switch.
> An assistive technology fair is coming up in Boston at the end of
>May. I plan to attend -- if you let me know what his abilities are, I
>could collect literature for you.
>
I think this is also a good idea. There are many technologies and other
types of software to assist people with disabilities. For example, you
can have the whole keyboard on the computer screen, and use a joystick or
switch to go through it. There is also word prediction software that
gives you a whole word for single words or very few words you type in. I
think you might be able to attend such a technology fair yourself at some
time.
>BK> Anyone that could steer me in the right direction will be instantly
>BK> appreciated by all of us.
>
>BK> TIA,
>
>BK> Bob
>
I hope this helps.
>
>
--gNAt
"Timing is everything."
Jane's Law no. 92
- Next message: Scott Wright: "Typing Injury FAQ Update"
- Previous message: Jamie: "Anyone have experience with really fast CPUs?"
- In reply to: L.C.Jackson@@psd.maff.gov.uk: "Headset tip (was Mic Conundrum, New To List)"
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