Eye gaze assistive tech anecdotes?

[IonaB]

Hello everyone! The journey continues. I now have a Trilogy and a PEG, both of which have definitely contributed to quality of life. We are working on a power wheelchair and now I have started talking with the ALS clinic speech therapist about assistive communication devices.

Yesterday I tested the Tobii Dynavox and a system from a company called Eyetech. There were too many glitches with the Tobii for iPad, which was disappointing for a long time Mac person, but not that big a deal. The Windows version worked fine and I know that Tobii has been doing this for a long time and is the industry standard. However, my speech therapist said that their customer support is notoriously bad. The Eyetech system was a little harder to use, but they are a newer product and offer a lot of support.

I’m leaning toward the Dynavox because I preferred the interface, but I’m interested to hear of other PALS and CALS experience. Maybe I’m overthinking this? but keeping the frustration level low for myself and my husband is a big consideration. Thanks much for any thoughts on the matter. Gayle

 

[Doing My Best]

Hi Iona, my PALS husband has had an eyegaze device for several months. He looked at the Tobii Dynavox and decided on a different device by TalkToMe Technologies called a Zuvo. This was partly because we were told the Zuvo would work a little better outdoors, and since he spends a lot of time outside on our patio, this was important to him. However in real life I don't think either one manages outdoor light very well; the cameras are better able to pick up the eyes in indoor lighting. Like Tobii, it's not Apple compatible.

I don't want to discourage you but Steve has found it very difficult to master the eyegaze. The machine has mostly sat in the corner the last few months because the frustration level got too high and it just wasn't worth the aggravation, and at the moment he can still make himself understood so it hasn't been imperative.

As of a couple of weeks ago I have been exploring an alternative that uses accessibility features built in to the iPhone and iPad, that allow him to control the cursor and make menu selections by raising his eyebrows, smiling, or using other facial gestures that at the moment he is able to do. Since we are both longtime Apple users, the learning curve doesn't seem as steep. There is still a learning curve but I feel more confident that he'll master it. There is a very kind person named Tom Meadows who has a website with instructional videos about using these Apple accessibility features, which are not really promoted by Apple and are hard to find and figure out. He is making himself available to help people set this all up via Zoom meetings. You might want to check it out before embarking on the Tobii or other new device, since you already have an iPad. The website is www dot stevesway dot org (no relation to my Steve!).

Good luck and I'll be interested to hear what you end up doing and how it goes.

 

[lgelb]

I completely agree, everyone should try using their phone or tablet (either of which can be mounted on a wheelchair or bed/table) with built-in head/facial movements, before considering a freestanding eye gaze device. Even if you need a later model to take advantage of a better camera, etc., it could be worth it in terms of time and money combined.

Even if you can't use facial gestures, you might have a tongue or cheek muscle that can operate an ability switch, that all modern phones and tablets can connect to. And if you can use your chin, lips, or tongue, you can operate the Tetramouse, probably the best value for alternative mice.