Status
Not open for further replies.

NanN.

New member
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Messages
8
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
01/2013
Country
US
State
WA
City
Vashon
Hi I was diagnosed one year ago with ALS. I have no voice at all and both hands are growing weak now. I received a Tobii computer which has a windows 7 platform and the beauty of being able to eye track. I want to love it and use it. It has great sound and great voice productions.
But it is so heavy, due to the removable batteries, etc. It has a touch screen too!
1. i find the touch screen difficult. It doesn't register the touches sometimes. and sometimes just seems to jumps around, I resort to using my old macbook to type on, because it has a very sensitive keyboard. I am not using the eye gaze yet and it al seems so depressing to take on.
Any suggestions.

2. They gave me a wheel chair mount that doesn't seem to allow you to exit your wheel chair and go potty by yourself. i have spoken to them about a swing away version that is more user friendly. I want to take my Tobii out with me into town etc. and suggestions
I use a Samsung S4 with its memo app for showing people what I am saying - in public and the typing is quite user friendly but no voice app. The one on the phone is for sight impaired and so spells out each letter typed.
Any suggestions here?
It has the latest Bluetooth tec and so interfaces with Tobii for phone calls etc. Cool but a work out or high learning curve for all..
 
Welcome. I am sorry you have to be here but happy to meet you!

I have no suggestions re 2nd issue as ours is not attached to a chair.
Re first. You are right it is a steep learning curve but it does get better with practice. The touchscreen is very hard to use and wonder why you as a PALS are trying? I use it sometimes to input phrases or set up something for my sister who is the PALS as it is easier to me than the eyegaze but I have full use of my hands. I think you just have to keep practicing and it will get easier. If you have some use of hands still and can use another text to speech still set aside a certain amount of time every day to practice the eyegaze. My sister wished she had done it sooner. Good luck. So sorry it is so hard
 
So what does your sister use in public to communicate? Does she take it with her? If yes, how?
Does she go out alone or always have someone with her?
Nice to meet you too! I have been feeling so disconnected. What is PALS?
 
She is never out alone. Unfortunately right now whoever is with her interprets as best they can. Getting VERY hard.

PALS is person with ALS ; CALS is caregiver of a PALS; FALS which you might also see is Familial ALS which is what my family has. You will get used to our abbreviations!

You will find lots of friends here. Jump right in with your questions!
 
I am no techie but if you can still move a mouse here is something that may help someone. My hired caregiver placed keyboard on computer screen. put curser on letter, letter appears on screen short pause later. Its slow but requires little effort
 
NanN,
I use the tobii I-15, the one advice I will give, is use the eyegaze! It will be tough at first, but once you are familiar with it, it will save you so much wasted energy.
I have a mount for my pwc, but don't use it in the house, I have the unit on a medical table, so I can move about the house in my pwc freely.
Good luck,
Casey
 
That is a virtual keyboard, available for all operating systems and via the Web as Dasher (a little different). The "speed" can be adjusted, BTW. And word prediction is available on some apps so you can pick a word not just a letter. SwitchXS adds a lot of mouse and other commands to the kb. By individualizing the keyboards as is possible with Keystrokes/Layout Kitchen, you can also create macros for phrases, documents, whatever.
If you still have good head and/or mouth movement, you might want to consider a Tetramouse to use with a virtual kb. Or a head mouse like SmartNav.
Eye gaze seems to be the default that AT people go to when hands weaken but there are steps in between.
 
Thank you for these suggestions, . My own question was more about getting around in the world outside the home. I posted somewhere that am so happy I found a solution (for now) ! I have a Samsung glaxay S4 phone that has extensive bluetooth cap. and it pairs with the Tobii for phone calls.
And It has very very sensitive touch screen, well found the perfect app. Write and talk lite. It doesn't get involve with anything else on screen you just type what you want in the box and hit the speak button and then garbage can. So great. so simple , so happy.
Phone is small lite to hold and carry - good speaker volume too.
To lgelb- the reason people default to eye gaze is because medicare with only allow ONE alternate method on a unit. Either eye gaze or head mouse. I thing people prepare for the worst. I am practicing the eye gaze.
 
More I think pearshoot, was speaking of the keyboard within the Tobii communicator softwear. The whole Tobii unit is on a windows 7 platform but has its own program called Tobii communicator, eye gaze is only one way of using the program.
 
There is an app for Android phones at the google Play store called Right & Talk you might find useful.

Rick
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top