ALS and iPads

I forgot to mention , the galaxy tab can be held in one hand while you swype with the other hand , it is smaller than an i pad.I carry it in my purse everywhere I go .

myrwin said:

I just bought a samsung galaxy tab and downloaded* talk a droid * and it works great, my voice is nearly gone now so I use this a lot to speak . I also use *swype* , I don't have to type the letters, you just drag you finger to spell the word out, this is much faster than typing. I don't know much about all this, I just happened upon it and gave it a try and I love it.

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Myrwin, I still have my voice, but my hands are useless, otherwise the Samsung would really
be ideal .Glad it's working out for you.

We all just want an excuse to buy an ipad...lol

I have an Ipad with speak-it and am trying to find something that talks better than the dope in the
Speak-it. Barry told me to try Proloquo2go. I must say that these things are a miracle for anyone who has lost the ability to speak.

MY EMAIL TO APPLE ACCESSIBILITY AND THEIR RESPONSE

Dear Apple

I suffer from ALS (Lou Gherig's disease) - like Stephan Hawking.

Since I bought my iPad I've pretty much lost the use of my hands and arms. I can just barely use my ipad but it is a struggle requiring a number of gymnastic moves involving knees, elbows, feet, toes, hands, knuckles (all of which have significantly reduced function) It usually takes me 3 or 4 tries before I get the app I want. I've become so frustrated that for the most part my ipad has become a very expensive paper weight.

My legs, toes and feet are still pretty functional and I manage very well on my desktop using a mouse and trackpad with my feet.

At times I need the portability of the ipad and being able to interface with my ipad using a magic trackpad operated by my feet would solve my problem.

I know that people have been able to use the magic trackpad with the ipad via the BTStack mouse app but this requires jailbreaking and I would rather not have to resort to this.

I'm starting to lose my speech too and it would be very helpful if I could use the proloquo2go speech app.

The ipad has amazing potential to assist the disabled but some consideration must be given to alternative input.

Please allow the development of an app that would enable a bluetooth mouse or trackpad to work with the ipad.

Thanks

Hi,

Thanks for the email. We appreciate the feedback and will pass this on to the appropriate people internally for their consideration.

Apple Accessibility

Good email and I hope you get a favourable response!

I ran into a guy using his Samsung yesterday. I was naughty and had a draft beer with him while waiting on a food order..... wow Baclofin + beer = goooood! We chatted a bit and it seems it functions much as the iPad.

He likes it because it fits in his jacket pocket...an iPad is too wide.

I understand that the next generation iPad will have several hardware improvements and it may be worth waiting a bit if you are considering a purchase.

Can the iPad be used if you have no use of your hands?

PS - Eye Respnse Techonolgy, the company who made the Erica system is no longer in business as of 12/31/09. They sold the technology to Dynavox who I hear is in the process of developing a camera system that focuses on only one eye.

kimmar said:

Can the iPad be used if you have no use of your hands?

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Sorry, dumb question. I somehow missed the note from rcharlton:
"MY EMAIL TO APPLE ACCESSIBILITY AND THEIR RESPONSE "

kimmar said:

Can the iPad be used if you have no use of your hands?

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Here is a link to a website showing a mouth stick adapted for use with an ipad

Accessing the iPad: Mouthsticks, Head Pointers, and Styluses | ATMac

As the ipad only responds to human touch, you need to wrap the mouth stick in copper wire from the mouth piece to the tip and then wrap the tip in aluminum foil

I've ordered a mouth stick and I'll let you know how it works

rcharlton said:

I've ordered a mouth stick and I'll let you know how it works

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So I got my mouthstick and wrapped it in copper wire with a bit of tin foil at the tip.

Did it work? Yes and no. I could operate the ipad - although it was a bit awkward - and my mouth would sometimes lose contact with the copper wire so I would lose the connection for a second. My neck and jaw muscles are weakened so they started to ache after a bit. I could not manage to push the home button with the stick.

The biggest problem was the drool factor- it was like Niagara Falls flowing down my chin and neck.

So if you already own an ipad, are used to a mouth stick, have fairly normal neck and jaw muscles and not prone to excessive drooling- a mouth stick might work for you.

I certainly would not recommend buying an ipad if you only plan to use it with a mouth stick.

The mouth stick did not work for me.

I'll still have to find a way to use my feet

Thanks for the update on the mouthstick. Since you mentioned your feet, have you tried using them with a stick?

My mom uses her ipad all the time... it keeps her busy and keeps her mind active. It is a lottle difficult for her, as she has lost the use of her dominant hand, and her other hand is starting to go as well, but for now it is great! She plays games and uses the internet mostly...

I got an iPad for Christmas and also just replaced my laptop.

What I don't like about the iPad is:
1) text editing is difficult, you must touch screen in just the "right" spot, no directional cursor arrows, can't put corsor in middle of word. Can't type as on a pc keyboard with all fingers.
2) It's clumsy to hold and heavy
3) It's easy to accidently touch the screen where not intended and change what you are trying to do

I'm using it now because I can pick it up and quickly start using. The laptop requires getting it on my lap, turning it on, waiting, etc.