Ipod touch adapted for disabled child to communicate

Demonstration of an iPod adapted for speech to help non-verbal kids. Eight-year old Jacob, a non-verbal student, demonstrated how he communicates through subtle head movements that translate into iPod taps to create sentences.

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, in partnership with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), launched the new Infinity Communication Access Lab at Sunny View Public School. This new satellite lab will improve access to communication technologies for children with the most complex disabilities in the school system

The Infinity Lab is the brainchild of Dr. Tom Chau, a renowned biomedical engineer in the Bloorview Research Institute and Canada Research Chair in Paediatric Rehabilitation Engineering. Dr. Chau and his team are discovering novel communication channels for non-verbal kids to express themselves and indicate personal preference.

[Vanessa] Jake, we're just going to show people your Ipod and how it works.

So, basically the actual adapted Ipod is in this little case that hangs off the back of his chair.

And, it's connected to these external speakers.

He hears auditory prompts, that they go through these lists.

As he hears the prompt, if he wants to say that or go into that specific list of options...

..what he does is..

..activate the external switch with his cheek.

So, the switch is right here.

[Ipod] Nevermind.

[Vanessa] So, Jake has said nevermind.

When it's going through the list of what he might want to say,..

..it's sort of his thinking process, so it's a quieter voice..

..and then when he selects it, yes, this is what I want to say and he moves his cheek..

..it says it louder and that's when we know that we can respond to that..

..because that's something he's actually chosen.

[Ipod] I want Spotty.

[Ipod] I want to talk with someone.

[Ipod] I want to go for a walk.

[Ipod] I want to go for a coffee.

[Ipod] I want to go for a coffee with Mommy.

[Mom] Okaaaaaaay! We're going to do that! Yayyyyyy!