How Technology Changed and Enhanced My Life with a Disability

Technology has changed the lives of everybody in the world. But when a disabling disease struck me in 2004, technology changed my life and enable me to stay in my home, despite the fact that I would soon lose my ability to walk or speak. I have Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease or Motor Neuron Disease. ALS is a progressive neuromuscular disease, meaning it worsens over time and affects the motor neurons so that they no longer send the proper messages to the muscles that control movement. ALS affects everybody differently in the speed of progression and which parts of the body it affects first. But eventually, it limits movement of legs, arms, and hands. And, in many cases, ALS affects swallowing, chewing, and talking. About a year after diagnosis, I could not walk on my own, and I lost the ability to speak clearly. So, without recently-developed life-changing technology, I would be totally isolated, barely able to leave my house, and unable to communicate with family and friends in any decent way.

When I first lost my ability to speak, I began by writing my messages on an erasable board. However, when my hands got weaker, it became too fatiguing and slow. Augmentative communication devices have been life-changing for people with disabilities. An "aug-comm" is a computer with text-to-speech capabilities. This can be a dedicated machine, or a home computer with a text-to-speech program. Recently, programs have been developed with features like touch-screens, word-prediction [which gives word choices that "predict" your intended word after only typing the first few letters], and on-screen keyboards which can be operated with the mouse. The voices have also improved and sound more human and less robotic. These options cut down on fatigue because they are easier than typing on a keyboard, which requires energy and finger dexterity. In a lot of neuromuscular diseases, fatigue and fine motor skills become a big issue. Companies such as Dynavox and Tobii-ATI. are pioneers in communication technology. I even have a device called a Mercury®, which mounts directly on my wheelchair in front of me.

Inability to talk on the telephone is a big problem for me. Technology has changed my life in that way too. I mostly communicate with friends and family by email or instant messaging. When I have to make a phone call, I use a relay service called Sprint Relay, which I access through my laptop. And, leaving the house and going places has been easier since companies likePermobil and Invacare have been perfecting motorized wheelchairs to be sturdier and to handle traveling outside on pavement. There is even a wheelchair called an i-Bot®, which can climb steps. With the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the early 90s, making accessibility mandatory in streets and public places, there are automatic doors and better-engineered ramps. These have made it possible for people with disabilities to leave their homes and visit malls and cultural institutions, as well as restaurants and shops. In fact, before these technological advancements, many people with disabilities rarely if ever left their homes, or were forced to move to institutions. I am able to stay in my own apartment and be a part of the world due to technology that changed my life and those of other people with disabilities.