My interest is in applying a domain model to help elicit personal requirements for the problem of community travel for people with cognitive impairments. The domain model I took advantage of is the ACT model, which is embedded in the tool I designed for defining required prompts for travel. I set up a study to look at the use of the domain model to help travel-planners generate personalized prompts for a traveler. My goal is to better understand the mechanisms of running a human-performance study and to get a first look at how the domain model can be understood by travel-planners. The study shows that most participants prefer the ACT-based tool to free-thinking and writing down prompts. I found out that the tool helps participants define more organized and concise prompts, but not necessarily a higher number of prompts, compared to the free-think approach. The tool captures prompts for some steps that are neglected while free-thinking. However, some steps of the ACT model need to be disambiguated or presented more effectively in the tool.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

We present the Attentive Hearing Aid, a system that uses eye input to amplify the audio of tagged sound sources in the environment. A multidisciplinary project, we use the latest technology to take advantage of the social phenomenon of turn-taking in human-human communication, and apply this in a new kind of assistive hearing device. Using hearing-impaired participants, we evaluated the use of eye input for switching between sound sources on a screen in terms of switch time and the recall of audiovisual material. We compared eye input to a control condition and two manual selection techniques: using a remote to point at the target on the screen, and using buttons to select the target. Results show that in terms of switch time, Eyes were 73% faster than Pointing and 58% faster than Buttons. In terms of recall, Eyes performed 80% better than Control, 54% better than Buttons, and 37% better than Pointing. In a post-evaluation user experience survey, participants rated Eyes highest in “easiest”, “most natural”, and “best overall” categories. We present the implications of this work as a new type of assistive hearing device, and also discuss how this system could benefit non-hearing-impaired individuals. / Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-26 13:46:25.789

Communication disorders affect one in ten Canadians and the incidence is particularly high among those with Cerebral Palsy. A vocalization-activated switch is often explored as an alternative means to communication. However, most commercial speech recognition tools to date have limited capability to accommodate dysarthric speech and thus are often prematurely abandoned. We developed and evaluated a novel vocalization-based access technology as a writing tool for a pediatric participant with cerebral palsy. It consists of a high quality condenser headmic, a custom classifier based on Gaussian Mixture Modeling (GMM) and Mel-frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) as features. The system was designed to discriminate among five vowel sounds while interfaced to an on-screen keyboard. We used response efficiency theory to assess this technology in terms of goal attainment and satisfaction. The participant’s primary goal to reduce switch activation time was achieved with increased satisfaction and lower physical effort when compared to her previous pathway.

Communication disorders affect one in ten Canadians and the incidence is particularly high among those with Cerebral Palsy. A vocalization-activated switch is often explored as an alternative means to communication. However, most commercial speech recognition tools to date have limited capability to accommodate dysarthric speech and thus are often prematurely abandoned. We developed and evaluated a novel vocalization-based access technology as a writing tool for a pediatric participant with cerebral palsy. It consists of a high quality condenser headmic, a custom classifier based on Gaussian Mixture Modeling (GMM) and Mel-frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) as features. The system was designed to discriminate among five vowel sounds while interfaced to an on-screen keyboard. We used response efficiency theory to assess this technology in terms of goal attainment and satisfaction. The participant’s primary goal to reduce switch activation time was achieved with increased satisfaction and lower physical effort when compared to her previous pathway.

Abstract Background. People with dementia (PWD) have difficulty adhering to their medication regiment and maintaining a sense of identity and social connectedness. Moreover, caregivers constantly worry about PWD especially when they are left home alone. Objective. To examine the usefulness and usability of the Claris Companion (CC) in assisting PWD and their caregivers. Results. Most participants found some of the communication functions, leisure functions and reminder functions difficult to use. They found that the email/text messaging, photos and videos function useful. Surprisingly, they did not find the reminder functions useful. Conclusion. This study demonstrated how the CC could help PWD regain their sense of identity and feel more socially connected to their family and friends. Furthermore, it also demonstrated how the CC gives peace of mind to caregivers in leaving PWD home alone while they are at work or running errands. Résumé Contexte. Les personnes avec la démence (PAD) ont de la difficulté à adhérer à leur régiment de médicaments ainsi que maintenir leur sens d’identité et de sociabilité. De plus, leurs proche-aidants s’inquiètent constamment de la PAD, spécialement lorsque qu’ils ou qu’elles sont à la maison tout(e)s seul(e)s. Objectif. D’examiner l’utilité et l’utilisabilité du Claris Companion (CC) pour assisté la PAD et son proche-aidant. Résultats. La plupart des participants ont trouvé les fonctions de communication, loisirs et de rappels difficiles à utilisés. Ils ont trouvé la fonction de messages courriel/SMS, les photos et les vidéos utiles. Étonnamment, ils n’ont pas trouvé les fonctions de rappels utiles. Conclusion. Cette étude démontre comment le CC peut aider la PAD à reprendre leur sens d’identité et sociabilité. De plus, ça démontre aussi comment le CC donne aux aidants naturels un sens de tranquillité d’esprit lors qu’ils ou qu’elles sont au travail ou font des courses.

This study used survey methodology to investigate the experience of acquiring assistive technology, from learning about products, to purchasing and paying for them, to evaluating how well they perform. It examined both the challenges faced and the factors that may help people acquire products. The participants were 251 adults with vision and hearing impairments, recruited from across Canada. The results revealed that the high cost of products and lack of funding for assistive technology were the main barriers faced by respondents. Intermediaries, such as community organizations and health care providers, were found to be important facilitators of access to assistive technology. Financial support to cover product costs increased respondents’ access to higher cost items. While the majority of respondents were quite or very satisfied with their products, hearing product consumers were less satisfied than vision product consumers, yet were likely to have paid more for their products.

A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.

Thesis (M. Aud.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-63).

An aging population and rising prevalence in obesity, arthritis and diabetes are resulting in a great number of elders that are suffering from mobility challenges. Walking assist exoskeletons have the potential to help preserve mobility in elders. The most common type of exoskeleton relies on heavily, complex and expensive components to help their user walk effortlessly. Recent research on walking assist exoskeletons has shifted towards the creation of an entirely mechanical system called passive walking assist exoskeleton. This research aims to design, model and test a passive walking assist exoskeleton that reduces the felt weight of the user during gait. The assist is achieved by the action of a seat mechanism which constantly produces an upward force on the pelvis of the user. This thesis details the entire composition and assembly of such device. The proposed device was modelled in order to predict the assistance provided by the seat mechanism when standing and walking with the device. A human-sized prototype was built and tested in order to mechanically validate the proposed design. The test results validated the proposed seat mechanism which produces the desired upward force, but the use of the exoskeleton in its current state hindered the natural gait pattern of the user.