Staff Reporter
Sometimes the littlest thing can bring the most joy.
When 32-year-old Eric Wan gently nudges his head to direct movement on a computer screen, the sound of a single note rings out. His beaming smile seems even broader.
While it may not seem like a huge achievement, it is — bringing together technology and the love of music.
The feat is all the more powerful, given the long, tough road Wan has faced since he was 18 and suffered a serious reaction to a routine measles vaccination that left him paralyzed below the shoulders and unable to breathe.
After four months in the intensive care unit, he eventually spent two years in West Park, a long-term rehabilitation hospital, learning how to live with his disability, which requires him to breathe consciously during the day and use a ventilator at night.
In June, he graduated from the University of Toronto with an engineering degree that took him 10 years to complete on a part-time basis. In September, he started a master’s degree in biomedical engineering, with a focus on how to use technology to make life better for children with disabilities.
“I was depressed for some time, but school really helped. It kept me busy,” said Wan, who is amazingly positive despite the daily challenges he faces.
He finds both solace and purpose in his work at the Pediatric Rehabilitation Intelligent Systems Multidisciplinary (PRISM) lab at Holland Bloorview hospital.
The self-described computer geek, who started computer programming at 8, has found a way to meld his fascination with computers to help children with disabilities.
One project he is especially proud of is the virtual musical instrument, which has been commercialized and the software sold in Australia and New Zealand.
“In a way, it’s a first step for me to play a musical instrument again,” said Wan, who played the violin before his paralysis.
“Many children are not able to grow up, physically able to hold a musical instrument,” he said. “We have designed a system that translates movement into music.”
The system, which operates like a Wii console but without the wand, plays a different note with the touch of every object. As he moves his head, that movement triggers an object on the screen, leading to a note.
Users can set the program to play various notes and chords. The sounds range from piano to tuba and even a church bell and a helicopter.
For Wan, his love of technology has turned out to be a natural fit because he knows first-hand how advances can make his own life easier.
When he started his undergraduate degree a decade ago, scanners were not widely available, making it difficult to read textbooks.
“I had a bookstand and a mouth stick,” he said, describing the painfully slow way he would study.
Improvements in software especially have made it easier for him to learn and communicate. He has a sticker attached to the centre of his glasses that can control the mouse and cursor on his computer. And with a textbook scanned in, he can jump from page to page.
Tom Chau, Canada Research chair in pediatric rehabilitiaton engineering, said Wan quickly impressed everyone in his lab when he arrived in 2006, especially with his amazing memory, given that he cannot take notes during a meeting.
“We were blown away,” Chau said. “He’s always been a bright light. And he’s also been very positive. He’s not one who pities himself.”
But Chau added that until Wan joined his team, they didn’t fully understand the daily challenges he faces as a quadriplegic, from housing to transportation to overall health. Or even the fact that he can’t push the button for the elevator.
On one occasion, the air conditioning was on the fritz in the lab, and the warm air was causing Wan to doze off — which is extremely dangerous because if Wan falls asleep without his respirator, he stops breathing.
“There are all these little things that you or I wouldn’t have to think twice about. The system is not set up for people like Eric to succeed,” said Chau. “It’s phenomenal what he’s gone through and to be so positive.”
Showing posts with label information technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label information technology. Show all posts
18 September 2009
When disability is no barrier
ICT applications should consider handicapped users from the start,
Writer: Sasiwimon Boonruang
Nong Oay and Nong Note enjoy taking photos for visitors and editing them with the Photoshop program.
The Mattayom 1 student cannot articulate, but she is able to communicate with teachers and friends with a picture notebook and the Talking Switch speech assistive equipment, which helps her to partake in activities in the classroom.
Beside Nong Kob, at the United Nation building recently, was fellow wheelchair user Nong Oay, who has weak bones due to the inherited disorder of collagen synthesis, and Nong Note, who suffers muscle weakness.
All are students at Srisangwal School who today enjoy using not only the assistive technology, developed by the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec), but also computer programs such as Photoshop.
Visitors and delegates at the "ITU Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on mainstreaming ICT Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities" recently witnessed the students' capabilities in decorating and editing snaps.
"I didn't think I would look so good in the photo, thank you!" said one visitor, chuckling over a picture and inserting a 100-baht banknote into the donation box.
One woman who had Nong Kob take her photo and decorate it with a yellow butterfly was surprised when she received the photo and said even able-bodied adults could not produce such a high quality of work.
"How old are you?" she asked Nong Kob, who answered "11" on the computer screen.
These are technologies that help bridge the gap between people with disabilities (PWDs) and those without.
However, exposure to ICT for PWDs has been limited in some aspects.
Sawang Srisom, officer of Disabled Peoples' International Asia Pacific, noted that technology has progressively developed but there is still a conflict between demand and supply.
It will help, at least in the short term, if the government puts measures in place to enable PWDs to buy equipment at a lower price. In the long term, the state should have a policy for PWD employment.
In the workplace, he said, employers should install technology such as speech synthesis software for the visually impaired, or special mice designed for physically disabled people.
Sawang further encourages the introduction of closed caption or sign language options on television, adding that this would be useful not only to deaf people but also anyone trying to watch TV in a noisy environment.
Furthermore, Shadi Abou-Zahra, W3C web accessibility specialist, said graphical images on the internet are not suitable for sight-impaired people. They might be able to use screen readers for the text but the graphical information can not be output automatically. Video online will become more widely available, but captioning is rare.
If the website cannot be navigated by keyboard, PWDs may use a special mouse to do so. But the majority of websites have not been designed with the principles of accessibility and are therefore difficult for PWDs to use.
In order for the web to become truly accessible to all, it had to be coded properly, said Shadi.
The specialist noted that W3C has developed a technical standard for the web to adopt internationally recognised guidelines.
"The biggest challenge is not technology, but awareness-raising," he said, adding that people who develop websites typically don't consider the requirements of PWDs.
Training the developers, policy makers and decision makers is very important because they have to work together.
The issue of ICT accessibility for PWDs has significantly raised awareness.
Thailand recently hosted the first forum to be staged in the Pacific region.
In the knowledge-driven information age and society, it is timely to design and implement an inclusive ICT policy to provide digital opportunities to PWDs, according to Dr Eun-Ju Kim, head of the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
Citing the World Health Organisation, Kim said 10 percent of the world's population - or about 650 million people - have some form of disability, with the number increasing every year due to various factors such as war, natural disasters, unhealthy living conditions, and the absence of knowledge about disabilities and how to manage them.
In Thailand, there are around 1.9 million PWDs, or 2.9% of the population, many of whom encounter barriers when using ICT products and services.
Dr Eun-Ju Kim says the industry should have more R&D to come up with the right design products and services for disabled people.
ICT accessibility has been practiced to a very limited extent. Existing ICT products and services were not designed with principles of accessibility in mind and are therefore difficult for PWDs to use. The most obvious example is web accessibility.
"It costs dramatically less to implement web accessibility at the design stage than to retrofit it later," said Kim.
"Thus, it is worth emphasising the important roles of not only policy-makers and regulators but also industries, which can contribute not only to appropriate designs but also to affordable ICT products and services for PWD, taking into account the potential markets in the aged society."
The ITU Regional head urged that it is time to present PWDs with digital opportunities through ICT inclusive policy and regulations such as code of conducts in the information society so that assistive technologies, devices and applications specifically designed for PwD can be accessible and affordable to use.
She pointed out the ITU program of "Building the Capacity of Harnessing ICT for Disempowered/Marginalised Communities in Sri Lanka" from which representatives came to Thailand to exchange experiences.
They feel Thailand enjoys far more advanced technology in ICT applications and for PWDs and when they go back to Sri Lanka they can raise awareness of the issue to encourage more and better technology and applications available for their disabled people.
"I want to continue this kind of exchange program in the future as part of this project," said Kim.
"Next year, the program may be carried out with Mongolia and another countries."
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who Kim said is a leader in the field, and who is also the one of ITU patrons, is supporting ICT in a wide range.
However, she said this is not the end, but just a beginning which still requires a lot of work to ensure equal access for all to ICT.
Kim is encouraging the industry to focus more on research and development to come up with right design products and services for PWDs to help them enjoy as full a life as possible.
Significantly, she said, many developed countries such as Japan and around Europe are seeing a rapid increase in population age, so their ICT industries are adapting to support the socio-economic needs of a growing and ageing demographic, including the different forms of disabilities that accompany the trend, such as the loss or reduction of dexterity and senses.
A decade from now, it is envisioned that these countries will have adapted so that their entire populations should be able to benefit from ICT, regardless of disabilities.
"I want to use this momentum to raise awareness for the industry, operators, and regulators," said Kim, adding that ITU will deliver appropriate training to various stakeholders, including policy makers, regulators and others interested in mainstreaming, developing and implementing ICT accessibility issues for PWDs at national, sub-regional and regional levels, and will continue implementing projects through close collaboration with various partners such as the ICT Ministry, Nectec and the National Telecommunications Commission, and others.
According to Axel Leblois, executive director, Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict), ICT has become a significant factor for economic and social development in all countries around the world. People's ability to use mainstream ICT applications and devices directly affects their ability to fully participate in education, employment, culture and leisure, civic or social activities.
Television, mobile phones, radios, computers, websites and multiple automated digital interfaces are used every day by billions of persons to communicate, access information in their jobs, at school, at home or to interact with government services or e-commerce.
The pervasive usage of ICTs in all aspects of society around the world thus creates a significant risk of exclusion if ICT is not accessible to PWDs.
For Thailand, the government which has ratified the UN CRPD (Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities) is working on implementation by establishing learning centres nationwide that include assistive technologies such as braille printers and digital talking books for use by the visually impaired. There are also plans to use closed captioning for television programming to promote use by hearing-impaired users.
Writer: Sasiwimon Boonruang
Nong Oay and Nong Note enjoy taking photos for visitors and editing them with the Photoshop program.
The Mattayom 1 student cannot articulate, but she is able to communicate with teachers and friends with a picture notebook and the Talking Switch speech assistive equipment, which helps her to partake in activities in the classroom.
Beside Nong Kob, at the United Nation building recently, was fellow wheelchair user Nong Oay, who has weak bones due to the inherited disorder of collagen synthesis, and Nong Note, who suffers muscle weakness.
All are students at Srisangwal School who today enjoy using not only the assistive technology, developed by the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec), but also computer programs such as Photoshop.
Visitors and delegates at the "ITU Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on mainstreaming ICT Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities" recently witnessed the students' capabilities in decorating and editing snaps.
"I didn't think I would look so good in the photo, thank you!" said one visitor, chuckling over a picture and inserting a 100-baht banknote into the donation box.
One woman who had Nong Kob take her photo and decorate it with a yellow butterfly was surprised when she received the photo and said even able-bodied adults could not produce such a high quality of work.
"How old are you?" she asked Nong Kob, who answered "11" on the computer screen.
These are technologies that help bridge the gap between people with disabilities (PWDs) and those without.
However, exposure to ICT for PWDs has been limited in some aspects.
Sawang Srisom, officer of Disabled Peoples' International Asia Pacific, noted that technology has progressively developed but there is still a conflict between demand and supply.
It will help, at least in the short term, if the government puts measures in place to enable PWDs to buy equipment at a lower price. In the long term, the state should have a policy for PWD employment.
In the workplace, he said, employers should install technology such as speech synthesis software for the visually impaired, or special mice designed for physically disabled people.
Sawang further encourages the introduction of closed caption or sign language options on television, adding that this would be useful not only to deaf people but also anyone trying to watch TV in a noisy environment.
Furthermore, Shadi Abou-Zahra, W3C web accessibility specialist, said graphical images on the internet are not suitable for sight-impaired people. They might be able to use screen readers for the text but the graphical information can not be output automatically. Video online will become more widely available, but captioning is rare.
If the website cannot be navigated by keyboard, PWDs may use a special mouse to do so. But the majority of websites have not been designed with the principles of accessibility and are therefore difficult for PWDs to use.
In order for the web to become truly accessible to all, it had to be coded properly, said Shadi.
The specialist noted that W3C has developed a technical standard for the web to adopt internationally recognised guidelines.
"The biggest challenge is not technology, but awareness-raising," he said, adding that people who develop websites typically don't consider the requirements of PWDs.
Training the developers, policy makers and decision makers is very important because they have to work together.
The issue of ICT accessibility for PWDs has significantly raised awareness.
Thailand recently hosted the first forum to be staged in the Pacific region.
In the knowledge-driven information age and society, it is timely to design and implement an inclusive ICT policy to provide digital opportunities to PWDs, according to Dr Eun-Ju Kim, head of the ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
Citing the World Health Organisation, Kim said 10 percent of the world's population - or about 650 million people - have some form of disability, with the number increasing every year due to various factors such as war, natural disasters, unhealthy living conditions, and the absence of knowledge about disabilities and how to manage them.
In Thailand, there are around 1.9 million PWDs, or 2.9% of the population, many of whom encounter barriers when using ICT products and services.
Dr Eun-Ju Kim says the industry should have more R&D to come up with the right design products and services for disabled people.
ICT accessibility has been practiced to a very limited extent. Existing ICT products and services were not designed with principles of accessibility in mind and are therefore difficult for PWDs to use. The most obvious example is web accessibility.
"It costs dramatically less to implement web accessibility at the design stage than to retrofit it later," said Kim.
"Thus, it is worth emphasising the important roles of not only policy-makers and regulators but also industries, which can contribute not only to appropriate designs but also to affordable ICT products and services for PWD, taking into account the potential markets in the aged society."
The ITU Regional head urged that it is time to present PWDs with digital opportunities through ICT inclusive policy and regulations such as code of conducts in the information society so that assistive technologies, devices and applications specifically designed for PwD can be accessible and affordable to use.
She pointed out the ITU program of "Building the Capacity of Harnessing ICT for Disempowered/Marginalised Communities in Sri Lanka" from which representatives came to Thailand to exchange experiences.
They feel Thailand enjoys far more advanced technology in ICT applications and for PWDs and when they go back to Sri Lanka they can raise awareness of the issue to encourage more and better technology and applications available for their disabled people.
"I want to continue this kind of exchange program in the future as part of this project," said Kim.
"Next year, the program may be carried out with Mongolia and another countries."
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who Kim said is a leader in the field, and who is also the one of ITU patrons, is supporting ICT in a wide range.
However, she said this is not the end, but just a beginning which still requires a lot of work to ensure equal access for all to ICT.
Kim is encouraging the industry to focus more on research and development to come up with right design products and services for PWDs to help them enjoy as full a life as possible.
Significantly, she said, many developed countries such as Japan and around Europe are seeing a rapid increase in population age, so their ICT industries are adapting to support the socio-economic needs of a growing and ageing demographic, including the different forms of disabilities that accompany the trend, such as the loss or reduction of dexterity and senses.
A decade from now, it is envisioned that these countries will have adapted so that their entire populations should be able to benefit from ICT, regardless of disabilities.
"I want to use this momentum to raise awareness for the industry, operators, and regulators," said Kim, adding that ITU will deliver appropriate training to various stakeholders, including policy makers, regulators and others interested in mainstreaming, developing and implementing ICT accessibility issues for PWDs at national, sub-regional and regional levels, and will continue implementing projects through close collaboration with various partners such as the ICT Ministry, Nectec and the National Telecommunications Commission, and others.
According to Axel Leblois, executive director, Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict), ICT has become a significant factor for economic and social development in all countries around the world. People's ability to use mainstream ICT applications and devices directly affects their ability to fully participate in education, employment, culture and leisure, civic or social activities.
Television, mobile phones, radios, computers, websites and multiple automated digital interfaces are used every day by billions of persons to communicate, access information in their jobs, at school, at home or to interact with government services or e-commerce.
The pervasive usage of ICTs in all aspects of society around the world thus creates a significant risk of exclusion if ICT is not accessible to PWDs.
For Thailand, the government which has ratified the UN CRPD (Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities) is working on implementation by establishing learning centres nationwide that include assistive technologies such as braille printers and digital talking books for use by the visually impaired. There are also plans to use closed captioning for television programming to promote use by hearing-impaired users.
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