Technology is not only helping people with disabilities succeed in jobs, but get jobs as well.
The disability.gov blog is a content-rich, well-organized resource administered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability. It averages about 10-15 posts each month on topics like housing, education, civil rights, transportation, and three distinct categories for information about employment and career options for people with disabilities. Click on the “No Boundaries Photo Project” category and you’ll find first-person and third-person accounts of career paths along with terrific photos of each successful person in their workplace.
In November, blogger Stephanie B recounted the story of Adil Sanai, a Pakistani native whose family moved to New York City when he was still a boy. Cerebral palsy prevented Adil from being able to walk or even stand for 15 years of his life, so it’s small wonder he considers completing the five-mile Achilles International Hope and Possibility Race this past summer one of his proudest accomplishments.
Adil’s story would be moving enough if that were all. But it isn’t. His condition also impedes his ability to speak without the aid of an augmentative and alternative communication device (AAC), which is invaluable for his part-time job at a Marshall’s department store.
Stephanie B wrote:
Using his Chat PC, Adil preprograms questions and responses to help him communicate with his supervisor, other associates and customers. Once he learns which section of the store he will be working in that day, Adil gets busy hanging clothes, making sure all of the items have tags, moving clothing that is in the wrong place to the correct location, and giving damaged goods to the supervisor.
The Chat PC is a product of the Saltillo Corporation, a manufacturer of AAC devices based in Millersburg, Ohio. The ChatPC-Silk is a hand-held version that looks as sleek as any iPhone or Android and has the kind of features that would spark app-envy in any wireless user.
Stephanie B said:
ChatPC-Silk provides both digitized (recorded) and synthesized (computer generated) speech. A choice between voice synthesizers allows the speech output to meet the needs and lifestyle of the individual. NeoSpeech offers high quality voice synthesis in American English. Acapela offers bilingual speech capabilities and a child’s voice. Loquendo provides speech synthesis in a number of different languages.
Adil has a second job in a quality control department and full social life with family and friends, but he still found time to make this short video (below) demonstrating his prowess with the Chat PC, and how it can be used by other AAC device users in job interviews.
Share your experiences with AAC devices in the comments section below.
Image by uwe hermann, used under its Creative Commons license.
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