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Thanks to technological advancements, even non-living beings such as machines may now order things on their own. Yes, it is indeed true. Now, your refrigerator can place orders independently through technology. The word 'threshold' in this context refers to a limit. If a refrigerator is linked to an e-commerce site, anything that goes below a pre-defined limit in the refrigerator can be determined and ordered by the refrigerator on its own from the site.
Example No. 1: If the milk in the refrigerator is about to run out, or if someone has set a limit, such as half a litre, one litre, or more, then the refrigerator will automatically order milk if the milk level goes below the stated limit.
Example No. 2: Similar to the first example, if ink cartridges in printers were ready to run out, it could self-order a new set of ink cartridges.
Technology has made the aforementioned instances possible in today's world. Our lives have become simpler and easier as a result of technological advancements.
Not only does technology work with kitchen appliances and consumable products, but it also works with your home appliances, entertainment appliances, and so on. For example, controlling home appliances or entertainment appliances can now be done with your voice or simply by swapping your finger.
Example1, if we become bored with a television programme, we can ask our smart TV to switch it over to a social media site using voice commands.
Example 2: If you're stuck in traffic, you can use your voice command to tell your kettle to make you some tea so you can relax while driving home. Not just a cup of tea, but the complete water and energy management may be handled with the help of technology by automating all of the processes.
Technology had made our lives easier and simpler, and it had been a blessing not only to ordinary people but also to those with special needs.
Do you know? In India, there are \(2.7\) crore people who are disabled in some way. According to the \(2011\) Census, \(2.21\) percent of India's population is disabled. Disabled people in India confront attitudinal challenges as they struggle with issues of access, acceptability, and involvement, in contrast to those in developed countries.
The above paragraphs represent Alisha's experiences and how she has benefited from technology. She would have done things without technology as well, but it would have been more frustrating and challenging. It's indeed due to technology that her work was made easier and more achievable. As a result, she wants to share her technological experience with others as she wants people to know about it and especially disabled people to use it.
Alisha, unlike the majority of people, had cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is caused by improper brain development, which usually happens before birth. Some of the signs and symptoms include exaggerated reflexes, floppy or inflexible limbs, and uncontrollable motions. As a result of her cerebral palsy, Alisha has been unable to type quickly though she would like to do so. But now, she was able to type the words she was thinking of as quickly as possible, thanks to technological advancements. People would be curious to hear how it happened to her, she says. Let's take a look at how technology had aided Alisha.
Alisha used Dragon Dictate, a piece of technology, to assist her type quickly. Dragon Dictate is a speech recognition application developed by Dragon Systems for Microsoft Windows. With Dragon Dictate, you can speak directly into Word documents, web pages, Outlook, Word, and practically any other application. The words will appear exactly where you were about to start typing them. So, rather than typing, conversing with a microphone would be beneficial. As a result, when Alisha says words, they appear on the screen, and she could take a printout of those later. All these were possible with the help of this Dragon Dictate. As a result, Alisha believes Dragon Dictate has made a significant difference in her life and enabled her to attain goals she had hoped for.
Alisha also recalls a memory of a teacher who died before Alisha finished her GCSE Maths. GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education, and it signifies the completion of higher secondary education in the United Kingdom. Alisha remembered her teacher as the person who encouraged her to achieve her Maths GCSE. Since the GCSE requires more typing, someone needs to assist her with her typing. As a result, Alisha believed that studying Maths GCSE would be impossible and that she would be unable to complete it. Alisha was reminded of it recently and stated that studying GCSE was now achievable because she could complete her work without the assistance of anyone other than her own voice.
Alisha was taught how to use the Dragon Dictate software by Kim, who worked as an Assistive Technologist at her school. She assisted Alisha in training the programme to recognise her voice, which took only a few hours. Since then, she has found Dragon Dictate to be so simple to use that she now uses it in both her classroom and at home.
Alisha claims that Dragon Dictate has made her more self-reliant, allowing her to study independently. As a result, Alisha began studying for her GCSE in Maths. Alisha was certain that her teacher would have been proud of her.
Alisha initially found studying one GCSE difficult, but after learning about Dragon Dictate, she was confident in her ability to complete two GCSEs. It was because Alisha was so secure in herself that she wanted to put more effort into her studies and obtain higher grades. According to Kim, Alisha can achieve anything she desires in her life with the help of technology because it aids people with disabilities like her. Kim's motivation boosted Alisha's self-assurance even more.
Do you have any idea that there are numerous sorts of technology that can assist a young disabled person in becoming independent? Eye Gaze, for example, can be used to control a computer screen by someone with limited movement, as to how a regular computer user would use a mouse to manage their computer, like scrolling. That implies they can use their eye pupils to go from page to page while reading. They are not required to press any buttons. They will be able to perform things for themselves without the assistance of others.
Alisha compliments her teacher Kim for assisting all \(42\) young disabled students at her school in using technology in a variety of ways. Alisha was astounded by her kind, helpful behaviour, and she and her friends would have missed out on all opportunities if they hadn't met Kim. It's because Alisha and other disabled kids would not have known about the benefits of technology if it hadn't been for her instructor Kim. Alisha believes that technology has opened up the entire world to her.
Another individual named David, like Alisha, shares his technological experience. David was a 21-years old disabled person. He, like Alisha, believes that technology has enabled him to be self-dependent and free. Technology is crucial to David because it allows him to communicate with other people.
David communicated verbally with people using the Liberator Communication Device, which he controlled with his eyes. It has a Bluetooth adaptor to assist people with limited speech in getting a say. He can now transmit orders to any PC or Mac as a result.
Learning to use the liberator communication system, according to David, was a fantastic experience that took him a couple of weeks to accomplish. He had a hard time communicating with others before he was introduced to the liberator communication system. In his bedroom, he had an ACTIV controller on the headrest of his chair, allowing him to manage his TV, Blu-Ray player, and music player.
David was born with a variant of Cerebral Palsy called Athetoid Cerebral Palsy. It's a movement disorder caused by a brain injury that occurs early in life. A brain damage that occurs late in pregnancy or shortly after birth causes this type of cerebral palsy, which is characterised by abnormal, uncontrollable movement.
David was attending a special school and college since he had Athetoid Cerebral Palsy. Since this condition affects the muscles of the face and tongue, speech problems develop. Since he was eight years old, David has been using a high-tech communication device and has been fascinated by AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) and technology. AAC refers to collection of communication methods that can help people with severe expressive communication difficulties augment or compensate (temporarily or permanently) for their impairments and disabilities.
When David initially started using AAC, he utilised a head switch to access a page-based system on his AAC device, which required a lot of navigating and effort when combined with switching. David had to put in a lot of effort to make this system work. However, after some time, David began to use ECO2 in connection with the ECO point, an eye-controlled scanning communicator.
So, instead of using AAC, which requires a lot of effort, ECO2 with ECO point might be used to make his selections using a foot switch once he has set his sight on the needed icon. He also has a smaller communication device attached to his walker.
David was a sports leader and spends a lot of time in sports. He participated in football, boccia, hockey, and baseball on a regular basis. He utilised his ECO2 linked to an interactive white board to give PE sessions because he was a sports leader.
Boccia is an indoor game that may be played in a chair or a wheelchair. Players must remain in their player boxes while tossing the ball. The "ends" of a boccia game are the pieces that make up the game. An end resembles a round in which each team throws six balls at the other. If there are two athletes playing, each will throw six balls.
On the screen, David had roughly \(144\) icons that he uses with ECO point Eye Gaze. David appreciated the ECO2 with ECO point when he started using it because it allowed him to communicate more quickly. While he used the software ECO2 and ECO point for a few things at first, he began to use it to access the curriculum, study for his GCSE, order food and communicate while in restaurants, and quarrel with his brother, and it became a part of his daily routine as he used it for his everyday activities. David was able to communicate with anybody and everything he could think of using this ECO2 and ECO point.
David had also begun to use ECO2 to speak using complete sentences with correct syntax after a period of time. The 'arrangement of words and phrases in a language to make well-formed sentences' is referred to as 'syntax.' One advantage is that it had exceeded the quantity of words used by David, and those words appeared to be precise and significant.
David seems to be a more confident and skilled communicator as a result of his use of more meaningful language while expressing his comments. That was not the end of David's story. After some time, he began working on using the software to communicate idioms. "Mum has a lot on her plate!" for example, which indicates "Mum had enough work to do because she was occupied with so many responsibilities." He also assists those who use AAC and explains how simple it is to communicate with anyone using AAC.
Aside from the activities listed in the preceding paragraphs, such as studying for the CGSE, participating in sports, and so on, David makes great use of technology. His play station is controlled via a customised switch mechanism. Bespoke refers to things created specifically for a single individual.
He also utilises the ECO point Eye Gaze system to communicate, access the computer to check on the Chelsea football team's progress, and send and receive text messages while driving his electric wheelchair with head controls. He also listened to MP3 on his ECO2 from morning to night if he was at home. Technology enabled David to do, study, enjoy and achieve things just like a normal person, and it assisted him in overcoming his feeling of disability.
Most notably, as part of the Remix Drama Group, David was recently chosen to travel to Brazil to collaborate with the Olympic opening ceremony team.
The author summarised the benefits of technology and how it helps disabled people achieve things and perform tasks that were presented throughout the lesson, 'tech bloomers,' in this paragraph.
Alisha believes that technological advancements have made our life easier. People can use technology to contact their family, talk to distant relatives, and possibly visit them. Mobile phones, for example, allow us to communicate with people in other parts of the world who are able to see themselves via video conversations.
On the other side, Kim has shown how technology may assist young disabled people like Alisha and her classmates. As a result, it not only aids normal individuals in being self-independent, but it also aids disabled people in becoming self-independent.
Technology allows us to make friends and interact, as well as control our environment by turning lights on and off, managing room temperature, programming home appliances to order goods on their own, making appliances work for us using our voice commands, etc.
Technology breaks all barriers of disabled in today's era. While most people aren't aware of it, assistive technology devices have become prevalent in many aspects of our lives, ranging from cell phones with built-in cameras and screen magnifiers to personal computers that have been customised for use by those who can't easily access conventional equipment due to visual or motor difficulties or lack of mobility, such as the elderly, patients recovering from illness or surgery, blind and visually impaired people, physically challenged people, and others.
Stephen Hawking, a world-renowned scientist, is undoubtedly the clearest example of how Assistive Technology has enabled a talented intellect to overcome physical limitations and contribute meaningfully to society. He was one of the greatest theoretical physicists of all time. From the Big Bang to black holes, Hawking's work on the origins and structure of the universe revolutionised the field, and his best-selling books appealed to readers who may not have had access to his technical expertise.
Through Skype and other video communication tools like Google Hangouts, differently-abled learners can now learn alongside their peers in real time! Assistive Technology (AT) is any technology, method, or process that enables people with disabilities to have the same access to Information and communication technologies, employment, education, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency like people without disabilities.
The lesson brings out the fact that people could achieve their goals and live their lives irrespective of their weakness, as here Alisha and David were living their life independently without taking help from others and achieved their goals using technology. With technology and willingness, anything and everything under the sky is possible for all, irrespective of normal or disabled people.
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