Alan Joyce, clinical technician in assistive technology with Enable Ireland, explains how his work exploits electronics to help the disabled
My job involves working with people with physical and sensory disabilities and using electronic devices to assist with their mobility, computer access and/or communication.
Our service is based in Galway city and, at present, consists of myself and an occupational therapist. We normally spend two or three days a week on the road, travelling to homes, schools or workplaces throughout Galway and Mayo.
The remainder of our time is spent in our centre in Galway. I work nine to five but often continue until 5.30p.m. or 6p.m. We usually have two or three appointments a day.
An initial visit consists of a general introduction to our service and is followed up by an evaluation which may require several more sessions.
We visit people in their homes, schools or workplaces, depending on what assistance they require. Some appointments also take place at our centre.
We generally receive referrals from occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, psychologists, teachers, parents and self-referrals.
After receiving a referral, we meet the person for the first time within two weeks of their referral and then carry out an evaluation of their needs over several visits.
There are four areas that we assist in. The first is making computers more accessible.
Here, we might make adaptations to keyboards, such as modifying layouts or replacing a standard keyboard to enable users to activate it through alternative methods. It could also involve enabling computer users to control their mouse through head movement, speech or blinking their eyes.
The second area we assist in is communication aids. Here, we work in conjunction with a speech and language therapist to adapt electronic aids to assist service users in their communication difficulties.
The third area we work in is the adapting of controls on a powered wheelchair. This could involve making changes to the wheelchair controller so the person can independently move through their homes, schools or offices. This may mean the user controlling their wheelchair through mechanical switches and not the standard joystick. It can also be further modified to incorporate electronic aids to control the switching on/off of lights, the opening of doors or the controlling of the TV.
Environmental control is the final area covered through the service. This may involve controlling lighting, paging systems or opening doors/windows through the use of a computer, communication aid or the controller on a wheelchair.
We find different service users cope differently with their recommended assistive technology. An adult who has had a stroke may have greater difficulty adapting than a child with cerebral palsy who may have learned to use technology from an early age.
Before I started this job, I worked for eight years in the electronics industry. The big difference between the two working environments is that in assistive technology, progress is made through small steps.
At first, I found this a little frustrating but now I find that these small steps which help an individual increase their independence through technology has brought new meaning to job satisfaction.