iPad Helps Those With Medical Disabilities
One of my family members and also one of my best friends are suffering from Parkinson’s disease. It’s sad. The disease has robbed them of so many abilities that we all perform daily without even thinking about it.
My friend, who is one of the kindest and smartest people I know, is also a brilliant engineer, scientist and accomplished author. The last several years have caused a marked decline in his ability to easily perform the activities we all take for granted. Even eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast was nearly an impossible task for him … at least until a few weeks ago, when he had a deep brain stimulator (DBS) placed. The results are nothing less than miraculous!
Last week I saw him for the first time since the placement of his DBS, and I was utterly amazed! His tremors were gone! He still had some residual “stiffness” in his leg, and his fine motor skills were not perfect, but it was an astounding difference.
After we had a chance to chat, the very next thing he did was pull out his iPad! Yes, my friend is back. Previously, he was unable to even talk on the phone without the use of a headset because of his trembling hands. Of course this made the use of a computer with keyboard and mouse essentially impossible. Although he has lost some of his fine motor skills, even with the use of the DBS, and has lost his previous ability for high-speed typing, he certainly was able to rapidly move around his iPad without difficulty! Wow!
Of course the DBS certainly played a significant role in his recovery, but I watched with intense curiosity as he navigated his iPad. The large icons, large on-screen keypad, the one-button/one-push access, the ability to “swipe” to turn pages, and the easy zoom features certainly helped him quickly navigate the landscape.
Fine motor skills are really not required for the iPad, making this device a natural for anyone with diminished fine motor skills and other disabilities. I watched my friend rapidly move from application to application as he showed me his picture gallery and his chess application. (By the way he is a master chess player, so I wouldn’t even try to play against him!)
I then watched him pull up the browser and the iPad keyboard, and he was easily able to navigate the large keys and perform web searches. I was totally impressed! I know in a previous blog, I mentioned some of the limitations of the iPad, but I failed to consider the positive impact this device could have for someone with a neuromuscular or similar disorder. I’m impressed.
I’m now starting to think of other areas and other applications for the iPad that would be helpful for people who find working with a traditional keyboard and mouse difficult.
Here are some links to a couple of related articles that you may find interesting:
• From PC World, “Apple iPad Helps Businesses Meet Needs of Disabled Employees”
• From Disabled World, “Information and specifications on the Apple iPad including accessibility features for persons with disabilities”
And here is an interesting YouTube video, “Apple iPad detail hands-on demo.” It’s not the typical “canned” glossy demo. It’s a video of a customer asking questions to someone demonstrating the device at a trade show. So, you will see things that work and things that don’t work in an unscripted fashion. The video is about 15 minutes. The first 8–10 minutes are great, then it sort of fades out like someone left the camera on but probably should have turned it off. So you can stop the video after about the first 10 minutes. Also, the person demonstrating the device does an excellent job showing the many powerful features. Even if you already own an iPad, I think you will pick up a tip or two in the video.
Overall, I’m softening up a bit on my previous iPad comments and starting to find more and more uses for the iPad. I’m especially interested in your comments on the use of the iPad for people with disabilities.
Happy Computing!
Cheers,
Joe