Barry Smith talks about the Lightwriter® at CM2009
Barry Smith is from North Ayrshire lives with cerebral palsy. He has been using communication aids since he was twelve years old.
In 2008 he attended the Communication Matters Symposium to give a presentation about his life and delivered it using his Lightwriter®.
This year, Toby Churchill Ltd were proud to provide travel bursaries to allow him to attend Communication Matters Symposium 2009. Barry gave a talk entitled ‘How Technology Is Changing Communication Aids’ which provided us with a great insight into how he uses the Lightwriter® technology. We have pleasure in being able to share a text version of his talk below:
How fast the world has moved on
Who I am
My name is Barry Smith I have been using a communication aid since I was twelve years old. Today I would like to talk to you about my life and how I came to use a voice output communication aid. My story shows just how much the technology has changed over the years. This is how I became to be here using the latest model of Lightwriter® from Toby Churchill Ltd and my vision of the future for people with speech problems.
I couldn’t write with a pen and because of this I use a Lightwriter®. I remember what my first one looked like it was bigger and had a printer the paper was rolled up like a till roll. I used this on and off for a few years but was still using the bliss board at the same time.
In my last year of school I attended an assessment at a Motherwell College - at that time did not use any voice output communicaiton aid which concerned them, so they asked my speech therapist who had been working with me throughout my school years about the possibility of getting a speaking communication aid. I was a bit upset at first as I thought that getting a communication aid would mean no one will try to make out my own voice. But we agreed to go ahead with contacting the Scottish Centre of Technology for the Communication Impaired (SCTCI).
A few weeks later they came to meet us at my school, bringing with them three different types of communication aids for me to try and see which one I liked. I preferred the Lightwriter® as I felt it was a nice size for me. I was asked if I wanted it mounted onto my chair – I said no thank you. I then got that Lightwriter® for a trial loan which gave me time to get used to it.
First Lightwriter® from Ayrshire
After I left school I moved back down to Ayrshire, I met Linda Page from the Ayrshire and Arran Health Board; she told me I would have to return the Lightwriter® to Glasgow because the trial loan was ending. She gave me one of her Lightwriters® to use as I was just about to start college and explained that her service would lend me a Lightwriter® and maintain it if there were any problems. Linda asked me again if I wanted it mounted onto my chair – again I said no thank you.
I started my course at Motherwell College and felt good using the Lightwriter® – it made a difference to me that people weren’t standing over me reading what I was saying.
Just after I started at college, Linda came to see me she and gave me a new Lightwriter® that had been ordered for me, the SL35 had just come out at that time, and Linda put on a deep keyguard which I found helpful. The sound of the voice was better than the Lightwriter® I had been using. I used this Lightwriter® for years and loved it.
After leaving Motherwell College I did different things with my life before getting my own house in 2006. All these years I was using my Lightwriter®.
Last year
In 2008 I was here at the conference to give a presentation about my life and delivered it using my SL35. I knew that a new model of Lightwriter® was out; SL40 and this was the first time I got a chance to see it. I was asked by Sandra at Toby Churchill Ltd if I would like to take one away and give it a try for a few hours, then feedback what I thought about it. What I loved about it was that i could send a text message for the very first time in my life to my mum. Well, mum couldn’t believe it was from me so she phoned Derek my support worker who was with me to find out what was going on. When she realised it was from me her reaction was that this was ‘bloody brilliant’.
My first thought was it looked quite cool, it also had deep keys and an improved word prediction system - something I find very useful to speed up my communication. The speech sound was different also from the Lightwriter® I had been using - better speech quality again with speaker mounted at the top not the bottom so the sound now comes out better.
I was in two minds about handing it back after I had a shot of the SL40. I thought I would maybe just run away with it because I loved it so much.
In February of this year
One day in February Linda came to see me and I asked her what was going on about my request to get the SL40 as I had been waiting for a trial loan. She began to laugh and told me she had one in her bag for me, my face lit up because it felt like Xmas again but much better.
I sent my mum a text message again and she was so happy because a couple of years ago after I had moved in to my new house she was going to buy me a mobile phone but we realised I couldn’t hold it. She thought it was wonderful that now I could text. And it has given her peace of mind that I can make contact with someone if I have a problem when I am out and about.
For mum though there has been at least one occasion that she wasn’t so keen on my texts! I went on holiday earlier this year by myself and ran out of money, so I sent her a text to ask her to send me some more. I felt this was a great way of getting out of a jam but I don’t think she thought this was ‘bloody brilliant’. I did pay her back though.
But to be serious for a minute, in my opinion, the combination of being able to text and the improved clarity of the voice is improving my safety. The voice is great over the phone with my hands free phone at home and being able to use text when out and about is great for keeping in touch but also for my safety.
I am also making good use of its environmental control options - so far just for the TV controls.
Other features I like having a notebook - I find it hard to write because of my physical disability which means I can write into my Lightwriter® and save the work as well. No more worry of being late because it has a clock in it.
Where are we today?
During the time that I have been using Lightwriters®, Toby Churchill Ltd has become the 3rd biggest communication aid company in the world. Over the years Lightwriters® have got smaller and are also much more powerful, this is even in my lifetime.
So how has my life changed?
When I did my talk last year I felt great because I was giving something back to the world and in particular all the AAC users and professionals.
In ten years time
I would like everyone in the world will have a better understanding about how people with communication problems use Lightwriters® and other voice output communication aids. All AAC users are different – Stephen Hawking has been great for letting people know that some people use communication aids, but people in broadcasting need to let the public know that there are different sorts of devices out there and we don’t work them by magic. We need people to remember to pay attention to what we say and give us more time to communicate. It would be good to see more AAC users on television which would definately raise awareness.
Many people who use communication aids don’t work and I feel we need to give something back to this world, I know this would raise the profile of devices out there and in some way to help others understand what a lot of hard work it is for some people who use communication aids to get their message across - it isn’t magic!
As well as these views of the future I would like Lightwriters® to have new software for computer and internet access.
Over the next year I hope to set up a group for people who use a Lightwriter® in Ayrshire, I have already started work on this goal by sending out questionnaires. I also want to attend the Isaac conference next year in Spain – so I better move my bum and make things happen!
Thank you’s
Before I end my talk I would liked to thank Toby Churchill Ltd for again sponsoring my attendance at this conference. I would also like to thank Communication Matters for letting me do my talk for the last two years.
Also thanks to Derek my support worker for checking my spelling and grammar as well accompanying me for the 2nd year running. And thanks also to Linda Page my speech and language therapist.
Thank you to you all for coming to this presentation.
