In today's class we watched several inspiring videos highlighting people with physical disabilities involved in sports and other physical activities. Their level of participation was breath taking - almost "dare devil" stunts. It is hard to imagine someone with no physical disability doing these things but here we saw people with limbs missing or blind doing these "fast paced, high risk" activities. A few theads common to all of these videos were: it's all about the heart, assistive technology devices, and teamwork.
My assignment for today was to research "cataracts" and find an assistive technology device that would be suitable for that condition and an inspiring video. According to the above link on cataracts, this problem can occur at any age, although more likely with seniors. Cataracts can usually be treated with surgery; however, even with surgery, partial or full loss of vision is still possible. This is especially true if there are problems during surgery or if there are infections following the surgery.
An assistive technology device that I located and appears as if it would be beneficial to someone with vision loss is Zoom-Twix. According to the Zoom-Twix site, this device is an auto reader that is fast, accurate, portable, lightweight, highly reliable, and durable. It is a multi-tasking reader that can scan, read, magnify, save books, and is good for distance viewing.
The following video demonstrates what someone with a visual impairment can really do. Just watch the smooth and confident dancing. I chose this particular video as it shows an adult and even though children and youth can be affected by cataracts, it is more likely to be adults or seniors. (this guy is certainly not a senior).
Overall, the course was an excellent experience for me. A big learning curve with respect to some of the AT -- but so glad I persisted. I will continue to explore the AT devices and, hopefully, enable myself to be more comfortable with their use. Will definitely be trying some of this when I get back to my workplace.
I would also like to comment on the people in the class -- very approachable and helpful. Even knowing that others were sometimes experiencing similar difficulties and frustrations (internet connections, etc.) made me feel that the issue wasn't just me. I guess it's just human nature to not want to feel "alone".
It was fun! Have a great summer and I may see some of you next summer.
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