RE: TATN ’08

Uhm, no, not what I said at all.

For instance, I specifically said that you ARE a role model. That is the
basic issue as I see it. Have you ever heard the saying, "actions speak
louder than words?" That is what I’m talking about. Whatever advice you give
to people, they are still going to look at the AAC you use and see that as a
tacit comment about the others. Most people aren’t going to understand the
complicated criteria that can be a part of selecting the "right" AAC for
them. Now do you understand what I was saying?

By the way, I have much the same problem with Dr. Stephen Hawkins. So you’re
in good company!

I also asked you to respond on my blog instead of in private email. That was
for fairness, so that everyone could read your comments for themselves. I’ll
transfer your response this time, but I encourage you to consider starting a
blog of your own.

I’m glad you’re getting an ECO. That is what I’d pick if I had to have a PRC
product. What I read suggests that an ECO could also run Xpress-It. That’s
an intriguing thought, and I’ve toyed with the idea of bugging Carla for an
evaluation unit. I damn sure couldn’t afford the $8,000 list price! Ow!

You still haven’t told me how you could properly demo things like Xpress-It.
There is a slight possibility that I might convince Dell to provide a laptop
for that purpose, but first I’d have to be comfortable that it was a good
idea.

> —–Original Message—–
> From: Texas TERA [mailto:texastera@gmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 11:15 PM
> To: ‘Scott Royall’; cca.cons@prentrom.com
> Subject: RE: TATN ’08
>
> Scott,
>
> I really think there is a misunderstanding here. I never said I didn’t
> like X-Press and it couldn’t work for some people. I never said I didn’t
> think the DEC Talk voice wasn’t out dated. I’ll be getting an ECO in
> the near future that has a better voice. I clearly stated the opposite.
> I have kept all our email contacts. I just feel that you are shoving it
> down my throat that it is what would best for me. With my job, I support
> all of the known AAC devices.
>
> You say I’m not a role model, funny, I think most peoplr in the AAC
> world would disagree with you.. The problem is I haven’t seen you in
> that world. I am strong advocate for improving AAC devices and
> communicate with AAC manufacture R&D deparrtments. It is your choice
> rather you want to work with me. I’m sorry that you can’t accept our
> differences and move on.
>
>
> I sincerely wish you the best of luck.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Scott Royall [mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]
> Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 9:27 PM
> To: cca.cons@prentrom.com; texastera@gmail.com
> Subject: FW: TATN ’08
>
>
>
> Carla,
>
>
>
> Below is a long post I just sent to my blog. Kate also got a copy.
>
>
>
> I’m sorry; I’m well aware that you two are friends, but I found Kate too
> interested in defending the merits of her Minspeak to offer me any
> reason to work with her. I think she misses the whole point rather
> concisely summed up in the final paragraph: as a fellow role-model, her
> actions say far more than words can. The fact that she does travel to
> more conferences further compounds the unspoken message against newer
> products, let alone mine.
>
>
>
> Kate doesn’t need to reply to this email. I won’t respond because that
> would be a waste of our time. However, she’s encouraged to respond on my
> blog if she wants. My blog in my commentary on the realities of my life.
> As such, it will probably be the only legacy I leave behind since
> Xpress-It obviously isn’t going anywhere.
>
>
>
> Scott
>
>
>
> From: Scott Royall [mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]
> Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 8:46 PM
> Subject: TATN ’08
>
>
>
> I attended the Texas Assistive Technology Network ’08 a few weeks ago,
> and I promised to write about a couple of people I met there.
> Unfortunately, life has intervened with a number of minor emergencies
> that required my attention, including a couple of computer crashes.
> Another reason why I’m reluctant to start discussing my experience at
> TATN is because I recognize that my comments will probably be considered
> as incendiary, although that’s absolutely not my intention. One lady in
> particular could, and should, be a mutual benefit to herself and me as
> she’s leading an effort to set up a clearinghouse in the Austin area for
> information and technology useful in independent living. This
> clearinghouse is to include examples of assistive technology, such as
> AAC products. Her name is Kate May <mailto:texastera@gmail.com> , and
> she is a fellow AAC user as well as having a degree in Special Ed. Yet,
> her comments, both at the conference and in email, raise serious
> questions in my mind regarding her ability to be impartial.
>
>
>
> There, I said it, although I sure didn’t want to.
>
>
>
> To clarify, Kate uses a Minspeak, an older dedicated AAC device by
> Prentke Romich. It’s menu-driven, based on PRC’s Semantic Compaction
> technology. The voice quality is roughly equal to DECTalk, which I first
> saw in 1983. DECTalk wasn’t bad for the time. Indeed, it was the first
> artificial voice to gain any traction with my managers at Shell. The
> release of Windows 95, however, spawned technologies that quickly
> retired DECTalk’s venerable hardware. We literally gave it to a school.
> Yet, Kate’s quite comfortable with her Minspeak, although a friend (who
> I’ll tell you about in a moment) was quick to point that better voices
> are available. Of course, Kate’s reluctance to change AAC products is
> entirely understandable. It’s just an example of a general phenomenon I
> mentioned in my TATN presentation; most people aren’t in love with
> technology, and they find re-learning how to do a task stressful enough
> to be avoided. What Kate has told me says that the environment around
> her, and her own verbal capabilities, do not generate much demand for a
> better artificial voice.
>
>
>
> Kate’s fondness for her Minspeak is certainly her right, and nominally
> only her business if it wasn’t for a couple of emailed statements. She
> told me that she intends to be the primary advisor for people coming to
> TERA, her clearinghouse, looking for AAC options. Ok, but then she said
> that she was "not proficient" in text-to-speech programs similar to
> Xpress-It. Hmm. Although I genuinely don’t mean to pick, that seems to
> be a significant disconnect to me. Saying that different people need
> different AAC solutions should be a given. Still, anyone intending to
> advise others would be well to develop proficiency in the major types. I
> did earn my chops ten years ago. After all, I didn’t write Xpress-It for
> fun. As much as such an arrangement ought to be mutually beneficial, I
> can’t see how I can afford to work with Kate. Sending her a copy of
> Xpress-It wouldn’t help her without an appropriate computer. And, I can’
> t afford to keep someone nearby to represent me, so I guess we can’t do
> business unless something changes.
>
>
>
> It is tempting to say that it’s no surprise that Kate’s friend was a PRC
> employee, but that’s disingenuous in the extreme. Yes, Carla is paid by
> PRC, as a SLP in a consulting capacity. She was quick to observe that
> her paycheck wasn’t tied to PRC sales, at least not directly. What was
> more impressive, though, was her behavior. While Kate didn’t appear
> interested in Xpress-It, asking only one question that I’m aware of,
> Carla was all eyes and ears, very quickly grasping why PRC products were
> inappropriate for me once she knew a bit about the private sector
> environment that I operated in. Rarely do the SLPs I encounter show much
> understanding of life in the Private Sector, but Carla seemed to. About
> the only part that she couldn’t quite get her brain around was why
> hospital SLPs would shun products like Xpress-It in favor of more
> comprehensive solutions. I know the official explanation about SLP
> workloads, but Carla is probably right in suspecting that the deep
> pockets of the larger vendors have something to do with it also. PRC
> historically doesn’t do much business with hospitals either because
> their products are more tuned for the education sector. In any case,
> Carla was a joy to meet, having a uncommon degree of what I call "snap"
> despite her protestations of being a "techno-phobe" (yeah right, Carla).
> Of course, she earned a few points by being easy to look at, and by
> immediately going ga-ga over Lilly. That showed fine taste.
>
>
>
> Long-time readers of my blog know that I tend to favor Private Sector
> solutions whenever possible. Not that the Private Sector gets everything
> right by a long shot, but, as long as there’s healthy competition, it
> will weed out the mistakes. The Public Sector, on the gripping hand,
> operates under a different set of rules that I find rather bizarre
> sometimes. There has been such a push in the last three decades to
> include everyone that various acceptance standards have been lowered
> right into mediocrity. Hardly an evening goes by that my ham friends and
> I don’t meet on-air to bemoan the decline of the "American Way."
> Naturally, I know people have sung that lament since at least 1770.
> However, as I communicated with Kate, I began to realize a likely link
> between the Public Sector’s willingness to accept mediocre performance
> and the almost glacial rate of progress in AAC.
>
>
>
> I do not know that much about Kate’s history. I do know that her degree
> is in Special Education, and she is affiliated with the Austin ISD. I
> don’t know if she has ever worked in the Private Sector. I also am aware
> that disabled people who do seek employment tend to aim for the Public
> Sector directly or through allied companies. That practice does make
> some sense, because competition to find and keep those jobs is less
> intense than for Private Sector equivalents. Even so, some sources put
> unemployment among the Disabled as high as 80%, and I daresay Kate would
> agree that the only way to put a dent in that figure is by enlisting the
> Private Sector much more effectively than it is now. That means that
> people who need AAC solutions can’t afford to settle for "good enough,"
> because employers won’t. I talked about this in my TATN talk; "good
> enough" needs to disappear from the Public Sector lexicon.
>
>
>
> This blog entry is waaay longer than I would like. I would’ve preferred
> to break it up into easily-digestible chunks, but I realized that I had
> a natural train of thought that I needed to follow through before
> opening up to comment. Obviously, Kate is not going to be pleased by my
> viewpoint, and that’s her constitutional right. At least my viewpoint is
> now on the record in its entirety for everyone interested to weigh for
> themselves. My greatest concern is the outcome of what Kate is trying to
> do with her TERA project. I’m frequently told that I’m a de facto
> role-model, and I wonder if Kate truly realizes the fallout of being
> one. She is certainly setting herself up as another role-model while
> using very old AAC, thereby sending a strong unspoken message that
> contradicts anything good she says about the newer technology. In
> effect, I believe Kate is supporting the status quo-albeit unwillingly,
> and I think a serious reality check is called for.
>
>
> Internal Virus Database is out of date.
> Checked by AVG.
> Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 270.3.0/1505 – Release Date: 6/16/2008
7:20 AM

TATN ’08

I attended the Texas Assistive Technology Network ’08 a few weeks ago, and I promised to write about a couple of people I met there. Unfortunately, life has intervened with a number of minor emergencies that required my attention, including a couple of computer crashes. Another reason why I’m reluctant to start discussing my experience at TATN is because I recognize that my comments will probably be considered as incendiary, although that’s absolutely not my intention. One lady in particular could, and should, be a mutual benefit to herself and me as she’s leading an effort to set up a clearinghouse in the Austin area for information and technology useful in independent living. This clearinghouse is to include examples of assistive technology, such as AAC products. Her name is Kate May, and she is a fellow AAC user as well as having a degree in Special Ed. Yet, her comments, both at the conference and in email, raise serious questions in my mind regarding her ability to be impartial.

 

There, I said it, although I sure didn’t want to.

 

To clarify, Kate uses a Minspeak, an older dedicated AAC device by Prentke Romich. It’s menu-driven, based on PRC’s Semantic Compaction technology. The voice quality is roughly equal to DECTalk, which I first saw in 1983. DECTalk wasn’t bad for the time. Indeed, it was the first artificial voice to gain any traction with my managers at Shell. The release of Windows 95, however, spawned technologies that quickly retired DECTalk’s venerable hardware. We literally gave it to a school. Yet, Kate’s quite comfortable with her Minspeak, although a friend (who I’ll tell you about in a moment) was quick to point that better voices are available. Of course, Kate’s reluctance to change AAC products is entirely understandable. It’s just an example of a general phenomenon I mentioned in my TATN presentation; most people aren’t in love with technology, and they find re-learning how to do a task stressful enough to be avoided. What Kate has told me says that the environment around her, and her own verbal capabilities, do not generate much demand for a better artificial voice.

 

Kate’s fondness for her Minspeak is certainly her right, and nominally only her business if it wasn’t for a couple of emailed statements. She told me that she intends to be the primary advisor for people coming to TERA, her clearinghouse, looking for AAC options. Ok, but then she said that she was “not proficient” in text-to-speech programs similar to Xpress-It. Hmm. Although I genuinely don’t mean to pick, that seems to be a significant disconnect to me. Saying that different people need different AAC solutions should be a given. Still, anyone intending to advise others would be well to develop proficiency in the major types. I did earn my chops ten years ago. After all, I didn’t write Xpress-It for fun. As much as such an arrangement ought to be mutually beneficial, I can’t see how I can afford to work with Kate. Sending her a copy of Xpress-It wouldn’t help her without an appropriate computer. And, I can’t afford to keep someone nearby to represent me, so I guess we can’t do business unless something changes.

 

It is tempting to say that it’s no surprise that Kate’s friend was a PRC employee, but that’s disingenuous in the extreme. Yes, Carla is paid by PRC, as a SLP in a consulting capacity. She was quick to observe that her paycheck wasn’t tied to PRC sales, at least not directly. What was more impressive, though, was her behavior. While Kate didn’t appear interested in Xpress-It, asking only one question that I’m aware of, Carla was all eyes and ears, very quickly grasping why PRC products were inappropriate for me once she knew a bit about the private sector environment that I operated in. Rarely do the SLPs I encounter show much understanding of life in the Private Sector, but Carla seemed to. About the only part that she couldn’t quite get her brain around was why hospital SLPs would shun products like Xpress-It in favor of more comprehensive solutions. I know the official explanation about SLP workloads, but Carla is probably right in suspecting that the deep pockets of the larger vendors have something to do with it also. PRC historically doesn’t do much business with hospitals either because their products are more tuned for the education sector. In any case, Carla was a joy to meet, having a uncommon degree of what I call ”snap” despite her protestations of being a “techno-phobe” (yeah right, Carla). Of course, she earned a few points by being easy to look at, and by immediately going ga-ga over Lilly. That showed fine taste.

 

Long-time readers of my blog know that I tend to favor Private Sector solutions whenever possible. Not that the Private Sector gets everything right by a long shot, but, as long as there’s healthy competition, it will weed out the mistakes. The Public Sector, on the gripping hand, operates under a different set of rules that I find rather bizarre sometimes. There has been such a push in the last three decades to include everyone that various acceptance standards have been lowered right into mediocrity. Hardly an evening goes by that my ham friends and I don’t meet on-air to bemoan the decline of the “American Way.” Naturally, I know people have sung that lament since at least 1770. However, as I communicated with Kate, I began to realize a likely link between the Public Sector’s willingness to accept mediocre performance and the almost glacial rate of progress in AAC.

 

I do not know that much about Kate’s history. I do know that her degree is in Special Education, and she is affiliated with the Austin ISD. I don’t know if she has ever worked in the Private Sector. I also am aware that disabled people who do seek employment tend to aim for the Public Sector directly or through allied companies. That practice does make some sense, because competition to find and keep those jobs is less intense than for Private Sector equivalents. Even so, some sources put unemployment among the Disabled as high as 80%, and I daresay Kate would agree that the only way to put a dent in that figure is by enlisting the Private Sector much more effectively than it is now. That means that people who need AAC solutions can’t afford to settle for “good enough,” because employers won’t. I talked about this in my TATN talk; “good enough” needs to disappear from the Public Sector lexicon.

 

This blog entry is waaay longer than I would like. I would’ve preferred to break it up into easily-digestible chunks, but I realized that I had a natural train of thought that I needed to follow through before opening up to comment. Obviously, Kate is not going to be pleased by my viewpoint, and that’s her constitutional right. At least my viewpoint is now on the record in its entirety for everyone interested to weigh for themselves. My greatest concern is the outcome of what Kate is trying to do with her TERA project. I’m frequently told that I’m a de facto role-model, and I wonder if Kate truly realizes the fallout of being one. She is certainly setting herself up as another role-model while using very old AAC, thereby sending a strong unspoken message that contradicts anything good she says about the newer technology. In effect, I believe Kate is supporting the status quo—albeit unwillingly, and I think a serious reality check is called for.

FW: IronKey

Are you ever going to respond?

 

From: Scott Royall [mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 4:27 PM
To: ‘info@ironkey.com’
Cc: ‘Angela Standridge’
Subject: IronKey

 

This is for your CEO, David Jevans.

 

I think I love you—or at least IronKey. The funny thing is, I nearly missed finding out about it. I heard your interview on Steve Gibson’s weekly Security Now podcast. As you likely know, Steve had been quite coy in his advance promotion of the interview, merely describing IronKey as a encrypted thumb-drive. He was almost too coy for your own good because I debated skipping the episode, having no interest in thumb-drives. As it was, I listened last night while doing other things, and I was half-way through your interview before your discussion of IronKey’s less obvious features popped up my antennae. It seems that your product may solve a problem I’ve grappled with since Windows Vista came out.

 

I’m what the medical community dispassionately calls a “severely disabled” person, being in a power wheelchair and unable to speak. Yet, I managed to earn a Computer Science degree, and worked for 14 years for Shell Oil as an application developer before outsourcing mania laid me off in 2002. It became apparent during my career that talking was a necessity, and none of the commercially available products satisfied my employers so I wrote my own solution, Xpress-It. Since 2002, I have been struggling to make a living marketing it.

 

I will include the full description of Xpress-It at the end of this email, but I recognize that you’re a busy man and the salient point for IronKey is that it may solve the dual problems of product distribution and copy protection. To be clear, I detest copy protection. It serves to mainly create usability nightmares, especially for the Disabled. IronKey seems to address most of the problems, though. The thumb-drive is nigh indestructible, with a “virtual CD” feature that’s ideal for distributing Xpress-It, and the API will allow the licensing data to reside securely in the IronKey’s protected memory. Simple, efficient, cool.

 

Of course, you will turn me over to your sales people, and that’s fine. I wanted to let you know of another small niche that IronKey may fill. I have an assistive technology conference looming in late June, and it’s been strongly suggested that I give away one or two copies of Xpress-It there. That assumes I can integrate IronKey by then. If I ever make any sales, the cost of your keys will simply be included in the retail price. For now though, one or two should be plenty for development and testing. Even your $79 model has far greater capacity than Xpress-It will ever use, but I don’t yet know what your SDK costs (shudder).

 

NOTE: This initial email will appear on my blog (free publicity), but obviously subsequent communications will be confidential for security reasons.

 

Here’s the poop on Xpress-It:

 

Xpress-It uses the Eloquence speech engine developed by Eloquent Technology Inc. for the Department of Defense. This all-software synthesizer produces very high quality speech that even total strangers understand. Xpress-It is a text-to-speech system with the following features:

·      Practically unlimited vocabulary (max. database size: 2GB)

·      Automatic entry of new words into vocabulary

·      Programmable pronunciations

·      Word prediction based on the user’s previous history

·      Customizable voices

·      Built-in voice control language

·      Complete compatibility with Windows 98 or higher

·      Modest system performance impact 

·      No additional hardware needed, just sound support and speakers

 

 

 

                                                                

RE: Assistive Technology — TOTA Annual Mountain Central Conference – Nov 21-23, 2008

Danny,

 

Even if educational types had money to spare, they couldn’t help me because I’m regarded as a vendor. Conflict of interest, you know.

 

Scott

 

From: DSloan [mailto:djsloan25a26@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 5:28 PM
To: Scott Royall
Subject: Re: Assistive Technology — TOTA Annual Mountain Central Conference – Nov 21-23, 2008

 

Scott .. You might talk to the organizers and see if you can go on a fellowship or something like that.  DJS

 

==========================================
DJSloan .. Houston, Texas
DJSloan25a26@Yahoo.com
Reference:

 

—– Original Message —-
From: Scott Royall <royall@conchbbs.com>
To: Scott Royall <royall@conchbbs.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 2:58:05 PM
Subject: FW: Assistive Technology — TOTA Annual Mountain Central Conference – Nov 21-23, 2008

Oh boy, how did I end up on this list? I donʼt know if I can go, but it would be nice.

 

From: v mason [mailto:vcmason1995@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 12:58 PM
To: royall@conchbbs.com
Subject: Assistive Technology — TOTA Annual Mountain Central Conference – Nov 21-23, 2008

 

Texas Occupational Therapy Association Mountain Central Conference

November 21-23, 2008

Renaissance Austin Hotel, Austin TX

 

Submit a presentation for our Assistive Technology Track

and/or Book your Booth now to reach OT professionals statewide

 

Why wait? Start making plans now to join us at MCC 2008

 

Vicki

 

Vicki Mason

vicki@tota.org

Vendor Services, TOTA

 

 

—–Inline Attachment Follows—–

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.3/1354 – Release Date: 4/1/2008 5:38 AM

 

RE: Texas AT confrence at Region 4- title?

Angela, thanks
for the editing help. That’s a real challenge shoehorning everything into
50-100 words.

 

Yes, the issue
of thinking beyond communication is something I intend to spend some time on.
It probably won’t do any good, but I can try. I’m also considering
doing a little stunt to extend what “communication” means. What do
you think the reaction would be if a little radio I had with me suddenly came
alive during the presentation and called me? The entire contact wouldn’t
last much longer than a minute, just long enough for the person calling me to
give their location across town. Of course the whole thing would be
pre-arranged and carefully timed, making use of my amateur radio license.
However, the whole thing would appear spontaneous to the audience, and
hopefully drive home the idea that AAC must be extremely flexible to emulate
the task switching the average person has to be able to do without thinking.

 

Please give me
an afternoon time slot. Between where I live and the daily schedule my
caregivers are used to, I probably won’t even get there before 10.
We’ll exchange email on what the presentation desktop might be able to
help. I suspect the fact that it runs Windows 2000 is going to limit what it
can do.

 

From: Angela Standridge
[mailto:amstand@esc4.net]
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 8:53 AM
To: Scott Royall
Subject: RE: Texas AT confrence at Region 4- title?

 

You crack me up- “borg like design”.  Resistance
is futile. Your points about having the laptop for more than communication is
very valid too. I think our folks do not have that perspective. The descriptors
are usually 50-100 words to fit in the program.  I will edit down what you
sent.  This should be fine. I am sending out the room assignments (hopefully
tomorrow and will include what I came up with for you to review.

 

Angela Standridge, M.A., CCC-SLP, ATP

Region 4 ESC

713-744-6831

---

From: Scott Royall
[mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 7:41 PM
To: Angela Standridge
Subject: RE: Texas
AT confrence at Region 4- title?

 

In effect,
you’re saying my descriptor should be a synopsis of my presentation.
(“Well duh, Scott.”) Ok, but how long is a descriptor, a page? Hmm,
let’s see:

 

I am Scott Royall, born in Bryan, Texas
in 1956. Except for eight wonderful years in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, I’ve lived in Houston all my life. I worked for Shell Oil
for 14 years as a software developer before being laid off in April, 2002.
Those interested can view my resume at http://www.conchbbs.com/Docs/Final_Presentation_Resume.rtf.

I’m physically
disabled with Cerebral Palsy. I use a customized electric wheelchair to get
around, but am unable to talk. That’s what prompted me to develop Xpress-It.
With Xpress-It, a standard laptop computer, an automotive-type audio amplifier
and speakers (all powered by my wheelchair), I can talk to anyone.

One of life’s first lessons I
had to learn was that verbal communication is one of the tools that makes the
difference between just existing and actually being a member of society. Harsh
but true. How eloquent we are often plays a big role in deciding our future. I
quickly found the current crop of augmentative communication software to be
lacking in flexibility, reliability, speech quality, vocabulary, or
inter-operability with other programs. Fortunately, being a professional
software developer put me in a position to do something about those problems.
Indeed, my former Shell supervisors gave me a mandate because they were
dissatisfied with the leading AAC options at the time. A major point is that,
no matter how well an AAC solution may work, it will become a hindrance to
anyone who is trying to function in society if it isn’t completely
compatible with other computer technology.

For the record:

Xpress-It uses the
Eloquence speech engine developed by Eloquent Technology Inc. for the
Department of Defense. This all-software synthesizer produces very high quality
speech that even total strangers understand. Xpress-It is a text-to-speech
system with the following features:

• Practically
  unlimited vocabulary (max. database size: 2GB)

• Automatic
  entry of new words into vocabulary

• Programmable
  pronunciations

• Word
  prediction based on the user’s previous history

• Customizable
  voices

• Built-in
  voice control language

• Complete compatibility
  with Windows 98 or higher

• Modest system
  performance impact 

• No additional
  hardware needed, just sound support and speakers

 

Angela, the
“day in the life” idea is interesting, but my daily life is pretty
dull. The salient point is the extreme importance of the compatibility issue. I
could not use most AAC software because of its Borg-like design. Taking over a
entire computer to perform a single task, no matter how important, is really
frown upon in office environments. One of the bigger goals of my talk is
getting the audience to think beyond AAC. If someone does have to drag a laptop
around to talk for him, it should do 10,000 other things for him too. There are
good reasons why I name my laptops after my dogs; the one I most trust
naturally is named after my working dog.

 

In case it
wasn’t obvious, the stuff in black is a preliminary descriptor. Copy it
to your heart’s delight. I realize you’re very busy, but I still
welcome your feedback.

 

From: Angela Standridge
[mailto:amstand@esc4.net]
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 3:03 PM
To: Scott Royall
Subject: RE: Texas
AT confrence at Region 4- title?

 

We have had augmented communicators present several times in the
past so the audience is not as novice as you would think. They usually love
these sessions. The presenters have usually composed their “speech”
ahead of time as you plan to do and then answered questions at the end with the
word/spelling based systems they use. I think the idea of giving them a
“day in the life” perspective would work very well. You might even
share your blog (we could bring it up on the presentation computer).

 

I would have the following in the descriptor:

 

Who you are and the fact that you are an augmented communicator

What you do- adult, living independently. AAC company, blog, etc.

Successes and struggles you have faced/ do face

What you envision kids in public school would need to be as
successful (literacy, access to curriculum)

Details about your software (if you would like to give away a copy
of your software in the session rather than the general drawing, that is fine)

 

Angela Standridge, M.A., CCC-SLP, ATP

Region 4 ESC

713-744-6831

---

From: Scott Royall
[mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 7:47 PM
To: Angela Standridge
Subject: RE: Texas
AT confrence at Region 4- title?

 

Yes, I realized
you needed more. I entered what came to mind at the spur of the moment, and I
apologize for its brevity. J

 

Actually, I
welcome your thoughts and input. I recognize that I will essentially be walking
the proverbial tightrope with my presentation, because I will be addressing an
audience consisting largely of rehabilitation-related professionals. I need to
establish a degree of rapport with them that gets us through some misgivings I
have with the process of selecting and procuring AAC. What I don’t want
to do is a 30-minute “info-mercial” for Xpress-It. Rather, I
 want to talk about what it really takes for a “severely
disabled” person to be a functioning member of the community. Only at the
very end do I want these professionals thinking: “damn, we just
experienced what someone with a really good AAC can do.” My talk is going
to be more about trying to get people to raise their expectations.

 

I will be
“cheating” in some sense, because I will probably record my audio
as a MP3. The point of that is just to simplify my workload during the
presentation. Xpress-It could certainly give the talk in real-time, but
it’s better at interactive conversation. Turning the talk into a MP3
allows very simple pausing to answer questions. It also allows me to take my
hand off the keyboard and thus move around the front of the room as other
speakers do. I haven’t yet decided what my visuals will be. I truly
don’t want to be wired to anything, but my laptops certainly have the
horsepower to drive an overhead projector so we’ll see. It’s true
that another one of those unspoken messages I want to leave the audience with
is that Xpress-It is about the only AAC that peacefully co-exists with
everything on modern laptops.

 

I like your
“walking the walk, talking the talk” line. You managed to nail my
topic exactly so that should be the title. Given what I’ve said here,
I’d welcome any snippets you might have for the descriptor. I’m
stuck for something catchy.

 

I will probably
blog some of this because that’s what I do, but only things you’re
comfortable with sharing.

From: Angela Standridge
[mailto:amstand@esc4.net]
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 1:26 PM
To: ROYALL@CONCHBBS.COM
Subject: Texas
AT confrence at Region 4- title?

 

Scor

 

Scott-
I need a title for your presentation.  This is the descriptor you
submitted:

Experience
what is possible for someone who depends on AAC.

 

I
would also suggest you beef up the descriptor a bit.  I would mention that
the presentation will be done using the AAC tool.  Sort of “walking
the walk and talking the talk”- literally

 

Angela Standridge, M.A., CCC-SLP, ATP

Education Specialist Special Education

Region 4 Education Service Center

7145
West Tidwell
Houston,
TX 77092-2096
Phone:
713-744-6831
Fax:
713-744-6311
Email: amstand@esc4.net
www.theansweris4.net

 

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Xpress-It Refresh

Joyce,

 

There is a refresh of Xpress-It up on the website. It is the version I’m
currently on. However, I am not sanguine about the install package, and I’m
not recommending you install it. You have enough ongoing issues.

 

Scott

RE: Xpress-It

Re: Xpress-It

Well, Brian’s computer runs Windows, correct? If so, Xpress-It will run without problem. I can make that sweeping statement because I know how it’s written. It doesn’t play any of those naughty little games I was telling you about. In the worse case, Xpress-It just won’t talk. However, the fact that the other augmentation software doesn’t kill Windows means that Xpress-It isn’t at risk. And, it doesn’t know how to cause them problems. You should do whatever makes you comfortable, but I can safely say the laptop faces more risks from Brian’s other software than Xpress-It.

An interesting thing happened with Dell. They recently assigned a portion of their customer service staff to seek out bloggers who had blogged about problems with Dell. This could have been a very cynical move, but it turned out not to be. My contact expressed a clear willingness to do what she could to resolve my current issue, and then serve as my long-term contact on future problems. There was a time when Dell’s service was so good that I could report a laptop problem on one day, and have a technician with the necessary parts at my door the next. That’s exactly the level of service disabled people are going to need if we are going to depend on our laptop in order to function. No doubt, Dell wouldn’t mind becoming the vendor of choice for a few million disabled, but that means that people like Marie, my contact, will have to become quite adept at marshalling out the service resources quickly. At least in me she has the advantage of someone who does his own diagnosis. I always know which parts I need before I contact Dell.

 

I can’t imagine flying this chair much anywhere. Yes, it’s feasible, but very few commercial aircraft have cargo hold doors large enough to accept the chair. Naturally, much of the extra stuff that makes the chair so useful would be detached and loaded separately. The laptop would stay with me, of course. I’ve actually flown with a laptop, but that was years ago. No, the real reason why my power chair basically isn’t flight-worthy is the type of batteries I use. I’m sure you use gel variants (which includes the AGMs), and they’re fine for light use. Yet, as you start adding things like serious laptops to the chair’s power load, gel types become cost-prohibitive because they don’t last  over about four months. Good old-fashioned lead-acid batteries are a third the cost, and last six months under heavy use if maintained. You are sometimes allowed to fly lead-acid batteries in special containers provided by the airlines.

 

I’ll try to get my caregivers to take a full set of pictures of this wheelchair. I think you’d find them real eye-openers.

 

Back when I was gainfully employed, I used to travel to Microsoft training conferences each summer. Shell actually paid my way to travel nearly coast-to-coast,  and obviously I didn’t fly.  I had intentionally bought a Dodge van based on the fact that the drive train was renown for its reliability, and that’s one purchase I’ve never regretted. I don’t drive, but one of my caregivers was a trucker for years. Secondary skills such as that can be really helpful when Brian starts having his own caregivers.

From: joyce abrahamson [mailto:jabrahamson@optonline.net]
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 12:30 AM
To: Scott Royall
Subject: Re: Xpress-It

 

Scott,
You didn’t scare me off.   I believe that Brian will face many of the challenges you have faced.  Therefore, I’m very interested in what  you have to say.  I think I can learn a lot from you.  More importantly, you can help me prepare Brian for the life he will face. You made a very good point about not having someone following him around to switch out various pieces of equipment.  Tonight is the first time I’ve had a chance to write.   

Had a problem with the hinge on Brian’s dell and they sent someone out to fix it right away.  
Must say I was impressed by the service.  Still looking at buying another dell…but it’s expensive.  The school won’t buy it since they provide him with the same Sony Viao they issue every other student at the high school.  We haven’t used that computer in months….I just keep sending him in with his old Dell.  I want to try your software but to be honest I’m afraid to download it on the computer he uses for school every day.  He can’t afford to have any conflicts.   I asked the school for a "loaner" and they told me they didn’t have any extras.  Please be patient.   I will try it as soon as I get a new Dell or when school is out….whichever comes first.

I found your comments about the mom who referred to her child as "differently-abled" right on.  She is not doing her child any favors.   Brian’s doing well in 9th grade…but the friends he has are the ones from elementary school.  It’s been very difficult for him to make new friends in high school.  

Went to the orthopaedic surgeon yesterday for annual x-ray’s of his spine and hips.  Hips continue to be great…which is good news.  Several surgeons wanted to do derotational ostiotomies on him when he was 5 or 6 and we wouldn’t let them.  Turns out we were right….he didn’t need the surgery.   He does have some rotation in his spine…so we’ve got to keep an eye on that.  

Kids are off from school next week so we’re going to Florida.  My mom has a condo down there.  A week at the beach sounds great.  It’s going to be interesting.  It’s the first time we haven’t flown with his power chair.  The power chair is new and was very expensive.  I saw his old power chair on the belt two years ago.  Nearly had a heart attack.  It fell off the belt onto the ground.   They picked it up and threw it back on the belt.   I was shocked the chair even worked when we arrived.  His PT modified a manual chair and made a tray so he can use the computer, play station and gameboy.  

Got to go.   Will write soon.

Joyce

From: Scott Royall <royall@conchbbs.com>
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 22:28:25 -0500
To: ‘joyce abrahamson’ <jabrahamson@optonline.net>
Subject: Xpress-It

 

Joyce,

Well, I¹m sorry if my tough words about disability in America scared you off. I am aware that no caring mother wants to be told her child is likely to have a difficult life. Yet, there are things that I wish my mother could¹ve known, because they would¹ve saved us from a lot of non-productive efforts recommended by well-intentioned professionals who didn¹t really understand my needs. I could simply have sold you a license for Xpress-It, and let you find out what else Brian might need for yourself. I rather doubt that would  lead to satisfied customers though. Don¹t you think so?

Scott

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FW: BBC Video/Audio: ‘Humans need another planet’

I’m self-forwarding this recent BBC audio clip of Dr. Stephen Hawkins because I found it interesting. Not so much what he says, although I don’t necessarily disagree with him there either, but listen to his synthesized voice closely. He flubs several important words, and I find that odd since we all know he prepares his responses in advance. I’m left wondering why he didn’t correct those errors. Are we simply hearing some academic arrogance, or is there some limit on what his AAC can do? Of course, changing pronunciation is nothing in Xpress-It, but I’m told Hawkins uses older Dynavox equipment. Hmm, all I know is that my Shell managers would’ve rejected whatever he uses.

 

Also strange is the tiny electronic beep we hear before Hawkins speaks. What the hell is that?

 

—–Original Message—–
From: webmasters@bbc.co.uk [mailto:webmasters@bbc.co.uk] On Behalf Of me
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 1:50 PM
To: royall@conchbbs.com
Subject: BBC Video/Audio: ‘Humans need another planet’

 

me saw this on the BBC News website and thought you should see it.

 

** Message **

blah

 

** ‘Humans need another planet’ **

Stephen Hawking has said the long-term survival of the human race depends on its ability to find another planet to live on.

< http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/nolavconsole/ifs_news/hi?redirect=st.stm&news=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1&nbram=1&nbwm=1&nol_storyid=6159437 >

 

 

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Long Day

Thank you for your response. Your personal email address is noted. However, it seems to me that I need to clarify one point so that you can relay it to your superiors.

 

There is nothing in Xpress-It that would require a user to make an exclusive choice between Xpress-It and other AAC products such as Dynavox. In fact, that is one of Xpress-It’s main features. In technical terms, it is “input agnostic,” which is a fancy way of saying Xpress-It neither knows nor cares how it is getting user input. The input device may be a keyboard, various forms of virtual keyboards like a switching device, or even—gasp—a Dynavox tablet. Maybe now you begin to understand the true power of Xpress-It, it can easily upgrade something like a Dynavox with its vocabulary tools and speech engine.

 

——————————————————————————–

From: Nel, Lena
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 7:18 AM
To: Scott Royall
Subject: RE: Well, it was a long day

 

Scott,

 

Thank you for including me on this.  Your system is well designed and works great for you.  You should keep in mind that there are those that have the intelligence but still could not use your system due to their physical limitations.  Remember, there is something out there for everyone and it is getting better all the time.

 

I do hope DynaVox is interested in speaking with you, as they are always interested in what the consumer, in your case developer, has to say. 

 

Any future blog/mass emails should go to my personal email account lenasue@hotmail.com.

 

Thank you,

 

Lena

 

Marlena Nel

Sales Consultant: East Texas

1-800-344-1778 ext. 7779

Fax: 832-442-5904

 

Xpress-It

Jennifer,

 

Thank you for your inquiry. Perhaps the enclosed three-page brochure will be helpful. It was written a couple of years ago by a pair of Chinese volunteers so the text may be a bit flowery. It is accurate, nonetheless. The price for Xpress-It, which is entirely software, is $850. When you consider how cheaply (relatively speaking) Windows laptops can be purchased now, it quickly becomes apparent how competitive Xpress-It really is.

 

I should also point out that the design of Xpress-It allows it to be used in conjunction with other Windows programs, even other AAC solutions like EZ-Keys or Dynavox.

 

Scott

 

——————————————————————————–

From: Jennifer Weinman 
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 9:27 AM
To: royall@conchbbs.com
Subject: Xpress-It information

 

Hello,

 

I picked up a flyer from the CAN Walk this weekend.  I would appreciate it if you could send me some more detailed information and a price list.  I am the supervisor of a school for children with autism.  Several of my students are nonverbal but perform high on academics.  I feel that software such as your could really help expand their ability to communicate.

 

Thank you,

 

Jennifer C. Weinman, M.A.

Senior Case Supervisor

Aim High Academy

7040 Mapleridge

Houston, Texas 77081

713-661-7040