Page 21 - Mobility Management, August 2019

wheel, turn it slightly, do minor turns and be able to navigate that chair much more easily than I can with a switch.”
To make teaching and learning easier for clients of any age, Pro Spots are available in five different colors, and Cool Cube can produce (or mute) a different audible tone for each switch as it’s engaged.
Kiger even suggested that Pro Spot and Cool Cube could help a chair user maintain proportional driving longer, citing kids with Duchenne muscular dystrophy as an example.
“They don’t want to change to switches because they lose that ability to drive fast,” she said of Duchenne clients. “Teenage boys want to drive fast, but with switches, it’s either on or off. [Cool Cube and Pro Spot] could take them in the opposite direction. For somebody who has a degen- erative condition, this has the ability to have proportionality longer than if they were using a standard joystick.” m
to change, we have to be sure up front that we understand that and we can build in change with them.”
One key, Rotelli believes, is changing the way that the industry looks at seating and mobility assessments.
“We need to expand our evaluation process,” she said. “Do you have a communication device? I need to know how you’re using that device. I need to know so I can understand if we need switches: What types of switches, how many switches? Are you using eye gaze? What do you do when you can’t use eye gaze?
“People need to understand how they’re going to go from driving to changing their seat, or from driving to talking. Picking a chair is a really involved process. I need to know: Are you using a communication device? Are you using a computer or do you plan to? Do you need access to a phone? What kind of phone do you have? What kind of seating are you planning on having in your wheelchair? How can you move yourself, independently, to all of those functions? The list goes on.”
Eye-Gaze Horizons
One of the most exciting alternative driving control technologies to emerge recently is Independence Drive, a system controlled by the power chair user’s eyes. At this time, the system is
being distributed by National Seating & Mobility (NSM) and Numotion.
“We are very excited about this technology and our partner- ship with Evergreen Circuits because it aligns 100 percent with our mission to continue to enable mobility in people’s lives,” said Bill Mixon, CEO of NSM. “New technologies like Independence Drive are evolving our industry and is a great example of how technology is truly changing our clients’ lives. At least a part
of the future of CRT is really going to be about how we as an industry continue to leverage best-in-class technology to the betterment of our clients.”
Independence Drive is the brainchild of a team of creative thinkers, including former NFL star Steve Gleason (www.
teamgleason.org) and Jay Smith, CEO/founder of Austin-based music technology company Livid Instruments (www.every- 90minutes.org), both of whom have ALS. Evergreen Circuits is the system’s manufacturer; Jay Beavers is the company’s Managing Member.
“Industry statistics are that between 10 and 15 percent of people who have a power wheelchair use an alternative drive control system of some kind, whether that’s a chin joystick, a head array or a sip-and-puff,” Beavers said. “I think we’re going to find that eye-control devices are a good choice for a large segment of that market. I’ve been working with people with spinal cord injuries and with the VA [Veterans Affairs], and with people who have chin joysticks and head switches today who are considering whether this could be a better choice for them. Not only does it give them a great level of control over their wheel- chair movement, but it also can integrate with how they connect with computers, how they browse Facebook, how they communi- cate if they use a speech-generating device.”
Despite all its abilities, Independence Drive doesn’t require
a ton of extra equipment to operate. As Eric Grieb, VP of Commercial Development for Numotion, explained, “It’s an addition of a tablet with an eye-tracking camera and software. In terms of additions to the chair, it requires just a few things. You
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