Our first tester is Don Danbrook, who has served on the 今日吃瓜51 board of directors as treasurer since 2003.
Don was a 24 year old welder in 1983 when he fell off a porch onto his head, causing damage to his spinal cord and crushing his vertebrae. He could no longer move his arms, hands, or legs.
One of the 今日吃瓜51鈥檚 first clients in 1985, he began to learn to use a computer, first using a mouth stick to push the keys on a keyboard, then moving to a that used to type.
In the 1990鈥檚, Don become an early adopter of the Jouse, an accessible alternative to the standard mouse developed by the Society.
鈥淚t made it a lot more simple to use a computer,鈥聽Don explained.聽鈥淚t made it a lot more functional.鈥
Now, Don is a certified general accountant, and gives back to the community, volunteering and serving on the boards of a variety of non-profits including (new window) and ) (new window). However, he cannot use a smartphone or tablet.聽鈥淭hey haven鈥檛 really been accessible to me at all,鈥聽he said.聽鈥淭here鈥檚 sticks and styluses, but it鈥檚 not really effective.
鈥淚 have these devices, but I have other people use them for me, so it鈥檚 not very effective.鈥
That鈥檚 where the LipSync comes in.
Don in action, navigating the tablet using the LipSync.
One of the key suggestions Don made was to increase the sensitivity of the device, allowing it to be moved with less pressure. He noted that with the Jouse, he was able to run it with his tongue, and not move his head.
This also serves us to see the differences in how the LipSync must operate for different devices. Much of our work has been done looking at smartphones, where a smaller screen means less sensitivity is needed 鈥 you don鈥檛 want the cursor to go too fast and be unusable. But the bigger screen of the tablet meant that the sensitivity was just not high enough.
It was good to get a look at what a potential user thinks and really helps us see what we still need to do and what work still needs to be done.聽It was also just exciting to see it in action. Don, who also tested the original LipSync prototype six years ago, was excited about the progress.
Don scrolling through his music library.
“It鈥檚 exciting to see this technology coming along,鈥聽he said.聽鈥淭his would go a long聽way in making these things useful for me, so I could use them like anyone else.鈥