People with limited upper mobility can use the internet by utilizing technology like voice recognition software, eye-tracking, and more…
BILLIONS of people use technology and the internet every day. We can do just about everything online: shop, build and maintain relationships, share pictures of our pets to strangers, travel space, learn if penguins have knees, and an infinite number of other things.
Picture a few different ways we use the internet. A few images may come to mind. Maybe you think of someone sitting at a computer desk — one hand on the mouse and the other on the keyboard. Perhaps you picture someone holding a phone and scrolling through a social media app. You might even be thinking about that one time someone (allegedly) sent out a Tweet from their LG smart refrigerator.
The majority of devices that people use to browse and interact with the internet require physically touching or holding something. Now, how do people use the internet when they aren’t able to use a touch screen, keyboard, or mouse? I’m going to go over a few devices that people can use to navigate the web without the use of their arms or hands. These devices allow people living with quadriplegia, or any kind of limited upper-mobility, to independently use the internet.
Most of us know about Amazon’s Alexa, the Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri. These are all wonderful and potentially life-changing devices. Today, however, I’m going to focus on some devices you might not be aware of.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a voice-recognition software that people can use to navigate computers. There are other similar programs, but Dragon is one of the most well-known and advanced. According to Fable, “There is no other speech recognition program that has the accuracy, speed, or ability to learn, the way Dragon has over the last 29 years.”
Dragon uses voice commands to open up various programs. If you say “Open Microsoft Word”, it will do so. In terms of clicking, a “MouseGrid” will appear and break the screen into a 3×3 grid. Users can then choose a grid section labelled 1–9 to narrow the screen to that section. Next, a smaller grid within that area appears. The user can then, again, pick 1–9 to narrow the area. This process repeats until the cursor is in the desired area. Then all you have to do is say is “left click” or “right click.” This process is relatively simple when you get used to it, but it can be time-consuming and isn’t as fluid as one may hope.
“…one of the biggest drawbacks with Dragon in my opinion is that moving the mouse is not a fast and smooth process. Dragon moves the mouse by using a Mouse Grid. This divides the screen into nine squares and you choose the square that corresponds to where you want the cursor to move. It would be better if I could just move the cursor fluidly like you can using a normal mouse. Similarly, clicking is not as effortless as I would like. You have to say “mouse left click” (which often Dragon mistakes for “mark’s left leg”) which takes a few more seconds, and a little bit more effort to do.”
— Alex Squire from The Life Quadriplegic
Tecla-e
Tecla-e is a device that utilizes Bluetooth technology to connect up to 8 Bluetooth devices at a time. This allows the control of multiple devices from one controller. Just from one Tecla-e, users can send and receive emails, read books, turn the lights on/off, control the TV, change the temperature on the thermostat, and much more. You can even hook-up Tecla-e to wheelchair controls. In addition to that, the “battery on the Tecla-e is also a big deal, as it will run for 48 hours of use without needing to be charged.”
Tech in action
Below is a video by Kevin and Dee from Accessible Adventuring. Kevin showcases how he uses Dragon NaturallySpeaking and Tecla (and more) in his everyday life. If you have the time, this is an awesome and informative video.
Eye-tracking technology allows people to control their computer using their eye-movement. Usually, eye-tracking systems will use one or more cameras that converts eye movements (like pupil positions and gaze point) into a data stream that controls a mouse cursor. Users can then click by using a couple of different methods depending on the type of device and settings used. According to Tobii Dynavox, there are two methods:
“Dwell: A click occurs after focusing your eyes on a specific area for a predetermined number of milliseconds. Switch: Look where you want to click, and then press a switch to perform the click.”
Advancements in technology aren’t just limited to everyday things like browsing and typing. Let’s take a look into how YouTuber and Twitch streamer Rocky Stoutenburgh (RockyNoHands) plays video games.
Rocky uses a QuadStick, which is a mouth-operated video game controller. The QuadStick has various mouth triggers that he can “sip” and “puff” into to perform different video game actions, like crouching and shooting his weapon in Apex Legends. The device also utilizes voice commands, which are handled by voice recognition software (like Dragon or Windows Speech Regognition). This allows “players to say specific buttons such as ‘Square’ with a PlayStation controller, or more specific commands for individual games, such as saying ‘Pick off first’ in a baseball game to execute the command.”
Technology is so cool.
I haven’t even come close to covering all of the amazing technology out there. If you are interested in learning more, here are some additional resources:
