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Estee Blackley is a receptionist and administrative assistant at UCP. Since 1997, she has been working four hours a day, four days a week, handling up to 200 calls a shift on nine different lines. Now middle-aged, she never held a job before working at the UCP, and she never thought she could. Blackley has cerebral palsy. She has limited speech ability and restricted use of her left arm. But she has the will -- and has found the way. Her determination to tackle the job prompted a solution. Since it was impossible for Blackley to answer a phone the conventional way, UCP teamed up with Toshiba Corp. and brought in a new software called Ultimate Communicator to meet Estee's needs. The results have been spectacular. TEAMWORK. I know from experience that it's a tricky business trying to develop a partnership between hardware and software that weren't developed for each other. But the flexibility of Toshiba's Strata DK telephone system easily accommodated the Ultimate Communicator. With the two working in tandem, information from the phone can be transferred to a monitor on Blackley's PC, which lets the buttons on the phone function from the computer screen. The Ultimate Communicator software takes data from the Toshiba Strata DK telephone system and transfers it directly to the PC through the computer's serial port. Blackley still needed a way to move her mouse, since she has limited use of her hands. So a silver reflecting dot was placed on the bridge of Blackley's glasses, and an infrared sensing device was placed on top of her monitor. A light from the device ricochets off the silver dot, and Blackley can direct the reflected light as if it were a cursor, clicking functions on the computer screen. To fully customize the technology, 15 different greetings, such as "one moment please," "thank you," and "goodbye," were installed on her PC's hard drive. Blackley decides which greetings are needed. Upon receiving direction from the caller, she pushes a large mouse button with her working hand or elbow to transfer a call. At Blackley's request, the software was programmed with the ability to page a recipient when necessary. She directs her "head cursor" to the page button, then clicks on a name. The system automatically announces what line the recipient should choose. Blackley has expanded her role as a "guinea pig" for new applications. For example, it was her idea to have the telephone automatically answer with a recorded message to ease communication on her initial greeting. This ensures that there is no "dead air" and reduces the wait time as she navigates her screen to pick the most appropriate response to the caller's request. "I feel more confident communicating with people now. I was afraid before, but now it feels great that people can better understand me," she says "DESIGN A SOLUTION." Many disabled people like Blackley could benefit from the technology developed by Toshiba. Bill Lovig, a Toshiba director of product management, says the company wants to raise awareness of its capabilities and is encouraging others to use this exciting technology. To that end, UCP is setting up an Assistive Technology Assessment Center to help adults with developmental disabilities find the technology that could help them get jobs in their communities. UCP will try to place those who master the technology in local call centers as receptionists or as administrators. Businesses like Toshiba will provide the technology -- telephones, specialized accessories, and touch screens. "We look at each individual's disability and help design a solution," said Cheryl Boehmke, director of UCP in southeastern Wisconsin. Boehmke is encouraging local businesses to come out and take a look at the technology. The goal is to develop more centers like this one. She is already working with Midwest Express Airlines to develop a call center for disabled workers. For Blackley, there's another personal payoff: Her employment at UCP allows her to work with children by mentoring disabled students in UCP's employment services program. These students shadow her for a day, watching how she works. As the second-largest health charity in America, UCP's mission is to advance the independence, productivity, and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities through commitment to the principles of independence, inclusion, and self-determination. (Some 65% of people served by UCP have disabilities other than cerebral palsy.) For additional product information, contact Toshiba America Information Systems' Telecommunication Systems Div., 9740 Irvine Blvd., PO Box 19724, Irvine, CA 92618-1697. The phone number is 800 222-5805. Share your opinion of Bowe's new book on BW Online's Assistive Tech Forum. Or, if you have a question about assistive technology, write to John at JMMAW@aol.com EDITED BY DOUGLAS HARBRECHT |
