"The benefit of Assistive Technology to disabled people"

My occupation, when able-bodied was of a physically nature: "Mechanical excavator driver".
So as my disease progress, the only thing I worried about was my physical ability which provided me with a fair standard of living.

However, many years later I was forced to abandon my occupation. Now, I longed for something to do, and when it was suggested to me that I write a book, I laughed my head off and said: "when will pigs fly"? The motor neurone association, referred me to the Central Remedial Clinic Dublin, for assessment on how to operate a computer. There I was introduced to a computer technician: Ger Craddock, Ger, tried various foot equipment on me but we vouched for a two-way switch pedal operated by my right foot.
This allowed me to move the curser on to an appropriate letter on the keyboard, which was on the bottom of the monitor in written designed.
The rest is history!! Four years later, my book was published: "They Laughed at This
Man's Funeral" a tribute to determination, dedication and above all Assistive Technology.

00However, the story does not end there. Last February the motor neurone association loaned to me a new PC complete with Dragon Solo Natural Speaking, a voice recognition software. This programme is an advanced state of the Art of Assistive Technology, it allows me to write by just speaking into a microphone and on occasion using a foot mouse.
I can perform any transaction by just simply choosing one of a numerous command
available. I can now write with the speed of any typist and indeed, have become the envy of some keyboard users. I would recommend this equipment to anyone with impaired use of their arms and indeed, to able-bodied people who are not familiar with keyboards.

Nevertheless, the working of this programme demands a lot of patients at the start. One must do a training session provided by Dragon. This includes reading a script over and over again until the system recognises your speech and pronunciation, only then will it file your speech into the system. It matters not, where you come from, Dublin, Donegal, New York, London or Cork. Dragon will recognise you as long as you have completed the training programme, and each time after, that you use voice recognition
and save your speech file, the performance become easier, simply, because the system has now recognise almost every word of your vocabulary
However, I will admit, there is a lot more I can learn about Dragon. In the words of that famous Microsoft tycoon, Bill Gates, who said: "learning is a process that lasts a lifetime" !!
Computers are of great benefit to disabled people and with this new Assistive Technology we have transformed a disability into "This Ability" and ignited dormant talents that would otherwise be imprisoned in active, alert brains forever!!!
I'm will conclude now by expressing an explanation given to me by my first tutor, Ger Craddock, Andy, he said: "learning to operate the computer is like learning to ride a bicycle, once you get your leg up, your there"!
How true!
Andy McGovern.


my mini biography


Born in 1933 on a small farm in South County Leitrim. I was educated at
the local national school. At the age of 13 years my schooling ceased.
For a period, I worked on our farm. I emigrated to London in the early
50s, where I worked in construct. I got married in 1961 and in 1964 we
return to Ireland and brought up a family of six children. I had a
machinery contracting business up and running. But, in 1977, at the age of
43, disaster struck, I was diagnosed as having Motor Neurone Disease, a
terminal illness of the central nervous system. Today, 23 years on, I have
survived, much to the amazement of my neurologists. As this is a
progressive disease, I am now severely disabled and has lost almost all
power in my hand and arms. I am a contented person and I am grateful for
the remaining ability that I've got. Indeed, a disability can ignite
dormant talents in a person and can actually become the ability to pursue
other projects. "I will live for the moment"

Andy McGovern andymcg@tinet.ie

http://homepage.eircom.net/~andymcg/

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