My name is Paula Corcoran

I first started to communicate with the Bliss board, it was a big help, as it got me used to communicating, and taught me to pick out words and put sentences together. I could say exactly what I wanted, I could say when I wasn't feeling well. It helped also with my co-ordiation, someone else had to scan each row till I indicated what I wanted. I then progressed to a Possum communicater. It was good, it had a light which scanned through the different sheets, words, numbers the alphabet. Although as it couldn't actually type someone had to always be watching it to get what I said.

I loved my next computer, a BBC. For it was the first computer which enabled me to print. I did all my primary education on it. I started writing stories, poetry and letters to people, I really enjoyed doing this, as my family and friends used to love getting my work.

But one of the disadvantages of technology is the huge amount of leads, switches, printers which comes with it. Sometimes my home is like a computer store with bits of my old computers, a load of battery chargers, etc. I want to thank my great family, especially my mother, who had to get used to all this, and is a wonderful help to me with all this.

Then I got my first computer with a voice synthesizer, called Toshiba PC. This was major improvement, as I could speak my sentence, instead of waiting for someone to read it. Although the actual voice synthesizer itself, wasn't that easy to understand, people asked me to repeat things a lot. I find people first relate all innocent towards me, asking others questions about me, until I talk myself and show them who's boss. But people are amazed by how I communicate and work computers, which is by a head switch.

But on the personal side of assistive technology, there is the huge draw back because it doesn't convey my own feelings. I would love to talk in a more enthusiastic tone, but instead I have to wait until this speaks the text without any emotion. In the future I would love to see sciencists coming up with a way of translating what I want to say on computer by simple having a small device in my ear, which would interpert what I want to say straight on computer. As this would be a more faster way of having conversations.

I find using A A C and Ezikeys wonderful and it really has helped me to get an education.

I successfully did my junior cert English exam in 97 and got a good result. What I find best about Ezikeys scanning programme, is the good word prediction on it. This makes it faster for communicating and to write. Of course none of these wonderful opportunities wouldn't come to light only for the dedicated staff in the CRC, Ger Craddock, who was the first who gave me that important chance of starting with communication aids. And other staff who has helped me in several ways with assistive technology. I want to mention the Test project that CRC ran, where I tried a ranged of technology devices, page turners, making music with switches and where I learned about getting onto the wonderful world of E mail and internet. Since then I have made Wonderful friends through E mail who also uses assistive technology. We talk about our experiences with assistive technology and on life in general. I think of E mail, like our phone, only we write instead of talk.

But there are several problems too that I've come across with technology. I got my electric wheelchair in 98. I thought it would be great. For the first while it went fine. I use it with a control scanner. But then came the problems. The chair started stopping when I try to move. It would be going fine and suddenly it would stop. I could be left stranded somewhere for a time waiting for someone to help. But the scanner would keep scanning but I couldn't moved until someone turned it off and on. But I will have it back soon so I'll be whizzing around in it again.

Paula Corcoran paulacor@iol.ie

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