The iPad, and other tablets like it, may actually be a magic and revolutionary device after all. Because, at least in this instance, it’s given a disabled seven-year old boy the ability to communicate with the world.
Owen Cain lives with spinal muscular atrophy type 1, a motor-neuron disease that that leaves him largely paralysed, mute and prone to infection. He’s still able to read, though, and write and do maths. And with the iPad, he’s able to do all of those things with much more ease than ever before.
It turns out that in addition to being an effective communication tool – with its large screen and diverse software options – the iPad is also generally less expensive than many dedicated therapeutic devices that seek to accomplish the same task. For Owen, the sensitive touchscreen means he can flip through the pages of Alice in Wonderland on his own, and apps like Proloquo2Go help him communicate full ideas and needs with a single screen tap.
And the keypad, though a little too wide for Owen’s limited range of motion, helped him tell his parents that he wanted to be Han Solo for Halloween. For his parents, that’s some kind of magic. [NYT]
Steve
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 11:29 AMMarketing shill? Maybe not. But would this have made headlines if it wasn’t an iPad and maybe, oh I don’t know, the thousands of dedicated devices the medical industry has used for rehabilitation for decades? But are taken for granted? Questions, questions.
Josh
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 12:10 PMComing as someone who has a family member in a very similair situation, the other devices you speak of, they are suited to a very limited set of tasks, and are CRAZY expensive. The ipad is cheap, and allows him to do multiple things on it.
Terry
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 1:54 PMFor this one instance alone, the iPad has now fully justified it’s existence.
Awesome to see how common technology can become a godsend for some..
Michael Harris
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 3:38 PMThis was one touching story from the NYT, and I’m not ashamed to say it made me cry.
I’ve had the benefit of working with people of various disabilities over the last three years, and anyone who does understand just how much potential and ability good technology & design can unlock.
It’s just another of countless examples of how good thinking, and a bit of luck is helping someone else, previously unable to use all their abilities and skills, to do just that.