assistive technology

For my late husband, Jeff, and me, the most difficult and saddening aspect of his ALS progression was the loss of his voice. It was heartbreaking for both of us when he lost the ability to speak, also known as dysarthria, early in his condition. Much of Jeff’s…

I’m always eager to help others improve their understanding of what it’s like to live with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Likewise, I enjoy learning more about what others in the ALS community think and feel about living with the condition. Recently, I had the opportunity to satisfy both interests and…

“By the rivers of Babylon Where we sat down And there we wept When we remembered Zion But the wicked carried us away in captivity Required from us a song How can we sing King Alpha song In…

Minnesota lawmaker Dave Lislegard has introduced two measures in the state’s legislature that would invest tens of millions of dollars in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research and caregiver support. The first bill, HF 3603, would appropriate $20 million to the University of Minnesota for competitive research grants to…

Thanks to a new partnership, every amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient in New Jersey, about 400 in total, will have free access to eye gaze technology that can aid them in communicating. As the name suggests, this assistive technology helps people with neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS, to communicate…

Drake University’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate program is adding a new educational resource that will bring available assistive technology used in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS) to its Caregiver Learning Labs for patients and their families. The new Assistive Technology Kit, which will be used in the labs to improve…

College students from the Oklahoma Christian University are helping an ALS sufferer communicate with his wife again. Sixty-four-year-old Carl Phelps from Oklahoma was diagnosed with bulbar onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in April 2015. The disease’s first symptoms appear in the mouth and many patients experience problems talking, eating and…