MAKINGADIFFERENCE—EddyEhrlich,a
PEFmemberatHelenHayesHospital,
demonstratesavoiceactivatedelectronicaid
fordailylivingtopotentialclients.Ehrlich
worksintheCenterforRehabilitation
Technologyevaluatingpatientsforcomputer
accessandelectronicaidsfordailyliving.
—Photo by George Mattei
Technology boosts independence
for those physically challenged
ByDEBORAHA.MILES
advancementstotherapists,vocational individualcanreadandwritee-mail
ThegoaloftheCenterforRehabilitation
counselors,educatorsandcasemanagers. messages,andevensurftheInternet.
TechnologyatHelenHayesHospitalin
Wewantthemtobeawareofthis Thecenterhasbeencollaboratingwith
WestHaverstrawistoassistpeoplewith
technology.” Wadsworthforthepasttwoyearstobring
physicaldisabilitiesandtoincreasetheir
Visitorstothecenterhavedirectaccess theBCItechnologyintothehomesof
independence.Thecenter,foundedin
tostate-of-the-arttechnologysuchasthe individualswithadvancedALS(Lou
1987,recentlyexpandedwiththeaddition
latestpower-drivenandmanual Gehrig’sdisease)aspartofaresearch
oftheArnoldGoldmanCenterforAssistive
wheelchairs,specialtywheelchaircushions project.
Technology.
andaugmentativecommunicationdevices. “Todate,thereareanumberofpatients
Thenewcenteralreadyhasaidednearly
Besideshelpingconsumersdetermine usingtheBCItechnologyintheirhomes
100peoplepermonthsinceitopenedits
thebestadaptiveequipmenttomeettheir forcommunicationpurposes.
doorsinJune.Itmakeslifeeasierforthose
needs,thespecialistsatthecenter “Allthesedevelopmentsatthecenter
whosufferedastroke,amputationor
evaluatepatients,providetherapyand helpusprovidequalityandrichnessinto
spinalcordinjuryamongotherphysically
trainotherhealthcareprofessionals. thelivesofthosewhohavebeen
disablingconditions.
Anotherexcitingdevelopmentisthe challenged,”Zeitlinsaid.
Patientsandvisitorsarenowabletosee
partnershipbeingformedwiththe “MyheartishereatHelenHayes
theoptionsavailableandhaveactual
WadsworthCenterinAlbany.PEFDivision Hospitalhelpingpeoplewithdisabilities.
hands-onexperiencetryingoutdevices.
205memberatthestateHealth Thisbeautifulnewcenterisrewarding
“Beingabletoactuallytrialaproductis
Department,Dr.JonathanWolpaw,isa becauseitallowsustogetthisadvanced
extremelyimportant,”saidDebraZeitlin,
researchphysicianwhohasdedicatedthe equipmentouttothepeoplewhoneedit
directorofthecenterandaPEFDivision
last25yearstofindingawaytoenhance most.”
226member.
thequalityoflifeforthosewithanactive Thecenterwasmadepossiblethrough
“Individualswithdisabilitiesoftenhave
mindbuthelplessbody. thegenerosityofaformerpatientand
veryuniqueormultipleneeds.Thecenter
Wolpawdevelopedthesoftwareforthe benefactor,ArnoldGoldman.After
providestheopportunitytoseeifadevice
BrainComputerInterface(BCI)which sustainingaparalyzingspinalcordinjury
willworkforthembeforegoingthroughthe
translatesaperson’sbrainwavesinto asayoungboy,Goldmanlivedafiercely
effortandexpenseofacquiringthedevice,
computercommandssuchasmovinga independentlife.HegraduatedfromPace
asitmaynotultimatelymeettheir
cursor.Adisabledpersoncanusea Universityandenjoyedalongcareerwith
expectations,”Zeitlinsaid.
computerbywearinganelectrodecapon theNewYorkCityPoliceDepartment.
“Anothergoalofthenewcenteristo
thescalpthatpicksuptheelectrical
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etheavailabletechnological
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TheCommunicatorNovember2009—Page11
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