Melinda
Mel is a community development worker from Melbourne, Australia and is working with Toby Churchill on the development of the Lightwriter® SL40. Mel very kindly agreed to answer some questions from us regarding her use of communication technology. Mel was one of the Plenary Speakers at the Communication Matters Symposium (CM2009), Leicester on 20 - 22 September 2009.
Please take a look at the interview below and find out more about this extraordinary person!
Please could you tell us a bit about yourself. Tell us about what you do both professionally and hobbies, interests etc?
Professionally I am a Community Development Worker at the Communication Resource Centre, SCOPE. My focus is on advocacy, with responsibilities for the participation and I am passionate for personal rights, to include people with significant speech and communication disabilities. I am the project Coordinator, for Out of Box; using Technology to follow your dreams, a live-in course for people with little or no speech. I am currently developing a resource network in the Arts to help include more people with complex communication needs to be actively engage in Art events. In another job one day a fortnight, I do some work at the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre in Melbourne, mentoring school aged children and families and discussing AAC issues. My personal interests and hobbies are many – I am a writer, artist and dancer! I love to travel, share experiences of travel with friends around the world. I use a wheelchair and a communication device but that, does not stop me from having the biggest dream anyone could dream. I love to explore what I can do, and not dwell on what I can’t do.
...and your communication story?
Communication story? Well, I see myself as a communicator, and I have many ways of expressing myself. I did not have an AAC device and certainly did not have technology for most of my early life – it just did not exist. I survived those early years through my mother’s mouth, who became my primary translator – she understood all my keywords, emotions and dreams. She believed in me, and often said, if only someone could invent a talking machine. And hey presto, it happened and today I live a life surrounded by so many talking machines, it is hard to choose which one I prefer. My real communication started when I was 17, and I purchased my first AAC device – it didn’t have a voice output but it did have a print out and people could see and read my voice… From then on, I felt as though I became part of the world, not just part of my family. I became eager to embrace life to the fullest. I now had a voice. Over the years, my voices have changed as technology has improved, giving me more and more empowerment and opportunities to express myself.
What was the process that led you to find a communication aid solution that you felt met your needs?
For me, the process is always going to be a process, to reach out and try something new. I may use one communication device for a time, and then my experiences will shift my thinking to something that meets my needs differently – so I will try that. I am not afraid of technology, I am not afraid to learn a new language (MinSpeak for example) and I am not afraid of changes. I don’t just choose one device solution and that is it… I use more than one, simply because communication has many situations in life. What I communicate at work is not the same as what I communicate at home.
How do you feel using AAC makes a difference to the way that you live and communicate with other people?
Using AAC makes me feel like I exist, it gives me the power to make a contribution and it enables more people to communicate with me. Without AAC – I may as well be asleep.
What would be your advice to those who require a communication aid?
I would say, go for it, be daring, embrace the opportunity – don’t give up and say it’s not for you. Try it again and find someone to support you through your trials. Think of it as your voice, your dream and your key to express and be your true self.
What should they look for from the technology?
Reliability, a powerful tool, good technological support and training support.
What should be their expectation when they are using one?
That nothing happens over night. Start a process, make some goals and take some small steps forward. Practice only makes better. Experiment as much as you can, you will make errors and it will cause heartaches and frustrations – no matter what it takes, keep going forward and never give up. Remember it as your personal voice – a life tool to be part of the world.
How motivated should one be in using a communication aid to its fullest potential?
Give it as much as you can and you can be sure of discovering amazing things, that you can say and do on your journey to communication.
What would be your advice to therapists as they prescribe many different technologies to so many people with such diverse needs?
Never think it won’t work without trying first. Be creative and adventurous, make it fun and meaningful. Give potential users plenty of time to try it – offer as much support as you can to ensure the user gets a fair go.
Could you tell us a little bit about the message that you would like to get across at Communication Matters this year?
My keynote is, ‘Dreaming of a work life balance’ it is not just my personal story – far from it – I very much want people to engage with their own journey while they are hearing mine – I hope to inspire people to embrace opportunities, wishes and dreams. I hope to inspire people to make it possible and practical. Just because someone uses AAC, it doesn’t mean you have to limit your dreams and life goals. My life journey has been powerfully influenced by only the power of AAC – and any AAC user can certainly experience that in their own individual way.
You have been using the Lightwriter® SL40 in order to evaluate it as a communication aid. What have you found from this new technology? What’s good? What’s bad? What has surprised you?
The Lightwriter® SL40 is heading up to be a fantastic achievement, that TCL should be extremely proud of. It looks great – very trendy and even sexy! It has a great sense of power, and in a practical and portable way. I particularly like the new features such as the notebook and the activity row to select from. The word prediction is amazing and quick to capture the user’s vocabulary. Another big thing that I love is the memory capacity, although it might be less compared to other communication devices I use, it is still great to have enough memory to do a full speech and a novel on the Lightwriter®!
As with all AAC devices I use or have used, there is always going to be something to make it better. There are a few things that could be improved with the SL40. The carry handle on the SL40 is missing – can this be added on please? Note from editor: See our NEW SL40 carry handle and strap kit at CM2009! An Australia voice would be nice to have even though this is unlikely to happen in the near future. Finally what has surprised me – just how smooth and clear the speech is, on such a small compact beautiful device – I am impressed.
Melinda J Smith OAM
Melbourne Australia
www.melindasmith.com
