On February 20th, we go in for an evaluation for augmentative speech computers for Ani. Her teacher at school had seen a new device by a company named Tobii that uses twin cameras on a tablet computer to do eye gaze tracking and speech augmentation. It's essentially the same mechanism that the astrophysicist Stephen Hawking uses. You look at an icon, then blink to "select it". You look at another, and blink. Lather/Rinse/Repeat and you have a sentence that the machine can "speak". I've been reading this book called "Out of my mind" about a girl born with CP and a complete inability to communicate physically, but she has a full fidelity brain and mind. She eventually gets a speech machine that she uses a switch at her thumb to operate, and it stuns all her classmates in 5th grade to find out that she has thoughts and understands. I already know that Ani has thoughts and understands. I know she has hopes and dreams, but I can only guess at them. I WANT TO KNOW HER HOPES AND DREAMS. Of all my prayers for things on this earth...I want her words back. The words won't make me love her any more, but I will be able to serve her better, and have an idea of where she wants her future to lead.
I've spoken to Ani about this possibility, and, given the book I'm reading to her, I think that she's excited about the possibility. I'm asking her to practice first, look at something, then blink, practice, practice, practice.
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