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NEC IT Communication Support Course
for People with Severe Disabilities

Communication for Life

Supporting Company : NEC Corporation http://www.nec.co.jp/community/en/
Japanese Page / Leaflet (PDF 5,873k in Japanese)


NEC IT Communication Support Course for People with Severe Disabilities - Communication for Life

[Date] August 1st (Saturday) - 2nd (Sunday), 2009

[Venue] Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Canpus Soshi-kan 4F Room 403 - 404
- Access Guide to Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Canpus
http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/mng/gl/koho/access-map/kic-access.htm
- Map of the Campus
http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/mng/gl/koho/access-map/k-map.jpg
- Kyoto City Bus Time Table (Japanese)
http://www.city.kyoto.jp/kotsu/busdia/bustime.htm

[Admission Capacity] 20 people

[Admission fee] 500 yen

[Program]

Day 1:
10:00 Part 1.
- Talk on IT Support for Patients with ALS, Muscular Dystrophy, and Other Incurable Diseases
- How to use the Transparent Letter Board and Practice
- The Introduction of Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA) and Practice
11:00 Part 2. The Basic of "Den-no-Shin" (Hitachi's facility) and the Difference between Ver4 (Windows XP) and V (VISTA)
14:00 Part 3. The Basic of "Openavi" (by Suzuki from NEC)
15:00 Part 4. The Available Free Software "Heartyladder"
16:00 End of Day 1

Day 2:
10:00 Part 1. The Advanced Use of "Openavi" (by Suzuki from NEC)
11:00 Part 2. How to Adjust Censor Switch (by Kawamura and Higano)
13:30 Part 3. Talk on Terminal Switch (by Hisazumi, Jyunji from JALSA Kinki Block )
14:00 Part 4. Making Censor Switches
16:00 End of Day 2
(* There might be some change in this program.)

Optional: Day 1 16:00 Practice "Devising Game-pad for Switch Interface"

[Organizers]
 Organized by : Incorporated Nonprofit Organization: Ar
 Co-Hosted by : Incorporated Nonprofit Organization: ALS/MND Support Center "Sakura Kai"
 Backed by : Ars Vivendi: Global COE Program, Ritsumeikan University
 Supporting Company : NEC Corporation http://www.nec.co.jp/community/en/


[Contacts]
Sakura Kai office (Kawaguchi) Tel&Fax 03-3383-1337 email:aji-sun (at) nifty.com
Sakura Kai IT Department (Imai) Tel&Fax 03-3727-0479 email:sakura_it (at) sakura-kai.net


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[Related Newspaper Coverage]

July 29, 2009 "NPO in Kyoto Makes Handmade Censer-Switch to Support
Severely Disabled People Living Independently

Kyoto Shimbun July 29, 2009 Morning Edition:26
Original Article in Japanese http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/article.php?mid=P2009072900039&genre=K1&area=K00

Members of Ar

A Non-Profit Organization, "Ar" in Kyoto, has been developing the support system of handmade censor-switches for severely disabled people with communication difficulties.

In order for severely disabled people or patients with incurable disease who lost almost all mobility of their bodies to communicate with other people, it is necessary to make the censor-switch which can detect a slight movement of each patient's most available muscle, such as eyelid or finger tips, and connect the switch to computer softwares or communication-support facilities.

In case of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) patients, some censors that detect patient's blink or slight movement of cheek muscle have been used as switches. Each censor-switch needs to be adjusted for each patient's situation: they need to find which part of muscle movement can be most available for each patient because it varies according to the patient's condition.

Mistakes in wiring can lead to unnecessary deaths. However, there has been no specialist or public support to find the most mobile part of the body and make the most effective censor-switch for each user.

Yamamoto, Shinsuke and Hasegawa, Yui are both students of the Graduate School of Core Ethics & Frontier Sciences at Ritsumeikan University. They have been working in "Ar" since 2007, and helped Nishimura, Yasunao (ex-enginner) and Hisazumi, Junji, who have worked for supporting for censor-switches for ALS patients as volunteers at Kinki region of Japan ALS Association. The students have learned how to make and adjust censor-switches, and tried to improve the usage for patients living at home in Kyoto Prefecture. Kyoto Prefecture Incurable Disease Support Center has also contacted them and asked for their support.

Censor-switches are made by using cheap materials, such as plastic tubes for gold fish or remote controller of game sets. Yamamoto said, "It is difficult to make the most suitable switch which does not disturb the daily movement or care of each ALS patient. Still, I would like to let more patients know that they can communicate and enjoy their lives better by using the censor-switch and computer." The Seminar for support of communication of patients with incurable diseases is held at Ritumeikan University on August 1 and 2, 2009 with subsidy from NEC. Admission fee is 500 yen. Thoese who are interested are asked to contact Sakura kai through 03-3383-1337.


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