Know-how may help folks with disabilities enhance their independence. Rachel Owen, who’s blind, will reveal how the PENfriend 3 has assisted her on the month-to-month story time at midday, Jan. 26 on the Chapman Senior Heart.
PENfriend 3 is a voice labeling system. An individual can use the gadget, which seems just like a digital thermometer, to report quick descriptions onto a particular label. The label is then hooked up to an merchandise and, when scanned, the gadget performs the recording.
A buddy of Owen, Mary Monasmith, has helped Owen label a number of objects round her home.
“After we go get Rachel’s groceries, we’ll come residence and put the labels on … and provides her instructions on easy methods to prepare dinner it,” Monasmith stated. “It was once she’d name me and he or she’d say, ‘I don’t keep in mind how lengthy I’m speculated to prepare dinner hen nuggets,’ or no matter she was cooking.”
Now Owen can pull an merchandise out of the freezer, or a can off a shelf, scan the label with the PENfriend 3 and listen to the recording giving her cooking instruction.
Monasmith additionally helped her put collectively a pocket book with plastic sleeves that incorporates all of her essential paperwork and paperwork. If she must convey one thing together with her to an appointment, she will discover it simply.
Owen has labels on clothes objects as nicely to assist her select objects that match. She will be able to inform by really feel what among the objects are and what the material is, however contact can not inform her the colour or sample.
“She used to should ask me what colour had been her denims as a result of all of them really feel the identical,” stated Linda Jark-Stoffer, a buddy. “It actually helps her in coordinating her outfit for the day.”
The PENfriend 3 labels are small and simply affix to the producer’s label on the clothes. For clothes, the corporate makes labels totally different than these used for meals and different objects.
“After I heard about them, I assumed, ‘Yeah positive. How are they going to undergo the wash?’” Owen stated. “I inform you what, they do face up to a number of washings and so they face up to the dryer.”
Owen acquired the voice labeling gadget from OCCK’s Answer Outreach Heart after studying about it and researching it on an iPad, which is provided with voiceover know-how.
“Rachel really did the entire analysis on her iPad, which implies that she needed to hearken to it and located all of this info,” Jark-Stoffer stated. “When she informed me about it, I used to be going to Salina, so I ended on the Answer Heart and I discussed it to them. They stated, ‘We do not actually know something about it, however we’ll should look into it.”
They held to their phrase and was capable of get one for Owen. Michael Daniels, assisted know-how director at Answer Outreach, stated their mission is to assist folks with disabilities discover options for his or her wants, whether or not it’s a wheelchair or piece of know-how.
“What she wanted was assist with identification,” he stated. “The PENfriend might be the perfect factor available on the market, there are a few different issues available on the market however that is most likely the perfect … and it’s probably the most economical one available on the market.”
Owen began with a loaner gadget to check it out and see if it actually was all she thought it will be. When she realized simply how a lot it improved her independence, OCCK helped her get her personal.
“I now do not should be involved — do I match?” she stated. “With the meals, I can not keep in mind all of the oven settings and the way lengthy one thing must be within the oven. It has enhanced both cooking meals lengthy sufficient or not burning meals.”
Cooking is one thing Owen enjoys and has a range arrange so she will handle the settings. Nonetheless, she must know the way lengthy and on what temperature one thing goes into the oven for. OCCK additionally gave her extra-long oven mitts.
“Their complete thought is to make folks extra comfy and independently residing,” Jark-Stoffer stated. “Even the little objects equivalent to an oven mitt that you simply and I take as a right … I used to seek out Rachel with burns on her wrists on a regular basis. She needed to proceed to prepare dinner however you contact that oven rack, you get burned.”
The protection facet of the PENfriend 3 additionally spills over to issues like treatment. They will put a label on prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Owen stated this gadget has modified her life and he or she hopes folks will attend her presentation to find out about it and see the way it may help others, and never simply the visually impaired. She stated individuals who have studying difficulties, like dyslexia; or a cognitive impairment can profit from the gadget as nicely.
“My objective for doing that is to get anyone that both has different issues or blindness or a member of the family or a buddy info,” she stated. “Simply to get the phrase out concerning the PENfriend 3 and the way helpful it’s.”
To be taught extra about assisted know-how and the way the PENfriend 3 may help folks, plan on attending the January story time.
Location: Chapman Senior Heart, 439 N. Marshall St.
Time: Lunch is at midday, presentation is after lunch and can begin roughly at 12:30
Price: $7 for folks underneath 60 years previous, and $4 for older than 60.
Lunch reservations: Name (785) 922-6958