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Re-Interfacing Human Abilities looks at the design, construction, and use of an augmentative communication aide for the speech impaired. It details the steps in building a custom aide to enable a specific person to be able to communicate. This person suffers from a disorder affecting the fine motor control center of the brain making him unable to speak, gesture, or operate complex switches.

RE-INTERFACING HUMAN ABILITIES

by Michael T. Kadie

A thesis submitted to the Department of Computer Science and The Graduate School of The University of Wyoming in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE in COMPUTER SCIENCE

Laramie, Wyoming December, 1994

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author would like to thank the thesis committee members, Ghasem Alijani, William Gavin, Stanley Petrick, and Thomas Bailey for their guidance, advice, and help in completing this project and thesis paper. Special thanks to George Janack for his help and advice in the electrical engineering aspect of the project and for locating affordable parts to build the aide. Thanks for supplying technical expertise and experience with augmentative device to Kathy Bodine (Easter Seals of Colorado), Tracy Kovach (Denver Children’s Hospital), Patty Prats (LCCC Learning Center), the entire staff of the Developmental Preschool (Laramie, WY), the Special Education Department at Spring Creek Elementary School, the Speech Pathology and Audiology Department of the University of Wyoming, and Sand Huburt (executive of Parents of Children With Disabilities, Laramie, WY). Thanks to people that made donations of equipment that helped make this aide possible including Mariah Associates, Inc., Donald McKeith, Mary Anne, Keybank of Laramie, Tom Jones, Sandy and David Gaddis, and Ghasem Alijani.

Comments, Questions, Requests for me To request the Software to Download: email kd@san.rr.com