Can you talk with your eyes? I know the eyes are windows to the soul, you think, but actually communicating with your eyes? How does that work? One of my students, A., is learning how to use eye gaze to communicate.
Eye Gaze Communication
She uses a device that has a couple of cameras attached to the bottom of the screen and those cameras look at the user and pick up their eye movements. Then, wherever you hold your gaze on the screen, that gets interpreted by the device as a screen touch or mouse-click.
It’s very hard and tiring to learn how to use, but because I can ask her a question and show her 2 answer options which she chooses from using her eyes, I know that she can communicate in this way.
Reliable Response Method
When we are looking to get an AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) device for a student, we think about what is their most reliable response method.
What I mean by that is what can they do that will most quickly and accurately indicate the answer to a question? Can they raise their hand? Look toward one of several options shown them? Kick out one foot? Make a vocalization such as “uh”? (see this blog post).
Based on that we would choose a system that would work for the student. So for the 3 students I had who got eye gaze technology, they had difficulty moving their hands or legs, they were only able to make minimal sounds, and their ability to look at options and make a choice was pretty reliable. Their eyes were the most reliable response method.
If you want to see one of these systems in use, check out this video.
🤔💭 Tell me what you think.
What do you think it would be like to talk with someone who uses one of these systems? Would you find it hard? Interesting? Confusing? What would be the challenges? What do you think it would be like if you couldn’t talk at all until you got an eye gaze device?