My relationship with my augmentative alternative communication (aac) device is love/hate. I love that I have an alternative form of communication. I see so many people who have lost the ability to speak due to stroke or TBI (traumatic brain injury) and their communication is reduced to head nods or unintelligible sounds. They are so frustrated. And that single word doesn't begin to cover the myriad of emotions that one feels locked within their body. I hate the pace of the communication. It's molasses slow. Even the patience of a saint would be tried! Caregivers and family often forget that I need time to respond. That I'm not ignoring them. I hate that it is not more predictive. I remember how quick I could type and respond pre-illness. And this is painfully slower. Also hate how slow the processor is. For $22,000 one would think you would get a speedy little processor, predictive text, lots of storage, and MS Word, MS Outlook... I mean really!
People are reading my blog! I cannot express my gratitude enough. My heart is soaring! Before I got ALS, it was a minor interest amongst many varied interests. Today, I am unable to physically participate in many of my prior interests, like motorcycling, photography, knitting and other handicrafts, hiking, traveling, painting, drawing, going to the gym, working in the garden, doing housework, canning, and cooking gourmet or ethnic foods. Therefore, I am more focused on the ones that are most accessible to me, such as reading via audiobook or e-book, television, movies, meditation, music appreciation, and writing. Like the blind man who's sense of hearing and smell is heightened, I'd like to think my crippled body has made me more attuned to things more on the spiritual and sensual level. Initially, when some members of my family read my blog, they chose to focus on what they viewed as negative. The feedback I got was harsh and personally critical. .I was told that I was ...
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