Authors:
Fábio Nunes
;
Ana Rocha
;
Ana Valente
;
Samuel Silva
and
António Teixeira
Affiliation:
Institute of Electronics and Informatics Engineering of Aveiro (IEETA), Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, Intelligent Systems Associate Laboratory (LASI), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
Keyword(s):
Remote Communication, Aphasia, Accessibility, Gestures, in-Bed Scenario, Smart Environments.
Abstract:
Communication is an essential part of life and, when affected, as it happens to persons with Aphasia (PWAs), it severely impacts their quality of life. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) approaches aim to aid people with their communication disabilities. However, not all parts of the day are easily covered by these solutions, e.g., when lying in bed without immediate access to them or in a state of distress that precludes reaching for one. To address this challenge, working with PWAs is key, but the communication issues affecting them might work as a barrier to obtain their contribution during the conceptual stage. To gather contributions that can work as a common ground to obtain PWAs’ feedback we have been collaborating with Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) to propose a system that allows two-way remote communication between a PWA lying in bed, alone, and other people (e.g., caregiver). Here, we describe this first stage with the SLTs leading to the conceptualiza
tion of a solution consisting of communication mediated by an assistant based on simple Yes/No questions presented audiovisually to the PWA and answered through gestures. Overall, the SLTs emphasized its adequateness and its strong potential to increase PWAs’ independence.
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