How Toby Dynavox Tech Helped Scott McGuire Use His Voice


In the year He was wheelchair-bound and on a ventilator within a few years, and by 2002 he had completely lost his voice. McGuire, now 54, a retired Pennsylvania biology teacher, uses eye tracking to navigate and control a communications device.

The communication device that McGuire uses is from Sweden-based assistive technology maker Toby Dinavox, whose products are popular in educational and clinical environments with the likes of McGuire and AAC. The company has been covered for this column several times, most recently in an interview with CEO Frederik Reuben last November when Toby collaborated with Apple on a then-TD pilot product.

McGuire uses Toby’s i-13, which combines eye tracking with audible speech functionality, running Microsoft Windows 10 Pro. This integration allows him to use a desktop computer made by Hewlett-Packard or HP.

Toby’s technology changed McGuire’s ability to connect with people.

“As my speech declined, I switched to communicating primarily with my eyes, facial expressions, and a keyboard. These methods were very frustrating and I learned to only deal with things that were not life threatening. “I spent most of my days watching TV and movies,” he told me in a recent email interview about his discovery of Tobin’s products. “One Sunday, in early 2008, I think I was watching the TV show 60 minutes And they had a story about a quadriplegic man using eye-tracking software to type on a computer. I knew right away I had to get this. I asked the neurologist about eye tracking software and he gave me Toby’s contact information. Well, after going through all the red tape from my insurance company, [which took] About a year later, I finally had my P-10 [device], and my world went from a small room and TV to an ever-expanding universe. I was able to learn different graphic design programs from Toby and started making greeting cards for family and friends. Since the early days, Toby’s Dynavox eye-tracking computers have improved in accuracy and usability, allowing me to learn more complex media editing programs and work more accurately.

McGuire can text family and friends, post on Facebook, write an email, and upload at the same time using Tobi’s Dinavox hardware and software, as well as third-party apps TeamViewer and TextNow. TeamViewer says McGuire allows him to use his computer “all day long” for tasks more effectively and efficiently.

When asked about the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act last week, McGuire told me that since the act’s passage in 1990, “there’s never been a time without its benefits.” Handicap parking spaces close to businesses and wheelchair ramps on sidewalks. “I remember that for a few years in the late 1970s, she had a wheelchair-bound great-grandmother who lived next door to me, unable to go to church or shop in town because of limited services,” McGuire said. “[Solving] This problem has made the Americans with Disabilities Act incredibly exempt for millions over the past 32 years.

McGuire feels that the ADA, as it is commonly known in the community, is the primary tool responsible for raising the bar for accessibility awareness in the community. McGuire explains that whenever he has access to something or somewhere in life, there is always a stranger who “quotes the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

The sense of autonomy and autonomy instilled in McGuire from using Toby’s Dynavox technology has done wonders for his mental health. Early caregiver abuse upon learning of diagnosis; The advent of the device literally gave him a voice and allowed him to share his embarrassing experiences. McGuire’s best friend Maria serves as a constant bodyguard.

As for the future of technology, McGuire believes the industry’s next frontier is what he calls “disruptive” products. His description is not meant to be draconian: McGuire believes the day will soon come when technology will be implanted in the human body. Specifically, the tech is surgically implanted into specific regions of the brain to bridge the gap between disability and desired function, McGuire said. In McGuire’s case, that meant solving two major problems for him: talking and zooming – walking.

In other words, McGuire finds himself somewhat a Six million dollar man.

“The way I see it, I’ll have a computer chip implanted that translates my speaking brain waves into a Bluetooth speaker,” he said. “I’d also have a chip that would translate motion brain waves into an exoskeleton suit so I could move. I know this sounds very sci-fi, but it’s very plausible and it’s coming. Just ask Elon Musk.”



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