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Hi, my name is Justin Adkins – I’m writing to share a brief synopsis of my disability and how finding the correct communication device, suitable to my abilities, has helped me regain my independence.  When I was 16-years-old I suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from an assault, which damaged my motor skills, and left me with limited mobility.  When I first awoke in the hospital unable to speak but completely aware of my situation, the doctors asked me to blink my eyes to yes/no questions, which assessed my cognition. I’m 32-years-old now and I still use eye blinks as a quick response method to yes or no questions. However, this method did not allow for personal opinion.

The speech therapist in the hospital decided to construct a letter board for me, where I would look at letters to spell out sentences.  This would be my main form of communication for a few years, but it wasn’t very fast or efficient.  Then I was introduced to a Dynavox device which had speech output, was the perfect size, and I could effectively use it in social and professional settings.  But like all good things – they come to an end! Eventually this device became obsolete and they were unable to repair it anymore.  This led to a vigorous search for a new device, and not succumbing to pressure of others; that I’m being too picky. 

Alas, I discovered the Nova Chat which has allowed me to continue my aspirations of professional and collegiate success.  If there is any advice I could give others, just know your disability and own it!  Everybody’s story is different, so only you know what’s best for your particular situation, but keep an open mind.

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Technology has the ability to impact lives in many ways.

KRON 4 Tech reporter Gabe Slate discovered a new gadget that is helping people with speech disabilities communicate.

Five-year-old Brian Hunton is living with cerebral palsy.

His mom, Dacia Hunton, said that the Nova Chat has changed their lives, letting her understand what Brian wants or needs.

Not only that, and just as important, Brian enjoys using the Nova Chat device.

Video and story courtesy of KRON 4 news & their tech reporter Gabe Slate.

Meet Bryson, a determined and passionate 10 year old that is full of personality.  He enjoys music, books, animals, anything outdoors, Spider-man, and time with his friends.  He is able to put a smile on the face of those around him and impacts people more then he may ever know.

Bryson has overcome many struggles in life and is a survivor of child abuse.  He is diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, apraxia, childhood acquired aphasia, and ADHD.  He has a unique joy about him and has started to create his own path in life.  Bryson is currently able to use about 50 words verbally that are understandable to others but relays upon assistive technology to really have his voice heard.

Previously, Bryson had tried multiple high-tech AAC options before latching onto TouchChat on the iPad.  After about a year of success his family pursued a dedicated device for better portability and an external speaker.  He immediately picked up the NovaChat 5 and has not put it down since.  Bryson's private SLP reports, "Over the past year, Bryson has demonstrated tremendous growth initiating independent, spontaneous communication using his device.  Both his core and fringe vocabulary has grown significantly, and he is able to generalize vocabulary to novel contexts.  He is even beginning to use word combinations.  His entire team is ecstatic about his communication progress!"

Bryson is able to combine 2-3 words for simple sentences for a variety of functions across environments.  He enjoys not only using core and fringe words but also using visual scenes during play and when communicating with his peers. Bryson has even recently started using vocabulary that he has learned through incidental teaching through adult and peer modeling.

Thanks to the NovaChat, Bryson has finally found his voice and a way to express himself.  His family and friends now know that he prefers rap and alternative music instead of country and that if he were allowed he would eat pizza for every meal and a granola bar for every snack.  He is able to express his love for animals, draw adult and peer attention to the books he is reading, and comment on the world around him.  He thinks it is hilarious to make adults sing and also loves seeing what hoops adults will jump through as he makes other requests.  Bryson is finally able to show the world his personality and interact with all that goes on around him.

Introducing the new Chat Editor.  Chat Editor is a free download, replacing the former NOVA Chat Windows Editor.  Chat Editor will allow users to modify or create page sets on a Windows computer and then transfer them to a NOVA Chat OR TouchChat device.  Find more information on installing and using the new Chat Editor.

The release of NOVA Chat 2.0.2 also comes with the following enhancements:

• Updated SS and PCS libraries
• New Image Categories
• ChatPower files are now named WordPower
• Addition of 108 WordPower
• Addition of 48 WordPower Español  (When Spanish option is purchased)
• 2.0.2 should start the update automatically if you have Wifi On and if you have the setting On in Help>Check for Updates>Menu
• New button action, Play Audio Library –  plays music
• New button action, Play Video Library –  plays videos
• Animate All - On/Off setting that animates all page transitions (Settings>Style>Page Animations)