Rehabilitation Uses of IntelliKeys

St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute (Spokane, Washington), which uses IntelliKeys in its Assistive Technology program, recently invented a new use for the keyboard when it creatively deployed IntelliKeys as a communication device for a critically injured patient in its intensive care unit.

Sharon Ferrell, coordinator, assistive technology services at St. Luke’s, describes: "I was called in to assist with communication for a young lady in ICU. This young lady was deaf and had sustained a spinal cord injury, effectively eliminating her hand movement: her signing, her voice. We followed standard protocol, searched for usable switch sites, trialed all kinds of systems and access methods with very little success.

"One visit, in watching her forearm move (she continually attempted to produce sign) I had a glimmer of hope, although her movements appeared reflexive and poorly controlled. I went back to the lab and imitated her range and movement on an IntelliKeys with a keyguard. "On the next visit, we covered her best hand in a sock (basically) with only one finger extending out, angled the keyboard to support her forearm, demonstrated how to use the big muscles to ‘punch’ into the key opening, and voilà! Communication. Absolutely amazing to see!"

St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute’s Assistive Technology program provides patients computer access, environmental aids to daily living and augmentative and/or alternative communication, and uses IntelliKeys with its acute care and rehabilitation patients.