Episode 223: Jeffrey Ebin: Creating a Free Eye-Tracking Communication Board

This week, Rachel interviews Dr. Jeffrey Ebin, an inventor and ER doctor at the University of Houston who created a FREE eye-tracking communication board (communicatonboard.io) that requires no more equipment than a camera (e.g. on a phone/tablet) and a web browser! Jeffrey shares all about his interest in creating Assistive Technology solutions, and how helping a man who was paralyzed from the neck down started him thinking about a free eye gaze website. One great thing about his communication board, particularly in the hospital setting, is the user can pick it up and learn it quickly without needing a lot of training for themselves or communication partners.

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Before the interview, Chris and Rachel discuss a scenario that may be familiar to people who support AAC users - when we see someone with their AAC device in public, is it appropriate to go and talk to them (and/or their family) about it? Chris saw an AAC user at his daughter’s play and wanted to go and talk to them, but he hesitated and decided not to say anything. Rachel shares similar situations she has experienced, and the uncertainty that many SLPs feel when they are deciding whether to talk about communication outside of the clinical or school setting.

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Key ideas this week: 

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🔑 Some of the vocabulary on the communication board is more specific to a hospital setting (e.g. suction), but there are plans for making the vocabulary customizable in the future. 

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🔑 The communication board (communicationboard.io) can be combined with an inexpensive receiver to operate things like light switches.

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🔑 According to Dr. Ebin, a lot of the tech we are using in the field of assistive technology is outdated by 10-15 years, and in many cases much more expensive than similar technology in other fields. He believes we need to better incorporate the advances we are making in other areas of technology into assistive technology.