RE: free software Alisa Brownlee 23 Feb 2011 20:52 UTC

Sure, will do.
Alisa

Alisa Brownlee, ATP
Clinical Manager, Assistive Technology Services
ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Association National Office
 and Greater Philadelphia Chapter
Direct Phone: 215-631-1877

________________________________

From: xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of Adele Marano
Sent: Wed 2/23/2011 11:29 AM
To: xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: free software

Hi Alisa,

Hope all is well.

Now that Antoinette sadly has moved on can you please remove her from the list serve and add to the list Ben Lieman, assistive technology specialist and Iris Fishman augmentative communications specialist.

Thank you!

Adele

Adele Marano, CSW, Director of Patient Services

The ALS Association Greater New York Chapter

42 Broadway, Suite 1724, New York, NY 10004

212-720-3059  xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx  www.als-ny.org

________________________________

From: xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Alisa Brownlee
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 9:17 AM
To: National ALS Association AT Listserv
Subject: free software

Hello all,

I wanted to know if any of you had experience with the free software listed below.  (This email is from the author)  Any feedback will be appreciated.  If you are interested in seeing the program, I have the info.  He does not have a web site, you log into an email account to view the software.

Thanks,

Alisa

----------------------------------------------------

Many thousands
of people rendered imcommunicado by physical disability who are
desirous/capable of communicating have been denied communication-aids
they can use.  (The reason most often given is unaffordability, but
rarely is the true reason.)

"ASSISCA.EXE" is the name of a program which converts any
"IBM-compatible" personal computer into an advanced single- switch
indirect-selection communication-aid able to send and receive RS-232
serial data over a 3-conductor cable.
ASSISCA
enables private textual communication between any quantity and mix of
single-switch users and keyboard users--consider the possibilities!.

Assistive Augmentative Communication (AAC) worth doing is worth doing
well; ASSISCA does it exclusively, uniquely, and very well indeed,
enabling the expeditious and stressless conversion of thought to text or
control-codes using either the keyboard or one or more external
normally-open contacts.
It ends the world-wide dearth of adequate and affordable
communication-aids.

To enable the conversion of thoughts to numbers representing
alpha-numeric symbols or control-actions, ASSISCA designates on-screen
items in a logical manner for user-selectable
time-
periods from 0.4 to 3.0 seconds.  Switching repeatedly only when a
desired on-screem item is designated selects it.
Switching when no items are designated aborts an item- selection
sequence.  Designation durations from 0.4 to 3.0 seconds are
user-selectable.  Most other comm-aids control their users, but
ASSISCA-users always may switch (close external contacts) or type (press
keys), but never must.

ASSISCA will run under WINDOWS, but running under MS/PC-DOS is
preferable because text is displayed more pleasingly and readably,
neither hard drive or color monitor is required, and "DOS-only"
computers are plentiful and inexpensive.

ASSISCA.EXE is copyrighted freeware; selling or bartering copies of it
is prohibited; providing copies at no charge is lawful and encouraged;
free registered copies are available (contact 'xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx' for
info).
------------------------------------------------------------
-
Fact: The quality of an indirect-selection communication- aid
      can be no higher than that of the item-selection method
      it uses, no matter what "bells and whistles" it has.

Fact: If done intelligently/without profit-motive, creating a
      simple/inexpensive means for making single-switch
text-
      creation easy/quick/stressless is a trivial exercise.

Fact: If done intelligently/without-profit motive, creating a
      simple/inexpensive means for text-to-speech conversion
      is a trivial exercise.

Alisa Brownlee, ATP

Clinical Manager, Assistive Technology Services

ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Association National Office

 and Greater Philadelphia Chapter

Direct Phone: 215-631-1877