Archive for category: autonoMe

When we think of veterans with disabilities, spinal cord injuries are often top of mind.  However, there are several debilitating diseases that affect veterans as well. According the ALS Association, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has recognized amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as a service-connected disease.  Additionally, the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) says that one in four of their members has multiple sclerosis (MS).

Accessibility Services, Inc. (ASI) was founded more than 30 years ago to provide reliable custom environmental control unit/speech generating device solutions to members of the military and veterans with severe spinal cord injuries.  We have since expanded our focus, so, in addition to providing assistive technology for quadriplegics, Accessibility Services, Inc. (ASI) also serves individuals with debilitating diseases such as ALS and MS.

Veterans with a qualifying disability or disease may be eligible to receive our autonoME Residential environmental control units through the Veterans Administration (VA). Our autonoME is a custom environmental control unit that includes integrated voice assistive technology.  In a nutshell, it is an ECU with MS/ALS communication capabilities that can be customized based on disease progression. If you are a veteran who has been diagnosed with MS, ALS or another debilitating disease or disability, then we encourage you to contact your VA representative to see if you qualify to receive one of our autonoME Residential ECU devices with integrated voice assistive technology features.

One of the most attractive and beneficial aspects of our autonoME is the initial setup and ongoing technical support.  We will send a technician out to your home to install and configure your autonoME. The autonoME features a user-friendly interface that both caregivers and users appreciate.  Should you have any additional questions, our technical support team is just a phone call away.  When you call for technical support, you actually talk with someone in our office – not a call center!

Would you like to learn more about how the autonoME can improve quality of life for you or a loved one?  If so, give us a call to learn more today!

Part Three

We are continuing our series on the distinct features that make the autonoME commercial/hospital ECU such an impressive and welcomed addition to hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and long-term care facilities.  Our previous article discussed how the autonoME’s integrated environmental control, voice assistive technology and live television features have revolutionized the custom environmental control unit industry.  We also covered key features including different input methods, web browser, user-friendly inputs and commands, bed controls and nurse call capabilities.  Today, we will look at three more reasons to consider the autonoME commercial/hospital ECU for your facility.

Bed Controls

These commands provide the user access to bed control. This is an especially popular feature of our autonoME commercial/hospital ECU because it alleviates the need for a staff member to perform this function.

Telephone

The autonoME’s Telephone application gives users the ability to answer the telephone when there is an incoming phone call.  Users can also create contacts and make calls.

Games

The autonoME’s Games portal is one of the most popular features of our hospital ECU. Games include: Hearts, Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, Chess, and Free Cell. Each can be played via touch, voice, switch, eye gaze, and other associated methods.

If you are seeking to improve the overall patient experience while also freeing staff to address the most critical patient needs, then the autonoME may be just the solution you have been looking for.  Accessibility Services, Inc. has spent more than three decades improving the quality of life for individuals with the most severe disabilities by developing innovative solutions and assistive technology for quadriplegics and individuals with debilitating diseases including ALS and MS. Our autonoME commercial/hospital ECU devices will take your facility to the next level.  Give us a call to schedule a virtual or in-person demonstration today!

The National Institutes of Health announced a five-year, $25 million investment in a new program aimed at incentivizing additional research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease that has no cure.  It affects the motor neurons in the spinal cord that control voluntary muscles, eventually paralyzing these muscles including those used for speech.

This new program promoting ALS research is especially encouraging as researchers strive to better understand and find a cure for this debilitating and devastating disease. While there is currently no cure for ALS, there are FDA-approved drugs that can help prolong the lives of those diagnosed with the disease.

Learn More About NIH ALS Initiatives

Accessibility Services, Inc (ASI) actively monitors ALS research.  We are continually evolving our custom environmental control unit/ALS communication device known as the autonoME to meet the changing and growing demands of our customers. ALS assistive technology such as the autonoME improves quality of life thanks to its environmental control and augmentative and alternative communication capabilities.  The voice assistive technology features of the autonoME are particularly impressive because they allow individuals in the early stages of disease to “bank” their voice.  When they lose their ability to speak, the autonoME allows them to communicate using their own voice and unique expressions, sayings and tones.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, there is hope.  The same assistive technology for quadriplegics has also proven successful with helping individuals with ALS control their environment and communicate with loved ones and friends.  Give us a call to learn more about the autonoME today!