Archive for category: ASI News

Did you know that Maggie Thompson, owner of Accessibility Services, Inc. (ASI), is an avid and talented quilter?  She handcrafts some of the most beautiful and unique pieces of quilt artwork you will ever see.  Thompson has become involved with an exciting organization called the Quilts of Valor Foundation.  Their mission is to, “cover Service Members and Veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.”

Thompson recently donated two of her handmade quilts to ASI clients who are also military veterans:

Bryan Camacho, United States Army (Ret.)

Bryan Camacho served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army from July 2002 until February 2013.  His deployments included three tours in Iraq.  During his third tour in 2007, he was paralyzed by an improvised explosive device (IED). Camacho spent 2.5 years in therapy and another 2.5 years in the U.S. Army before receiving a medical retirement. In November 2014, he sustained a further neck injury in a motor vehicle accident.

“This is probably the nicest quilt I’ve been given,” says Camacho.  “While I am a little uncomfortable receiving gifts for my service, I do appreciate the people that want to offer. I also didn’t expect such a nice quilt and I want to keep it in great condition!”

Brian Newton, United States Air Force Veteran

Brian Newton served in the U.S. Air Force for nine years.  He was a staff sergeant and air traffic controller who was deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Southern Watch.  He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 45.  He received his first autonoME in 2014 and enjoys the independence it affords him.

“The quilt by Maggie is so nice,” says Newton. “The time and dedication to detail is unbelievable and noted. I appreciate her and Accessibility Services, Inc. for the commitment and support I feel on a daily basis.”

Read more about Brian Newton

THANK YOU Bryan and Brian for the sacrifices you’ve made to preserve our freedoms and protect our country!

The technicians and staff at Accessibility Services, Inc. (ASI) do what we do because we are all personally committed to helping people achieve independence despite unfortunate circumstances.  One client we have worked with is Jeremy Van Tress, a U.S. Army veteran who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2017.  He received his diagnosis four days prior to the birth of his sixth child. Despite his diagnosis, Van Tress – who was medically discharged from the U.S. Army – decided to pursue his doctor of philosophy degree from Walden University.  Inspired by his work as a social worker, he also founded a non-profit organization called, Smile Inside, which provides online counseling services to individuals with ALS and promotes ALS advocacy and research.

Despite his diagnosis, Van Tress continues to live life and impact others facing the same disease.  We are so proud to be part of Jeremy’s inspiring journey!

Read Jeremy’s Story

If you have been diagnosed with ALS or another debilitating disease, we can help you maintain your independence.  Our proprietary autonoME is an effective ALS communication device/custom environmental control unit with a user-friendly interface.  The autonoME also has different types of input methods to accommodate various disease stages.  A popular voice assistive technology feature is the voice banking option, which allows you to essentially “bank” your voice and unique expressions so it can be re-created as your ability to speak begins to decline.  Are you interested in learning more about how the autonoME can help you maintain independence and make a tremendous difference in your quality of life?  If so, give us a call today!

(part two)

We are continuing our series highlighting the my-own-voice software developed by Acapela Group.  Accessibility Services, Inc. (ASI) is proud to partner with Acapela Group to provide their advanced voice assistive technology software to our autonoME users.  Version 3 of my-own-voice has many upgrades and added features. Let’s take a look:

Custom Messages

This feature makes the autonoME equipped with my-own-voice the perfect ALS communication device. Users can now record additional custom messages early in their disease progression.  These custom messages will add more intonation and prosody to the synthetic voice.

Voice Tuning Personalization

Another feature that makes the autonoME equipped with my-own-voice such a superior speech generating device is the ability for users to tune their voice in the online type and talk demo page.  This function was available in previous software versions, however, this latest version allows users to save specific settings to ensure the voice is built and delivered with custom settings.

Recorder Applications

The autonoME is all about meeting the customer where they are and providing them with a superior user experience. The latest version of the my-own-voice software offers users the choice to record either in the Acapela recorder application or using the online recorder application.

Voice banking is extremely important to individuals with progressive diseases such as ALS.  The autonoME is a combined custom environmental control unit/speech generating device with advanced augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and voice assistive technology features. If you would like to learn more about how the autonoME’s voice assistive technology can improve the quality of life for you and/or a loved one, we can help.  Give us a call to learn more today!

Patrick Quinn, co-founder of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, has passed away at age 37.  He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) shortly after his 30^th birthday.  He partnered with Peter Frates, an ALS activist and captain of the Boston College baseball team, to create the Ice Bucket Challenge.  The fundraiser – where participants were challenged to post a video of themselves dumping buckets of ice water over their heads – raised more than $220 million for ALS medical research and garnered the attention of celebrities including Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.

The staff at Accessibility Services, Inc. even joined in on the fun, raising money for the cause and posting our own Ice Bucket Challenge video:

ALS is now one of the most recognized diseases on the planet, thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge. The impact Mr. Quinn made in the fight again ALS continues as medical researchers make strides in developing new treatments as they progress toward finding a cure.

We salute you, Mr. Quinn.  You may be gone, but your legacy and work toward finding a cure for ALS will continue to live on. Thank you. May you rest in peace.

View Quinn for the Win Facebook Page.