Mobile Tech and the Mentally Disabled Pt 1: A Case Study in Awesomeness

Recently, I was told a story about a man named Tom (not his real name) who was given an iPad for Christmas this year. It was a story about how Tom was using his iPad to show Youtube videos to a friend at the dinner table. What makes this story interesting?

Tom is mentally retarded.

Due to this handicap, Tom has never been able to use the personal computing hardware necessary to access digital content such as Youtube. Tom’s condition makes using a classic PC or laptop difficult for him on both a cognitive and physical level. However, his iPad has allowed him to overcome many of the obstacles on both of these levels. And through the use of it, has improved his life in a number of ways.

OVERCOMING THE COGNITIVE OBSTACLES

It isn’t that Tom hasn’t used computers in the past. It is just that until now his history with them has been less than auspicious. In the past, whenever Tom has attempted to use a PC, he has become confused and aggravated quickly, and lost any interest he had in using it. The main problem for Tom was trying to conceptualize the process of how a windows based operating system worked.

Most of us understand this process well. We save files (i.e. jpegs, docs, PDFs) in folders. We then open those files with programs/applications that allow us to view the files (i.e. Microsoft Word lets you read and edit docs, iTunes lets you listen to MP3s). The folders containing the files can be stored in a number of places on the hard drive and the programs/applications are installed and saved in folders separate the folders that contain the files.

While this may seem simple to those who have been utilizing this technology for several years, the cognitive mapping that is involved in understanding and operating this digital structure is actually not that easy to develop. So whenever Tom wanted to look at some family photos in the past, he had to have one of the employees of his group home sit at the computer with him and open and browse all of the images for him because he was unable to do it for himself.

Touch based computers such as the iPad however, use a different setup. On the iPad, files live inside of the applications or apps. When an app is opened, all of the files are already there. So now, when Tom wants to see his collection of images, all he has to do is remember that the little picture of the sunflower marks the “Photos” app, touch it, and browse away.

While this operating system is much simpler for Tom to understand and use, there are still times in which the interface of individual applications become confusing and aggravating for him. One of the wonderful things Tom has realized about the iPad is that with a simple touch of the home button (easily identifiable as it is the only physical button on the front of the tablet) he is instantly returned to square one and is free to continue on with a different app. In the past, if Tom became irritated with a PC, he would simply give up and walk away. With his iPad however, Tom has developed the habit of moving on to something different whenever he begins to lose patience with what he is doing. This has allowed him to spend more time engaging with his iPad, which has in turn made him more comfortable using the iPad and decreasing the number of times he gets irritated with it.

OVERCOMING THE PHYSICAL OBSTACLES

Like many people with his condition, Tom also suffers from physical limitations that make using a PC difficult. The biggest barrier for Tom is his eyesight. Tom is legally blind and only retains about 30% of his vision.

While the quality of many newer computer monitors is quite good, few can match the quality and intensity of the iPad’s HD screen. And since it is a hand-held device, Tom can adjust how close it is to his eyes with an ease impossible to achieve with a desktop or even a laptop computer. Not to mention the fact that most monitors capable of matching the quality of an iPad cost almost as much money as an iPad themselves, without the rest of the computer components. And Tom is not a rich man.

Tom also suffers from limited dexterity and hand/eye coordination. This makes it very difficult for him to use the classic mouse/trackpad and keyboard combo. He has found that the touch screen interface is much easier and more natural for him to use. Being able to put his finger directly onto whatever he wants to access, he has been able to use the iPad to access digital information with speed and ease.

The wireless capabilities of the iPad has also come in handy for Tom. Due to his poor eyesight and motor functions, it is dangerous for Tom to be walking around an area with loose wires. It is also very difficult for him to plug-in cables attached to USB, Firewire, and headphone jacks. His Bluetooth headphones allow him to listen to music on his iPad and have done wonders compensating for his quickly degenerating hearing.

In addition it is also very important for Tom that his computing experience be portable. Due to his physical handicaps (and short attention span), Tom finds it difficult to sit in one place for too long. Being able to move around without having to disengage has allowed him to spend long periods of time with his iPad, increasing his level of comfort with it. It has also allowed him to share the things that he finds on the internet with his housemates who are bound by their wheelchairs. Since most computer desks are not very accessible or comfortable for people in the large electric wheelchairs that some of Tom’s housemates have, being able to hand them the iPad wherever they are in their chairs has given Tom the ability to share his experiences with others that have their own problems with classic PCs.

A BETTER LIFE

Armed with his iPad, Tom has been able to increase his quality of life in several meaningful ways. It has given him a greater degree of independence. Since Tom can not drive or take public transportation without supervision, small things like going to the post office to send letters or going to the DMV to update his photo ID have always been a time consuming and aggravating process. Now that he has personalized internet access and email, he is able to do these everyday tasks with ease from home. Saving him time, effort, and reliance on others.

It has also helped him to discover interests in new hobbies. In the past, Tom has never shown any interesting in cooking. However, because of a daily recipe app that he was able to get on his iPad, Tom has begun to spend a substantial amount of time in the kitchen. I’m told he still needs to be supervised while cooking (a restriction that my girlfriend has also placed on me), but he is improving. In this way he is finding things to make his day to day life happier while at the same time learning life skills.

The iPad has also helped him to expand his horizons with interests that he had previously. Since his ability to discover new music prior to getting his iPad was limited, Tom would listen to his one Miley Ray Cirus CD over and over again. Now, with Pandora, he has been able to discover a number of similar artist that he can enjoy. Which is something that I’m told not only betters Tom’s life, but the lives of all of the people that have to go on long car rides with him.

Tom, like many people with his condition, is a very disengaged and passive person who tends to make very little effort to change the environment around him. It was not uncommon in the past to find Tom spending most of his free time sitting on the couch watching TV. While one could argue that surfing Youtube isn’t much better, the fact that he is actively searching for content that he wants to view and then taking the time to share it with the people around him instead of simply tuning out and ignoring the world is very encouraging.

The thing that I find the most exciting about Tom’s story, is that the challenges that he faces in engaging with the digital world are not at all uncommon to adults with developmental disabilities. Many of the difficulties that Tom faces when trying to use personal computing technology to gain access to the digital world are the same difficulties that affect many of his peers. This makes it a logical assumption that his success with the iPad could be easily replicated.

Now, it is true that no two people are alike and that just because Tom has been so successful with mobile touch technology doesn’t mean that others will take to it with as much ease. However, the fact that he has has made so much progress, in such a short span of time, with such a readily available piece of equipment, in an almost entirely self motivated way is very encouraging. Me personally... I think Tom’s story is just plain excellent.