This may not necessarily involve medical devices, but Medgadget certainly appreciates the use of both software tools and hardware gadgetry described in this article from the Federal Computing Week website about the Defense Department’s Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP). Basically, tools which are currently used to accommodate disabled federal employees are being made available to wounded and hospitalized veterans who’ve just returned from Afghanistan and Iraq. We can only imagine how frustrating it might be for these vets and their families to have communication stymied during such a trying period of time.
Some details on the tools being provided:
The program can provide magnification devices for those with eye injuries, which are common because of the improvised explosive devices bombs and mines used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If needed, CAP can also supply voice-recognition input systems to troops who cannot see a computer screen even with a magnifying device. Tom D’errico, federal sales manager at ScanSoft, said he wants to work with CAP and the Pentagon to provide free copies of the company’s Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition system to those who need it.
The program can also provide veterans who have lost a hand or the use of a hand with specially configured keyboards, Tan said.
More at Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program…