Ask HN: Editing and Email Accssibility for Stroke Victim - drallison
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gnicholas
Strokes often result in difficulties with visual focus and tracking, which
would make it difficult to read long documents. Visual therapy is a branch of
optometry that seeks to address these types of challenges through what is
essentially physical therapy for the eyes.

There is also software that can help with visual tracking when reading,
including the tools developed by my startup. [1] We were actually unaware of
the benefits our tools would have for stroke survivors until we heard from
them.

1: [http://www.beelinereader.com](http://www.beelinereader.com)

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Normal_gaussian
You're going to need to explain in what manner and to what extent the victim
is experiencing difficulty.

Its possible to have had a stroke and not experience any long term effects.

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drallison
My friend, the stroke victim, has significant difficulty several months
following his stroke; he is improving but progress is glacially slow. He has
some control and movement on his left side--for example, he can move his arm.
He has no movement (but recently some sensations) on his right side and right
arm.

He can speak and converse but he's not as quick as he was before the stroke.
He no longer needs to search for his words and he is able to talk about the
issues of the day. In the beginning, he struggled to formulate sentences; not
so much now. He does speak with a low volume and may slur some words because
he still does not have full control of his facial muscles. He has some
paralysis in his face (left side).

He has limited head and neck movement. He has control of movement in his lower
legs and feet but not his body proper. I do not know the extent of is
paralysis but he has no obvious mobility. When seated for a long period of
time he complains of pain in his buttocks.

This all is from personal observation; I am not privy to his medical reports.

~~~
alasdairking
Most important question: what does your friend want to do that he can't?
You're describing his limitations, not his goals. Does he want to read, but
not write? A Kindle might be better than an iPad - longer battery life. Does
he want to read, but not have to raise his arm to do the page turn? Then back
to iPad but using a switch device that can be operated from one finger.

I'm not explaining this well, because I'm a technologist, not a therapist: in
the UK the role would be "Occupational Therapist". However, in my experience,
they are focused on improvement and the regaining of function: only when this
avenue is exhausted will they begin to look at assistive technology. But I am
probably being unfair.

Useful, maybe:

[http://www.oneswitch.org.uk/gaming.php](http://www.oneswitch.org.uk/gaming.php)

[https://www.webbie.org.uk/oneswitchmouse/index.htm](https://www.webbie.org.uk/oneswitchmouse/index.htm)
(control the Windows cursor using only one switch: freeware from my employer)

[https://sourceforge.net/projects/sawat/?source=dlp](https://sourceforge.net/projects/sawat/?source=dlp)

~~~
alasdairking
Sorry, it's late, and I am a n00b. You wrote email and editing.

Your friend's problems are largely about control and typing. They may be able
to use one arm, but it may tire fast. Consider alternative mice, including
trackballs. A keyboard if possible, perhaps a tablet with keyguards. If not,
some kind of switch control for an onscreen keyboard: it will be slow but
maybe more useful. One Switch Mouse, above. Built-in features, like Windows
here: [https://support.microsoft.com/en-
gb/help/27936/windows-10-ma...](https://support.microsoft.com/en-
gb/help/27936/windows-10-make-input-devices-easier-to-use)

Eyegaze: cameras that track where you are looking. Hard to use, probably not
best if your friend can use an arm.

Speech recognition: you really want Dragon Professional on Windows. If you
can't get a trial of that, macOS speech recognition. You MUST MUST MUST have a
decent mic. Windows 10 machine, try Windows Key + H in an edit box, or this
freeware (my employer again):
[https://www.clarosoftware.com/login/admin/labs/#clarodrake](https://www.clarosoftware.com/login/admin/labs/#clarodrake)

Expert in California:
[https://store.rjcooper.com/](https://store.rjcooper.com/)

Your friend is still regaining function, which changes the dynamic: using the
built-in features, maybe with a trackball, might be best until you know where
they end up. Again, this is an OT call.

Good luck!

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phonebucket
I am lucky enough to have not have needed such software. However, this also
means I can’t vouch for much of this first hand for your use case.

Dasher is designed for text input with limited movement. You can try it out
online:
[http://www.inference.org.uk/dasher/](http://www.inference.org.uk/dasher/)

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mikob
I'm working on a Chrome Extension that lets you open tabs, navigate pages,
click links, dictate emails etc. on the web using voice-control:
[https://www.lipsurf.com](https://www.lipsurf.com)

Many of my users have motor control issues. Depending on the manner of the
difficulty, I think this will be useful to you.

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aliwajahat1
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