The last thing SLPs and OT’s want is for their client to end up with the wrong AAC device. Unfortunately it happens too often. But when it comes down to it, these are the questions you need to have answered before your client makes a decision.
1. Will this device accommodate my client’s eye conditions now AND in the future?
This is the most important question you can ask for your client. For clients with ALS, medications such as Baclofen® can cause the pupil to dilate more, making it difficult for eye trackers to work. Furthermore Ptosis of the eyelid can occur over time, causing tracking difficulties for other devices. Keep in mind your client’s eye conditions may be fine during the demo process, but can quickly change throughout their diagnosis. The Eyegaze Edge® was designed to change with a client and accommodate many tricky eye conditions!
2. How many infrared lights does your eye tracker use?
Something many people overlook is the amount of infrared light an eye tracking camera uses. Infrared light produces heat, and dries out eyes! This translates to worse accuracy and increased blinking and fatigue. The Eyegaze Edge® has the lowest level of IR light in the industry, keeping all-day use a real possibility. Our low-fatigue, high accuracy camera is an engineering breakthrough for people with ALS!
3. If my client needs tech support after hours, can they get it?
Yes, yes and yes! We provide support and training after hours and on weekends, because we KNOW that tech support is crucial for eye gaze success! Each Eyegaze Edge® client has the direct phone number of their technician, and the manufacturer’s engineering and medical team apply their decades of expertise when troubleshooting is needed. Even better, our customers can directly text for tech support, access remote support buttons and read their user manual right on their screen. When help is needed from The Brainary, you’ll speak to a human expert. After hours support and travel charges may apply if required.
“The team at The Brainary have helped me and many of my clients over the past 2 years and their attention to detail and professionalism is next to none. With the assistance with Mark Allen and the team at The Brainary my clients have been able to engage more meaningfully in life with switch activated environmental control units and Eye Gaze technologies and have also been much safer in their everyday life, with custom switches designed to their specific needs, which relay to carer call buzzers and their mobile phones. Advancements in technology mean that those with a disability can do a lot more than they once could, and it is comforting to know as a therapist we can call on the expertise of the team at The Brainary and explore these possibilities.”
Kane Felthouse, BOccThy, Occupational Therapist
