Aphasia Project: ESI-Planner II

In this work, we build on two existing devices designed specifically for individuals with aphasia: LingraphicaTM, a laptop-based communication system that uses a hierarchy of icons, text, and sounds to support the creation of phrases aphasic individuals can use for therapy and communication; and ESI Planner, an image and sound enhanced daily planner that allows aphasic users to independently manage their appointments using a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). While both of these devices have demonstrated success, they both have limitations. LingraphicaTM, though designed to support functional communication, is used predominately in the home. Thus, it does not fulfill the need of many aphasic individuals for communicative support outside the home. In contrast, although ESI Planner’s platform of a small handheld computer makes it highly portable and well suited for tasks outside the home, the limited screen size and interaction capabilities afforded by the PDA makes it difficult and cumbersome to use.

ESI Planner II redesigns ESI Planner leverages the strengths of LingraphicaTM to provide an easy to use, yet portable, communication aid and daily planner. ESI Planner II provides four main functionalities: a daily planner, a reminder system, an individualized store of frequently used phrases, and a system for keeping track of checklists. It uses LingraphicaTM for the task of composing these appointments, reminders, phrases, and checklists. These are then transferred to the ESI Planner II for portable use.

Developing assistive technology for individuals with aphasia presents several challenges. Most obvious is that the communication barrier between the user and the developer makes it difficult for the developer to solicit needs and requirements from the user. Our approach to meeting this challenge has been to involve speech-language pathologists familiar with our target population directly in the development cycle. An additional challenge has been meeting the many design constraints necessary to meet the needs of this population. Since many individuals acquire aphasia as the result of a stroke, they may have other motor, visual, or cognitive impairments, in addition to aphasia. Our designs must take these limitations into account.