Week 6-Communication Devices

EXHAUSTED!!!! That is how I felt after completing the scenario in class this week. Lydia and I used a very low tech device to communicate. The board was designed for someone with very little controlled movement abilities but with control over their eye movements. Using the device was very frustrating with the initial eye movement for the letter box and next immediate eye movement for the colour code for the letter within the box first selected. As the person trying to express myself in this situation I was very frustrated and was mentally exhausted by the amount of energy that was required to think through each letter of each word, locate the corresponding letters and maintain the final goal of conveying a specific message. While I am sure that this method would be better than the alternative of not being able to express myself, I could not imagine using this method for a long duration of time. I feel if this were my only method of communication it would only be used on a 'needs' basis.
The second element which stood out in class this week was the youtube.com clip with the young woman with Autism communicating her reality and understanding of the world. Her perspective was very interesting and well conveyed. The notion that her gestures and sounds where her way of interacting and responding to her environment led me to think about the definition of language. Explorers upon their first interactions with Native Americans or the Aboriginals of Australia made the same type of judgments that are experienced and reflected upon by the young woman. The explorers like many in society judge different as wrong or inferior because it is not their normal. When using the format and conventions of the English language through type, the young woman was able to eloquently and concisely describe her thoughts and experiences. Such a shift in perspective was very eye opening a great way to begin thinking about the various forms of communication.