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A new voice for those who live in silence Developmentally disabled at Saanichbased centre embrace tablet technology Edward Hill News staff
Lynne Hibak holds a broad grin as she sweeps her fingers across an iPad, lighting up swirling streams of colour in the shape of a heart. For the 32-year-old client of the Garth Homer Society in Saanich, the touch screen offers her entertainment and easy access to the Internet. For other developmentally disabled adults at the day facility, some who can’t speak or who have limited movement, the technology has given them an unexpectedly rich voice to the world. Hibak uses the iPad to research birds and animals she sees while volunteering at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary. Her friend Laurie Fairweather does the same at her volunteer job Glendale Gardens, a.k.a. the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific. “My fingers don’t always go where I want. You can make mistakes with the iPad and it’s no big deal,” Fairweather says. “If I come across a plant I don’t know at Glendale Gardens I can take a picture (with the iPad) and find it.” The iPad and its apps have been so suc-
Edward Hill/News staff
Garth Homer Society client Laurie Fairweather holds an iPad as Lynne Hibak traces thermal imaging colours using an art app. The society has purchased 14 iPads after a staff member showed that clients, including those with deeply limiting developmental disabilities, used the hands-on technology to ease anxiety and to assert decision making. cessful in giving creative outlets to Garth Homer Centre clients, the society bought 14 of the devices last fall. High-functioning clients like Hibak and Fairweather adapted to the iPads quickly, but then so did those with significant developmental impairments. Clients who would normally struggle to pick up small objects can assemble virtual jigsaw puzzles, paint with their hands or even play musical instruments. Deeply disabled, withdrawn individuals will engage using the iPad, even if just to splash a virtual fish pond. For clients with autism, people who require and demand strict routines, the iPad allows staff to create visual, individualized schedules using digital photos of the client doing tasks – eating lunch, driving in
the van, and going to a park. The clearer the routine, the lower the anxiety. Key to the device’s popularity is removing the keyboard and mouse from the equation of a computer, especially for those with limited hand-eye co-ordination. “There wasn’t the confusion or frustration that I was anticipating due to introducing something that wasn’t familiar,” says Rob Baker, a staff member who works with clients requiring a high level of care. “We have clients with no capability to draw or hold a pen, but they can still use their hands and fingers. All of a sudden they can make art without obstacles. They found uses that I had no idea about.” Baker had the bright idea to introduce his personal iPad to Garth Homer about a year ago, just to gauge the level of inter-
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est and engagement from people in his program. After a few moments using the hands-on device, clients were hooked. “The iPad can be whatever we need for our clients. It can be fun, educational, used for schedules. It’s a great blank slate to start with,” Baker says. “It makes a difference in their lives.” Colina Titus, director of client services, says the more profound the disability, the more impact the technology has on peoples’ lives. One woman who can’t speak and who has limited motor skills uses images on the iPad to quickly communicate decisions on the day’s activities or what she’d like for lunch. PLEASE SEE: Garth Homer, Page A11
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