[Music]
let me begin by asking a few questions
so um how many of you use a phone a TV
or a computer draw write paint or even
play video games how many of you also
feed yourself brush your teeth or even
drive a vehicle okay well what would you
do if you lost the ability to use these
items or complete these simple tasks how
would you feel
what would your outlook on life be who
would you turn to you for help well
these are questions that millions of
people with disabilities including
myself have to face our whole lives see
I was a lot like you or anyone else
growing up I ran high jumped and I
played I even went fishing and out
fished my father I was a boy scout who
did derby car races and carbs soap and
in my teens I gained the love for art
unfortunately I was born with muscular
dystrophy Duchenne’s a muscle weakening
Dizzy’s that continuously weakens all
the muscles throughout my body every day
so as I grew up I eventually lost the
ability to walk to feed myself and brush
and dress myself I even lost the ability
to use a phone a TV remote in a video
game controller
worse yet my heart had failed me and I
had to have a heart transplant and when
my mom failed me I got put on the
ventilator through everything I was
lucky to be alive but this wasn’t living
because I felt like I couldn’t achieve
anything anymore so I became depressed
because I had lost everything except
from my life I watched other people
having fun playing the games I loved
creating the pictures I once enjoyed
creating and having the full enjoyment
of everything life has to offer while I
was stuck in my head only able to
imagine what I could do if I was normal
I was lost I was upset and I
me to know that I couldn’t do what I
loved anymore so much potential is taken
from me which isolated me from the world
and I lost all my freedom to do what I
want it even though I wasn’t happy about
my situation I never gave up I didn’t
want to just sit around losing more of I
loved every day so I searched online for
years for other ways of doing everything
I had lost and when I saw a paralyzed
mouth painters on YouTube for the first
time I had an epiphany and realized that
was a little help and a lot of ingenuity
there was so much more I could be doing
my mom raised me use my big mouth for a
reason and that’s that’s exactly what I
did I began the painting again and I
wanted to paint so bad that at first I
just said you know I’m gonna put a brush
my mouth I’m doing this that’s gonna
happen and so I actually was able to
paint this picture it did hurt a lot I
realized using a wooden brush in your
mouth and paint chips that don’t you
know that’s not good either so huh
I upgraded I said you know there’s got
to be something better there has to be
so I found a tool that allows me to
stabilize the brush I can click any
brush onto it any writing material
utensil and I’m able to paint good and
it doesn’t hurt so I was able to create
this painting right I was able to start
this painting and so let me show you the
rest of the process on me painting this
and as you can see I have a you know
pillow on top of my lap I am able to put
a pallet a water dish and I’m pretty
much set I can sit there for hours doing
what this right here unless I need a
change of color and when I need a change
of color I has asked for it and I mix it
up myself so that’s basically how I do
it and coming up next you will see I
also have my music as you can see on
here
and coming up next you’ll see the
finished product and now this is when I
was completely done
[Applause]
so when you have a disability it can be
so easy to focus on all the things you
can’t do but the right technology and
guidance almost anything is possible you
can get back so much of what you lost
but this is only impossible when you
know what technology is out there and
you are able to afford it and
unfortunately finding out what’s out
there
and finding a way to pay for it can be a
major struggle for those living with
disabilities technology as simple as a
dictation program on a computer can help
people like me to write social lives and
even go to school nowadays their apps
that can control your entire house which
means I could open the front in garage
doors turn on the lights put on some
music
order groceries online make a phone call
and text a friend off without the help
of another person but if we only knew
what technology was available and where
to get it the possibilities would be
endless but the problem is often that
dystek is hard to find for example after
I lost the ability to play video games I
began searching for other technology to
make it possible for me to play again
for five years I tried finding different
solutions and got nowhere
I even contacted a few organizations to
help in this endeavor but there weren’t
a lot of great options available five
years later I found the mouth operated
video game controller it’s called a quad
stick and it changed my life and with
this right now you’re seeing a
rudimentary picture of it but there are
three holes on it which allow me to sip
and puff and there’s a lip switch so I
can mix them together and I can play
like I did before I lost my ability so
in this next video you’ll actually see
me doing a demo of it playing it and
pretty much this is hear me playing
Assassin’s Creed
and so with a quick little video you can
see there’s all mounting arm on it and
what I do is I just set it up on well I
have a ventilator cart and I set it up
and it doesn’t come with a cap by the
way and that’s pretty much the basics of
it accessible technology can make it
possible to have a life full of purpose
a life that’s dignified and worthwhile
but that technology you can only get if
someone makes it and according to the
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
approximately 5.4 million people in the
u.s. were living with paralysis and that
number doesn’t even include those living
with muscular dystrophy ALS cerebral
palsy or any other disability which
means that the actual number of people
who have problems functioning in trouble
I have trouble functioning in daily life
could actually be twice that number you
don’t think that’s a large number
realize as more than the entire state of
Colorado and also take into account that
there are more than 57 million people
with some type of disability in America
alone about the population of Florida
and California combined and if we take a
look at this from a global standpoint
census data from the World Health
Organization and World Bank has
determined that there are more than 1
billion people on earth with a form of
disability and more than half are
physically disabled with these numbers
currently on the rise it’s estimated
that more than 2 billion people will
need at least one or two assistive
products by 2050 which means that the
potential market it’s a goldmine in fact
coherent market insights predicts that
the assistive tech market will be worth
more than twenty six billion dollars by
2024 moreover companies who keep people
with disabilities in mind have
discovered that when they focus on them
their products give
better for everybody and it can show new
client basis in fact someone like
connects a device and uses it to improve
their vision something like that could
actually improve the visions of
firefighters when entering smoke-filled
buildings now companies should also
embrace the principles of universal
design creating products and services
everyone can use that are ideally
universally compatible having such an
approach can actually make more
financial sense in the long run but what
you don’t want is to have to retrofit
for a population that you forgot about
thanks for the sort of design innovation
we now have an ever-expanding suite of
products from smart doorbells to
smartphones to driverless cars that can
be automated and controlled through
voice or touch
although these products were created to
make life more convenient for everyone
they’ve specifically helped people with
disabilities to do things on their own
that would otherwise be impossible for
them remember convenience for you is
independence for us it took me a long
time to realize that you’re not limited
by a disability only by your access and
finances which is why we need companies
to invest in marketing and developing
new accessible technologies something
that given by the potential size of the
market is actually a very smart business
decision with the right technology we
can have a world where people are not
found by a disability because they will
be truly independent with the right
technology we will have a world where I
can’t becomes I can thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
let me begin by asking a few questions
so um how many of you use a phone a TV
or a computer draw write paint or even
play video games how many of you also
feed yourself brush your teeth or even
drive a vehicle okay well what would you
do if you lost the ability to use these
items or complete these simple tasks how
would you feel
what would your outlook on life be who
would you turn to you for help well
these are questions that millions of
people with disabilities including
myself have to face our whole lives see
I was a lot like you or anyone else
growing up I ran high jumped and I
played I even went fishing and out
fished my father I was a boy scout who
did derby car races and carbs soap and
in my teens I gained the love for art
unfortunately I was born with muscular
dystrophy Duchenne’s a muscle weakening
Dizzy’s that continuously weakens all
the muscles throughout my body every day
so as I grew up I eventually lost the
ability to walk to feed myself and brush
and dress myself I even lost the ability
to use a phone a TV remote in a video
game controller
worse yet my heart had failed me and I
had to have a heart transplant and when
my mom failed me I got put on the
ventilator through everything I was
lucky to be alive but this wasn’t living
because I felt like I couldn’t achieve
anything anymore so I became depressed
because I had lost everything except
from my life I watched other people
having fun playing the games I loved
creating the pictures I once enjoyed
creating and having the full enjoyment
of everything life has to offer while I
was stuck in my head only able to
imagine what I could do if I was normal
I was lost I was upset and I
me to know that I couldn’t do what I
loved anymore so much potential is taken
from me which isolated me from the world
and I lost all my freedom to do what I
want it even though I wasn’t happy about
my situation I never gave up I didn’t
want to just sit around losing more of I
loved every day so I searched online for
years for other ways of doing everything
I had lost and when I saw a paralyzed
mouth painters on YouTube for the first
time I had an epiphany and realized that
was a little help and a lot of ingenuity
there was so much more I could be doing
my mom raised me use my big mouth for a
reason and that’s that’s exactly what I
did I began the painting again and I
wanted to paint so bad that at first I
just said you know I’m gonna put a brush
my mouth I’m doing this that’s gonna
happen and so I actually was able to
paint this picture it did hurt a lot I
realized using a wooden brush in your
mouth and paint chips that don’t you
know that’s not good either so huh
I upgraded I said you know there’s got
to be something better there has to be
so I found a tool that allows me to
stabilize the brush I can click any
brush onto it any writing material
utensil and I’m able to paint good and
it doesn’t hurt so I was able to create
this painting right I was able to start
this painting and so let me show you the
rest of the process on me painting this
and as you can see I have a you know
pillow on top of my lap I am able to put
a pallet a water dish and I’m pretty
much set I can sit there for hours doing
what this right here unless I need a
change of color and when I need a change
of color I has asked for it and I mix it
up myself so that’s basically how I do
it and coming up next you will see I
also have my music as you can see on
here
and coming up next you’ll see the
finished product and now this is when I
was completely done
[Applause]
so when you have a disability it can be
so easy to focus on all the things you
can’t do but the right technology and
guidance almost anything is possible you
can get back so much of what you lost
but this is only impossible when you
know what technology is out there and
you are able to afford it and
unfortunately finding out what’s out
there
and finding a way to pay for it can be a
major struggle for those living with
disabilities technology as simple as a
dictation program on a computer can help
people like me to write social lives and
even go to school nowadays their apps
that can control your entire house which
means I could open the front in garage
doors turn on the lights put on some
music
order groceries online make a phone call
and text a friend off without the help
of another person but if we only knew
what technology was available and where
to get it the possibilities would be
endless but the problem is often that
dystek is hard to find for example after
I lost the ability to play video games I
began searching for other technology to
make it possible for me to play again
for five years I tried finding different
solutions and got nowhere
I even contacted a few organizations to
help in this endeavor but there weren’t
a lot of great options available five
years later I found the mouth operated
video game controller it’s called a quad
stick and it changed my life and with
this right now you’re seeing a
rudimentary picture of it but there are
three holes on it which allow me to sip
and puff and there’s a lip switch so I
can mix them together and I can play
like I did before I lost my ability so
in this next video you’ll actually see
me doing a demo of it playing it and
pretty much this is hear me playing
Assassin’s Creed
and so with a quick little video you can
see there’s all mounting arm on it and
what I do is I just set it up on well I
have a ventilator cart and I set it up
and it doesn’t come with a cap by the
way and that’s pretty much the basics of
it accessible technology can make it
possible to have a life full of purpose
a life that’s dignified and worthwhile
but that technology you can only get if
someone makes it and according to the
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
approximately 5.4 million people in the
u.s. were living with paralysis and that
number doesn’t even include those living
with muscular dystrophy ALS cerebral
palsy or any other disability which
means that the actual number of people
who have problems functioning in trouble
I have trouble functioning in daily life
could actually be twice that number you
don’t think that’s a large number
realize as more than the entire state of
Colorado and also take into account that
there are more than 57 million people
with some type of disability in America
alone about the population of Florida
and California combined and if we take a
look at this from a global standpoint
census data from the World Health
Organization and World Bank has
determined that there are more than 1
billion people on earth with a form of
disability and more than half are
physically disabled with these numbers
currently on the rise it’s estimated
that more than 2 billion people will
need at least one or two assistive
products by 2050 which means that the
potential market it’s a goldmine in fact
coherent market insights predicts that
the assistive tech market will be worth
more than twenty six billion dollars by
2024 moreover companies who keep people
with disabilities in mind have
discovered that when they focus on them
their products give
better for everybody and it can show new
client basis in fact someone like
connects a device and uses it to improve
their vision something like that could
actually improve the visions of
firefighters when entering smoke-filled
buildings now companies should also
embrace the principles of universal
design creating products and services
everyone can use that are ideally
universally compatible having such an
approach can actually make more
financial sense in the long run but what
you don’t want is to have to retrofit
for a population that you forgot about
thanks for the sort of design innovation
we now have an ever-expanding suite of
products from smart doorbells to
smartphones to driverless cars that can
be automated and controlled through
voice or touch
although these products were created to
make life more convenient for everyone
they’ve specifically helped people with
disabilities to do things on their own
that would otherwise be impossible for
them remember convenience for you is
independence for us it took me a long
time to realize that you’re not limited
by a disability only by your access and
finances which is why we need companies
to invest in marketing and developing
new accessible technologies something
that given by the potential size of the
market is actually a very smart business
decision with the right technology we
can have a world where people are not
found by a disability because they will
be truly independent with the right
technology we will have a world where I
can’t becomes I can thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
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