Morse code helping people with disabilities to communicate?

[LB5KE]

Does any have any references or cases to people with disabilities using Morse code to help them to communicate? I remember reading in CQ magazine about a man that was blind and deaf, communicating with Morse code. He had a speaker strapped to his arm. Her is an example of a girl using her had to manipulate a paddle like arrangement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X802dpKqLUk

For people not familiar with Morse code can use this graphic picture to help them to decode Morse code:

<img>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Morse_code_tree3.png/800px-Morse_code_tree3.png

[VA7CPC]

Send the query to "Handi-Hams" at:

www.handihams.org

They probably track the stories.

There's a "sip-and-puff" code (not Morse, but similar in concept) that's used by mouth-operated "sip-and-puff" devices.  Some information is here:

http://www.orin.com/access/sip_puff/

There was an article in QST (a few years back) about converting a sip-and-puff switch into a paddle for sending Morse.  So there's some cross-fertilization going on.

         Charles

[KB2FCV]

I can remember about 5-10 years ago reading about a ham who had a stroke and lost most of his mobility and capability to speak. I think he was able to move his hand enough to operate either a straight key or paddles and a code oscillator.. and that is how he communicated. I think he lived for a short while after that but I can imagine it was great to be able to communicate in some way with your loved ones (not sure if he had/needed a translator..)

[K8AG]

Although I am not physically challenged on a permanent basis, a couple of years ago I had an operation where I awoke with a respirator tube down my throat.  Of course I couldn't talk and every time I tried to move the attendants seemed to respond as if I was uncomfortable. I started tapping CW on the rail of the bed and my XYL eventually picked up on it.

Ya never know when ham radio will become useful.  I was glad to be able to communicate with my wife (and the medical attendants through her), even for that short few hours.

My 2 cents.

73, JP, K8AG

[N5RWJ]

I think what is need, is Voice interface, that lets you your speak into your radio ,TX it as code and RX speech.

[K9ZMD]

I think what is need, is Voice interface, that lets you your speak into your radio ,TX it as code and RX speech.

Thinking outside the box is good, but sometimes produces solutions in search of a problem.  Speech to digital to speech already exists (on the ham bands and on your cell phone) and accomplishes the task more efficiently than if encoded as morse. 

Morse to speech, however, could be of value to no-code caretakers for a mute ham, but only if the ham could form characters well enough for machine decoding.  (Tongue in cheek, too many hams can't do that even without a disability.

Gary, K9ZMD/7
Ridgefield, WA