Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

With my kind of cerebral palsy – athetoid cerebral palsy – I often have involuntary movements. A hand, an arm or a leg does something totally unexpected…and there’s nothing I can do about it!

Last night I had one of those movements that Darrell and I call cp moments. Usually, when I am mixing up something, I place the bowl in the sink, which makes the bowl easier to hold still and any overages can easily be rinsed down the sink. Well, the bowl was too heavy…or the sink was cluttered…or I was in a hurry…or distracted…or something…and the bowl was not placed in the sink.

After several stirs of the bowl’s contents, my hand went down too hard, too fast; the spoon hit the side and macaroni, peas and sauce went flying! Everywhere. The counter, the floor, my shoe.

Life with cp is never routine.

Excuse while I go clean up the floor, yet again…

Earlier this week I shared how I used my iPad to give a speech after winning the Entrepreneur of the Year’s High Tech Award.

Yesterday, the event’s professional photos were made available to the finalists. I’d like the share a few of them here:

And, for those readers who asked to hear the text-to-speech voice of Kate giving my acceptance speech, click the link to play.

For those who prefer the transcript:

I would like to thank the Self-Employment Program and the Business in Vancouver Media Group for this recognition.

Working in the field of web accessibility for the past twelve years has been quite a journey, with many lessons learned along the way.

I’d like to share this one important lesson with you: Only you can decide what you’ll be or do and only you can reach out to the folks who can help you get there. Go for it! Do the unexpected and be all that you can  be.

Thank you.

Two days after returning from our week in Las Vegas, Darrell and I attended Douglas College’s Self-Employment Program’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. I had been nominated for the High Tech Award. (Yes, sometimes life is rough!)

I needed to prepare a one-minute acceptance speech in the event of being announced as the finalist. Not eager to need to pull out my laptop, which takes longer than a minute to boot, I wanted to be able to whip out my iPad for the task.

But how could I get the NeoSpeech voice of Kate, which I use in all of my presentations and which people have come to recognize as “my voice”, onto my iPad?

Yes, I do have the text-to-speech Proloquo2Go app on my iPad, but Kate is yet a voice option. I wasn’t feeling adequately geeky to get the Kate voice file from the CD onto my iPad, assuming that file format is even compatible with the app. That mash-up might still come; later, after consuming an appropriate level of dark chocolate.

Then brilliance struck: what if I used my text-to-speech TextAloud on my computer to create the audio file and then email it as an attachment to myself on my iPad? My experiment passed the test in the lab. Would it work flawlessly live?

When the award program came to the High Tech category, the nominees were announced and the award sponsor, the Business in Vancouver Media Group, introduced. I woke up my iPad and held my breath.

Remarks about the finalist were made and then the winner’s name announced: Glenda Watson Hyatt of Soaring Eagle Communications.

I drove up in front of the stage, with my iPad on my lap. I was presented with my crystal brick award. Official photographs were taken. Then the Master of Ceremonies knelt beside me, holding a microphone next to my iPad. I tapped play and Kate spoke my acceptance speech perfectly!

Screenshot of the Quicktime player on my iPad

Except…

There was a technical difficulty with the microphone…it was not on! My brief speech was not heard. My heart sank, but I kept smiling.

Once Kate had finished, the emcee kindly took my iPad up to the podium mic. Having never used an iPad before, he was able to figure out to tap play. My words were then heard.

Another door had opened for me in that moment: I had just given my first speech on my iPad!

This year I have ziplined across Robson Square, traveled across the continent to present, and toured around Washington DC all with barely any accessibility hiccups.

This morning, while getting dressed, an unexpected accessibility glitch struck that nearly did me in. For the life of me, I could not open the new plasticy wrapper on the Tampax tampons. The new wrapper does not tear like the old paper one, but rather has two flaps that, I guess, are meant to open when pulled in opposite directions. For someone with one quasi-functioning hand, this is not doable…this is definitely an accessibility issue, a usability issue!

Finally, totally frustrated and cursing under my breath, I darted out to the kitchen for the scissors to carefully snip open the end, making sure not to cut the string, which would only lead to other accessibility issues I’m sure…

Cutting open the package is a solution that works at home, but will not work when I cannot pack scissors while traveling. Hopefully, tampons with cardboard applicators and paper wrappers can still be obtained, otherwise future travel plans may be off-limits one week per month.

A note to the guys: when sent out for Rocky Road ice cream and tampons, be sure to avoid the Tampax Pearl Plastic unless instructed otherwise. You’ll both be happier, trust me!

Dear Careless, Inconsiderate Drivers,

When the driver in front of you has stopped at a marked crosswalk, chances are that someone – perhaps me – is crossing the street. Stop! Do not drive around the vehicle and keep going! Stop and wait!

If you can not see me in my big, bright red scooter attempting to cross the street, chances are you won’t see the parent pushing the baby stroller, the senior citizen using the walker or cane, or the child walking the dog. Surrender your driver’s license now! You are not fit for the privilege of driving.

If you are distracted by the cell phone, iPod, lipstick or razor, put the damn thing away, preferably in the trunk – beyond reach of temptation! Driving – with your own and others’ safety in your hands – requires your full attention. This is not the time for mindless multitasking.

If you are in a hurry, take a deep breath, count to twenty and wait! What makes your time more valuable, more precious than my life?

In a split second, you may judge my life in a wheelchair as not worthwhile, not valuable. But many others – around the world – would vehemently disagree and would be extremely upset and angry if you injured or killed me while I was crossing the street.

I was a hit-and-run victim once. A driver turned right as I wheeled down the curb cut. His van turned my entire scooter ninety-degrees. He drove off, leaving me trembling and with soft tissue injuries.

I was lucky that time; I survived. Next time I may not be so lucky. And why? Because you didn’t see me? Because you were distracted? Because you were in a hurry? What will you tell my husband, my parents, my brothers, my nieces and nephews, and my friends?

Crossing the street should not be the most dangerous thing I face each day.

Slow down, pay attention and put away distractions so we both safely reach our destinations.

Thank you for doing the right thing,
Glenda