Meet Samuel

We caught up with 16-year-old Samuel, a Grid Pad 16 user and tech enthusiast who tested Evo – our new eye tracker, powered by machine learning. Samuel shares his journey with assistive technology and his experience living with disability, in his own words.

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Could you walk us through your daily routine and how AAC fits into your life?

I use my Grid Pad in the morning after breakfast to check and reply to WhatsApp messages, and sometimes to browse Instagram. I often have a quick play on Township before heading to school.

At school, I use the WordPower and Super Core vocabularies in Grid throughout the day for both education and communication. In the evenings, I also use my device to complete any homework I have.

 

Is there a feature or tool in Grid that you find particularly helpful or love?

I love the Fix tool, which helps iron out any grammatical or spelling errors. I also really like the Smart Buttons on my Grid Pad 16, as they save time by reducing the number of steps needed for important tasks.

I’m interested in computer coding, but I’ve found that access can be difficult for AAC users who use eye gaze. I’ve been trying block coding, which has been great and much more accessible.

How did you find the experience of testing a new eye tracker for Smartbox?

I recently took part in user testing for the Evo eye tracking camera. The experience was very positive, and I really enjoyed testing different settings in a variety of environments, discovering what works best for me, and sharing feedback along the way.

What do you wish more people understood about AAC and how you use yours?

I think many people’s first impression of disabilities or non-speaking individuals is that we don’t understand what’s being said. I’d ask people to be more mindful of our feelings, and how it feels when we’re not included or recognised.

I also hope people understand that I need time to build a sentence or response during a conversation. I can do anything on a computer that other people can, it just takes me a little longer.

If you could go back in time and give your younger self a message about AAC, what would it be?

I would encourage anyone who needs AAC to get started as soon as possible. I wish I’d had the opportunity to start earlier, as it would have given me a voice to express myself much sooner.

What are your career aspirations or wishes for the future?

I hope to have a 9-5 job placement at Smartbox when I leave school. As a company, they’ve been excellent and incredibly supportive throughout my AAC journey so far.