iTeach Eye Gaze

COMMUNICATOR 5 The taskbar of the Communicator 5 software has three “pag- es.”View Image 6 to see “Page 1 of the Communicator 5 Taskbar.” Refer to Image 7 of “Page 2 of the Communicator 5 Taskbar.” See Image 8 for “Page 3 of the Communicator 5 Taskbar.” The tasks on the taskbar are larger target sizes. There are also words or phrases beneath the icons. It requires navigation to get to all of the tasks on the taskbar. Sticky left is its own task on the taskbar, meaning it is not an embedded click on the taskbar like Win- dows Control. Sticky Left is the most frequently used mouse em- ulation feature for a beginning eye gaze user, as it is needed to play games. Remember, on Windows Control, the eye gaze user has to maintain their gaze to activate the Sticky Left Click. On the third page of the taskbar is “Programs.” Programs can be cus- tomized to be a shortcut to any software on the eye gaze user’s PC or Surface Pro. Unlike Windows Control, the “Programs” can- not be customized into the same actions under “Shortcuts” like, “Minimize Window,”“Maximize Window,”etc. Some other consid- erations are that Communicator 5 does not have “Drag & Drop.” Additionally, the scrolling up and down tasks require more eye movement than Windows Control. When determining which software is the better fit, it is criti- cal to take into account the following characteristics and traits of the student: personality, self-confidence and self-esteem. It is also very important to ask yourself these questions: How per- sistent is the student? How often is he or she willing to try again without getting defeated? What is the school team’s buy-in? What is the family’s buy-in, training and availability to help the student at home? How much time is being allocated in and out of school for the student to practice? Just because the student may start out learning eye gaze with one software doesn’t mean they cannot change softwares down the line. Again, it is all about which software they start feeling immediate success with. If the student sets any short-term or long-term goals for themselves when learning eye gaze, take into account their preference of which software they think will help them achieve those short- term and long-term goals. HEYERARCHY The suggested order of mouse emulation functions to teach your eye gaze user is as follows: Sticky Left (if using Communica- tor 5 Software), Left Click, Double Click, Right Click, Scroll, Drag and Drop. It is important to note that the order may differ based on what your eye gaze user’s interests are. “Shortcuts” and “Pro- gram” shortcuts can be taught after the student can do Sticky Left and Left Clicks. When learning a difficult skill, it is always best to work on the skill when doing something fun and engaging. Playing games is the first step to learning eye gaze. As the implementer, you would use a backwards chaining approach when teaching your student to play games. As the implementer, you should first ac- tivate “Sticky Left,” so the eye gaze user can focus on playing the

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Communicator 5 Taskbar.

game. The next step would be activating “Sticky Left” and letting the student dwell and click “Play.” After that, give the eye gazer user three opportunities to activate “Sticky Left” before selecting that for them. If they don’t activate “Sticky Left” in those three opportunities, then you will activate Sticky Left. Over time, you’ll repeat the previous step and give them 5 opportunities to ac- tivate “Sticky Left.” "I cannot tell you how much time it will take to progress to each step in your individualized task analysis, or even progressing from three to five tries to activate “Sticky Left” is appropriate for your student because every student is differ- ent. This is where you are going to have to gauge the whole student in this process, especially their tolerance level and per- sistence because you do not want the student to hit their maxi- mum frustrational level and give-up or shut down.

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