Different Ways to Communicate

     Mom said I have different sounds. She knew the difference between my laughing from my hurting. My parents used to know most things what I was saying but not all the time. With Mom, I used to air spell letters, and she wrote it down to see what I was saying.
     If people are patient with me, I can talk on the phone. How? I don’t know, but my parents said that they could understand me over the phone better than in person. Few people let me use my talker to speak on the phone. Yes, it takes some time, but they are not bothered by it.
     When I go to a doctor, I will type everything and print it out for them so it will go faster than having to explain things on the spot. I tend to feel anxious and worry about wasting time when I have to explain things spontaneously.
     In elementary school, I used multiple communication methods. I can remember they had a machine that was the size of an iPhone. It was like a label maker because I printed what I said on tiny strip of paper. I had a touch talker. It was the size like a family Bible and weight that much. I could only speak one sentence. It had a keyguard so I could press one button at a time. It had a cool layout. It had the alphabet like a keyboard, and it had pictures on the layout that had words programmed in it. For example, I can hit HOME + verb = "home". Or HOME + NOUR = "house". I could programmed phases. For example, NAME + NAME + NAME = "Hi. My name is Carol Hocutt. It is nice to meet you".
    In high school, I received a Liberator with a keyguard, which was an upgrade from touch talker. It still like a family Bible and weighted the same. Both machines were difficult to carry since they weighed 10 pounds, but being able to communicate was valuable.
      In 2008, I got my Pathfinder machine with a keyguard. To me, it was the best machine. It was lighter in weight compared to the Liberator. It was similar to a laptop. The screen was in LED, which was helpful to read. I could turn it on and off quickly.
     Once, we were going somewhere, and we put the Pathfinder on the floor beside me because I used it all the time. I was grabbing my cup and dropped it. Before I knew it, tea went everywhere on my talker. We couldn’t fix it with the company help, so Dad had to ship it to them. They got everything working and clean. I was so upset because I had to do without it, and plus I had a party for my Voc Rehab’ friend without my talker.
    My Pathfinder gave out in 2014 and I was devastated! The LED was so dim I couldn't see the screen. It seemed it was my right hand for everything. I talked more to people, taught Sunday School, spoke at the nursing home and gave my speeches on it.
     Then my last two machines were Accent 1000 without a keyguard. They are the size of an IPad. I liked my first Accent 1000, but I missed my Pathfinder due to a few issues. The device featured a dedicated screen displaying icons and a separate screen for the keyboard. It got me typing much slower. With my other talkers, I could hit two keys, it went to keyboard automatic. It got confusing until I learned to go to a different screen. The icons and keyboard were so small that I accidentally pressed two buttons at the same time. I finally found a way to make the keyboard larger, and that helped me some, but I still needed a keyguard to feel comfortable talking with others. I emailed SC consultant from Prentke Romich Company (PRC), and she finally found a keyguard. It was a lifesaver. My other problem was that my talker freezes up while I was using it. PRC didn’t understand it, so we had to ship it to be testing. Of course, nothing was wrong. After a while I noticed when I drooled on it, it would freeze. I still got upset, but I tried to tell people to hold on until I reboot it. When people didn’t seem interested, I didn’t try to write it again. When I used to go and speak, I would tell them I would raise my hand if it froze and give me a minute to start back.
     In 2020, I was qualified to get another talker, and I was over the hill. But PRC didn’t have a new machine, I had to get another Accent 1000. Although this machine is relatively satisfactory in its performance, it currently remains stored in my closet. I have fewer people to talk to now, so I express myself by typing on my phone. If I use my Accent 1000, I have to spell more because I can’t think fast to remember all of the icons like I used too. I’m faster on my phone than with my talker now. I know, it sad how I don’t practice on Accent, but I can’t talk to myself. Besides, my phone is always with me.
     When I got email, it opened my communication to a world where I could talk to people. It felt so wonderful to have conversation with my friends and express myself.
    When texting and iPhone came out, I was ecstatic. Texting is my source to reach people. I can check on people. When we were going to the nursing home each month, a girl and I sat beside each other in the truck, and we texted. That was the only way she could understand me. That helped me because I have been texting people that are near me to tell them something. Yes, it is rude, but texting is my voice. I use iPhone notes mostly to communicate. I can have a note ready, or I can type when they are talking to me.