|
What I get out of my work: This technology helped
me to be able to get back to work. It's so heartwarming for me to
be able help people be more independent. So whether someone's never
seen a computer before or they've never been able to use it because
of a spinal cord injury or some sort of disability, to be able to
adapt the product so they can use it and have that independence
is just really wonderful.
Why my job is cool:
It's always different. And the first thing that comes to mind is
that I'm helping people work who've never worked before. Even with
screenwriters who hunt and peck, with this technology they're able
to be fully creative and it's great being able to assist in that
process.
Goal in life:
To be the best person I can be.
Robin Springer
was a writer, making her living doing script analysis when her world
came crashing down. She developed a stress injury to her fingers
from her workload that practically paralyzed them. She was unable
to type or even turn on her TV. Doctors told her that she'd probably
never be able to work a real job again. Robin knew she had to help
herself. So she set about finding technology that would allow her
to talk to her computer and allow the computer to type.
In 1995, utilizing
that technology, she founded Computer Talk and began offering her
services to physically disabled adults and children, to movie studios
and other companies where the computer technology was needed. Robin
personally installs and designs programs that meet the special needs
of a profession, using the specific words and phrases of the occupation.
What are
the most common problems people bring to you at Computer Talk?
I'll give you two, first from able bodied, whether it's a screenwriter,
doctor, lawyer. The main problem is, 'I cannot type. I do not know
how to type and I hunt and peck.' Then, there's someone who because
of a disability, can't type for a different reason. They're limited
in their mobility or with their upper extremities. I have a lot
of clients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I have a lot of clients
who are dyslexic. I have a lot of clients who have cerebral palsy.
How exactly
does a person with physical incapabilities use your computer systems?
There are several ways, speech recognition into a microphone. We
have onscreen keyboards. That's a picture of a keyboard on a computer
screen. Let's say that someone can use a touch screen or they can
use mouse but they can't use a keyboard. With this picture of a
keyboard, they click with the mouse on the letters. Or say someone
has a job where they need to answer the phone and they're quadriplegic
and they can't answer the phone. With the speech recognition software
they can say, `answer the phone.'
You've perfected
computer systems for the Hollywood studio employee and others working
in the industry, how so?
Using the straight speech recognition software helps improve the
process for a lot of people. But there's a couple of other things
we can do, whether it's a hand-held recorder so people can dictate
when they're not in front of the computer. A lot of people like
to go for walks or go hiking or to the beach - if that's where they
get their creativity and with this they don't need to bring a laptop.
They can just dictate into a recorder and then we can transfer it
into the computer and turn it into text.
You would
do that at the office for them?
It's something pretty straightforward for them to do on their own
computer. One of the things I have done is create a template for
screenwriters. So they can say `character name,' and it's going
to format uppercase center for the character name. They can say,
`transition line,' and it's going to right justify for them. I'm
just making this up, but for example, when they give a command to
type dialogue, it's going to center it but it'll be upper and lower
case so it complies with the format of the script.
So they be
hiking in the hills, they can talk into a tape recorder, go back
to their office and just use that tape recorder to get it in there.
Right.
That's great.
Isn't it? I'll write letters in my car. I'll write short stories
as I'm driving.
And the voice
on the tape recorder activates.
Yeah, well you know, you press record and then you download that
when you get back to the computer and it translates into text.
Do you make
house calls?
Oh absolutely. The majority of what we do is going out to visit
clients and that helps us to access what someone needs. See what
their environment looks like. My mind starts going a hundred miles
a minute to see what we can do to satisfy their needs.
So Carpel
Tunnel Syndrome is not a problem for people who use your product?
Oh it certainly can be. People with disability due to Carpel Tunnel,
this allows them to get back to work.
How long
did it take you to find the technology and devise a voice-operated
computer?
It was really long process. The first couple of years I was on disability
I was just trying to make it through the days. We pulled out a phone
book and just started calling the disabled veterans association
and all different types of organizations for people with disabilities
and no one had ever heard of speech recognition. Or they'd say,
`I know something like that must be out there, why don't you try
calling this place...' So it was a wild goose chase to find what
I needed. When I found it, it was the first time I'd had hope. So
instead of going back to writing, I just saw how powerful the technology
was and I wanted to make it easier for other people who had similar
issues that I had, to help them.
What kind
of feedback have you gotten from people using your systems?
Really wonderful feedback. There was one client I had, I taught
her how to use the computer and about a month later I called her
and wanted to ask her to work with me. She had already enrolled
in college and gotten a part-time job because of the technology.
Before she couldn't have. It was incredible.
What are
your tips for all computer users to increase ease and efficiency?
To make sure they're physically comfortable. If your wrists start
hurting, stop typing. If you eyes are burning, stop what you're
doing. You body is telling you to do something else.
Have you
found anyone with this problem that your systems cannot help?
There are certain people who can't use speech recognition. But when
I started the company I had only one product. Now we now have well
over 60. If someone comes to me and they need a product and they
want to work with us. We will do the research and find something
that will help them. We have all different types of products for
all different types of people.
What was
your first thought when you found you could barely move your fingers?
I think I was in denial for awhile. It just couldn't happen to me.
I looked inside myself. There was so much going on externally about
people not being supportive without going into that too much detail
about that but just the dynamics of how I sustained my injury. I
looked inside myself. I was 26 years old and I was told I'd never
be able to work again. It just wasn't acceptable. But everything
happens for a reason. So I'm not doing script analysis anymore.
But I'm helping people. So that was my silver lining.
What's your
capsule philosophy on life?
Everything happens for a reason and once we figure out what the
reason is we can grow and change and do what we're supposed to be
doing.
|
