Why is voice control tech important?

Brian, a Travis Roy Center advisor, shares his story with us on the impact of voice control technology-

When I first became a quadriplegic, I was completely overwhelmed on so many levels. The utter shock of the earliest dark days is discovering you have zero control over anything in your life anymore and must rely on another person to do everything for you. Lying in Spaulding unable to move a finger, the grim reality set in that even pushing a small button to turn on the television was impossible to do without help.  

When you are  in the acute phase of rehabilitation, the staff are understandably focused on helping you regain as much of your functionalities back as possible in a short amount of time. However, what is sometimes lost at these facilities is realistic, practical preparation for the fact that you have a very long and slow journey of continued recovery in the outpatient world when you are also expected to do much more without all the support staff at your side. 

Discovering the use of hands-free technology and devices that allowed me to regain even the smallest bit of independence was an emotional and mental game-changer. However, I wasn’t formally introduced to these technologies as part of my discharge planning. While I was lucky to be haphazardly introduced to these resources or to stumble across them on internet searches on my own (I recently installed Ring door so I don’t keep missing package deliveries!), it would have been infinitely more useful to have been educated about the range of technological options for making real life more fully accessible before leaving the safety of the hospital setting. 

I am therefore very excited about the launch of Spaulding’s groundbreaking new endeavor, the Travis Roy Center. I know first-hand that introducing hands-free technology to newly injured spinal cord patients from the onset of their recovery would tremendously ease the shock of the total overnight disempowerment of catastrophic injury. While it is impossible to ever imagine or prepare for this horrific injury, once it’s a reality, there is a lot more that can be done to improve patients’ quality of life as they transition from the ER to rehab to home. The Travis Roy Center’s mission of providing greater education and support around technological resources will transform not only the physical independence of the newly injured, but their mental agency and confidence as well.