The other night there was a full moon, the temperature was 55 degrees, and the fire pit was roaring. A group of us had just sat down to enjoy this fall tradition, a fireside chat. You can imagine the scene, it was pretty cool. That is until someone asked me a question. That’s when I experienced a smack down! I couldn’t respond! When you are speechless, have no voice, aren’t able to talk, you get the picture, being in the dark stops you cold! It is too dark to write a note and see it, too awkward to have my portable computer with a key board. It was discouraging and a reminder of my “limitations” of not being able to talk. I was not going to let that define me again. How was I going to shoehorn myself back into the main stream of life and participate in the conversation around a campfire, or any where else when I want to talk and it is dark?
Here are three solutions to think about. First, have a pen light to illuminate the note pad to show what was written. A simple and inexpensive way to once again be involved in the conversation. Pen lights are cheap, so buy several and pass them around to others around the “pit” having a pow wow. What happens is you connect immediately. Here are the events that follow your note. The first person reads the note and they respond. They laugh, agree, rebut, and make a follow up comment. Now others want to know what was written. Their curiosity and desire to be a part of the conversation come into affect. They want “in” on what is being said. They are engaged, inquiring, and paying attention. Curious about what YOU are saying!
This next tool will surprise you and is my favorite. It gives you the ability to be creative, talk with a flair, be artistic, to add color and imagination to your words. Here is the best part, people will be clamoring to see what you wrote, therefore, what you have to say. It supersedes anything that has come from the brain and out of the mouth because you now have the power of the pen. What is this marvelous tool? Anything this powerful must be expensive and hard to find. What could possibly position you in the center of the conversation, and you are the one that has no voice to express thoughts. This new tool is the Crayola Color Explosion Glow Board! Yep, that is it. The new tool you have to go to toys R us to buy. Actually, I bought mine at Target for $19.99. It is handy, has a wide variety of color markers depending on your mood. It is glowing and can be passed around for easy reading. You can even write in 3 D if you are in a conversation with “depth”. To make it work, you do need 3 double A batteries. Glow man glow!
The third option is a hand held computer by iPaq loaded with Gus Inc. software that gives you an on screen keyboard and audio that will repeat what you have typed. It is portable, compact and a great tool. It comes with external speakers for more volume should you need it. There are other applications that are better for the X 51 that I will discuss later.
Author Resource:
Three years ago my voice stopped working due to extensive radiation.I have found several ways to communicate. Prior to writing,I was in Senior management positions in the broadcasting (ABC,CBS,Salem Radio)and the publishing fields.COO of APB Media,"The Justice Journal". http://www.ListenToMeToday.com
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")