The Impact of Technology on My Life

My name is Anne Abbott, and 37 years ago I was born with athetoid cerebral palsy. Having cerebral palsy has affected me in several different ways. For instance, except for being able to say a few words and phrases which only the closest people to me understand, I am nonverbal. Only with someone holding me around the waist am I able to walk; otherwise I get around using a manual or power wheelchair. And because of my uneven movements and limited hand control, I need assistance to do practically everything in order to live a full and productive life.

As I look back on my 37 years, I feel very fortunate to have been born into a world with power wheelchairs, VOCAs (Voice Output Communication Aids), vans with electronic lifts, Hoyer lifts, and beds that can be raised or lowered with the push of a button. For a person with a disability like myself, assistive devices such as these are absolutely essential to living independently.

Of course, during this technological era, there have been other advancements which have nothing to do with assistive devices for people with disabilities, but which are just as essential. A tape recorder can replace taking notes in class by hand; taking elevators instead of ascending or descending stairs can save people time and energy; automatic doors at some grocery stores can make entering and exiting with an armful of groceries a breeze; and there are even lamps that can be turned on and off with just a single touch.

To most people, these technological wonders are just things to make life easier. To a person with a disability, however, they make the difference between living dependently or living independently, between fitting into society and just sitting on the sidelines.

I guess I first noticed technology taking a hand in my own life when I was seven years old and the teachers at school taught me how to type on an electric typewriter. It was a clunky old IBM, as I remember, and it used to terrify me by making a horrible noise if I didn�t push the lock key down all the way. After I got used to that mad machine, however, it helped me in many ways. Because I was unable to speak, the typewriter was a great tool for me to communicate with the other kids in my class, as well as aiding me in my homework.

I owned and operated many typewriters after that, over the years. Most of them were comparably better than that old IBM. When I was a teenager, I even purchased an electronic typewriter that could erase any errors I made, which was a great help. However, there came a time in my life when I decided to try something a bit more high tech, something that I thought could be of more use to me than the typewriters. I bought a computer -- an Apple IIC, to be exact.

Because I could use only one hand to type and my Apple IIC sometimes needed two or three keys to be pressed simultaneously, I had to buy a special key guard and adaptors from a company called Tykris, which specialized in selling assistive devices to people with disabilities. With these new adaptions, I found that I could operate my Apple IIC with ease, and I was pleased with all the things I was able to do with a computer.

Always interested in writing short stories, I now found that the usually painstaking job of editing had become very simple. With a few keystrokes I could move whole paragraphs from one place to another, delete words and sentences, even correct my spelling with a spell checker. Instead of having to ask someone to write down phone numbers and addresses in a book, I could put them in my database myself, ready at my fingertips. Math had never been one of my best subjects, but now I could have my own budget and keep track of my money with spreadsheets. And in my leisure time, when my family and friends were too busy to play games with me, I could entertain myself playing games on my computer.

One day, a friend of mine suggested that I buy a modem for my computer and call up some BBSs (bulletin board systems). He explained to me that I could call a BBS and chat with people from all over the country, even all over the world! The idea of being able to socialize with people just by typing messages to them over the phone line appealed to me. I took to it like a duck to water.

At first I was cautious. I didn�t tell anybody on the BBSs that I had a disability. I was afraid that they�d treat me differently. I think some guessed, though, because even my fastest typing was still slow compared to other people�s. I could hide this by writing messages via E-mail (electronic mail), in which I felt that I could type at my own leisure. But even with macros and action commands, it was difficult to hide my slow typing speed when I was using the talk channels or playing interactive games. But it didn�t seem really to matter. I got my ideas across no matter how long it took, and although occasionally people commented on my slow typing, nobody really cared about it.

Even though I found that conversing in the talk channels could be very tiring, I enjoyed it the most. Talking with a group of people was fun and could be very enlightening at times. Sometimes it was like a party, only without the food, or drinks, or face to face contact. Sometimes it was like a TV talk show, where people discussed the daily news events and voiced their opinions. And sometimes it was like a lonelyhearts club, where men and women could talk, get to know each other and arrange to meet in person.

Like other women on BBSs, I met men who talked to me and wanted to get to know me better, but still I kept my disability a secret -- that is, until I started talking to a young man named Rob.

He was five years younger than me, and I found him sweet and funny. We talked and laughed, and found that we had a lot in common. Rob kept asking if he could meet me one day, and at first I kept stalling, making up excuses. I knew that I would have to tell Rob the truth before we could ever meet, and I wasn�t sure how he would react to the news. However, because he kept insisting that we should meet face to face one day, I told him the truth about my disability. To my surprise and delight, Rob told me he didn�t care that I had a disability; he still liked the person I was and wanted to meet me.

Two weeks later, we met at a mall in Toronto�s east end, with my mother and my friend Louise acting as chaperons. Rob and I started to date seriously after that, and since then we�ve never looked back. It�s seven years later and we�ve very much in love, and engaged to be married.

Rob and I live together now in a two bedroom apartment in downtown Toronto. We still continue to communicate with people on BBSs, and now we talk to people on the Internet as well. Over the years, we�ve made friends by calling different BBSs. Sometimes we invite them over to the apartment, or go out for brunch, or go to parties with them.

Mostly, these days, I sit at my computer writing short stories and poetry, and composing letters to friends and family. I am also trying to start a small business by selling hand made note cards. This is also partially done by computer. First I do a sketch of an animal. Then, with Rob�s help, I scan it into the computer, shrink it down and print copies of it onto card stock paper. Rob and I have a home page on the World Wide Web, where we try to sell my note cards. People can view our home page by typing the URL, http://www.io.org/~zappa.

As you can probably tell, I am a very busy person and I have a fulfilling social life. I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn�t become involved with computers -- or, in fact, had never been taught how to type.

Certainly my life would have been comparatively dull without these tools of technology. I would have had less independence, and my life wouldn�t have been nearly as interesting or enjoyable. Without typewriters or computers, I wouldn�t have been able to write my stories and poetry, letting my imagination go wild. I wouldn�t have had the same access to new people and conversations with strangers miles away, making them my friends. And I seriously doubt that I would have met my life companion -- my fianc�, Rob.

Yes, I certainly am glad I was born into this world of technology!

(Anne Abbott is an artist and freelance writer living in Toronto, Ontario.)