When Bryan Carroll’s 1979 cliff dive found the bottom of Utah’s San Juan River, it crushed his fifth cervical vertebra.  It could have crushed the rest of his life, too, but Bryan had other ideas. Initially paralyzed from the neck down, Bryan still had some use of his arms. He began his rehab at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, married one of his rehab nurses, and set out to get his college degree.  But migrating bone chips in his neck caused further damage to his spinal cord and he lost the use of both arms.

Assistive Technology to the Rescue
Fortunately Bryan’s spirit and mind were tougher than life’s most challenging twists and turns. Through determination, hard work and the use of emerging assistive technology, Bryan finished his college degree in eight years, with a BS degree in electrical engineering and a minor in computer science.  What’s more, Bryan was one of the first employees of the Utah Center for Assistive Technology when it was created in 1993.

Now 48, and the father of two, he is an Assistive Technology Specialist whose primary responsibility is to match individuals with the best computer, voice recognition and environmental control technology.  Once Bryan and the staff have determined the best match of hardware and software, clients can take home the adaptive equipment for a month to see if it works for them. 

Environmental Controls and Voice Recognition Software
Bryan credits technological advances in computers, voice recognition and environmental controls as life-changing for him.   He particularly cites the environmental controls mounted on his wheelchair as pivotal. Rising at 6:30 a.m., he utilizes a track lift to get him out of bed and into his chair. As soon as he is in his power wheelchair, he is largely independent
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 “Environmental controls have given me the ability to be more independent…I can come and go as I please,” says Bryan.  Furthermore, Bryan says that without assistive technology, he wouldn’t be able to work.  Bryan uses sip and puff technology to operate his wheelchair, his environmental controls and his computer.  He also has a pair of track balls mounted on a camera tripod in front of his desk.  He moves the track balls with his chin to control the mouse on his computer.  He then uses Dragon Naturally Speaking software to generate documents and reply to emails.

Dragon Naturally Speaking
“The new voice recognition software from Dragon is leaps and bounds from where we started,” says Bryan.  The newest technology allows Bryan to speak at a normal pace, translating his voice into words almost flawlessly.  When Bryan first started using voice recognition software, it was using the “Alpha, Bravo, Charlie” military alphabet.
 
Currently the nine member staff at the Utah Center for Assistive Technology has about 2000 clients and Bryan estimates that they see about 350 new clients per year, with a large percentage of them coming through the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation department.

As for the future, Bryan notes that computers and voice recognition software just keep getting better and more sophisticated.  One thing is for sure.  When combined with the resourcefulness and never-give-up spirit that is evident in Bryan Carroll, assistive technology can make possibilities endless for everyone.