Bobby Miller
Writer Website
Disease and Disability Research
The Evolution of Deaf Technology
1,200 words
One of the most common disabilities worldwide is being deaf, which the Free Dictionary’s medical section defines as “partially or completely lacking in the sense of hearing.” When burdened with this condition, people tend to rely on visual cues instead of auditory ones. For instance, sign language involves watching a person’s hands rather than listening to their voice. Assistive technology for deaf individuals has been in development for decades. For example, the deaf Dr. James Marsters and two of his colleagues developed the first Teletype machine capable of sending text messages through a telephone line, according to The New York Times. In the mid-1990s, nearly 30,000 people across the United States were using Teletypes.
Click here to read more.
Rays of Hope: Expanding Research on Depression Treatment
2,200 words
Sayings like “Happiness is a choice” or “Don’t worry, be happy” do little for individuals whose brain chemistry has plagued them with major depressive disorder. This illness traps a person in emptiness, making every aspect of life feel like a waste. When diagnosed with depression, a person has no clue how long they might have to suffer with the condition, which only adds to their feeling of helplessness. Sure, help is available in the form of counseling or medication, but many patients do not find relief in these intervention programs. However, scientists are delving into the neurological and physiological roots of depression to make existing treatments more effective while also exploring new means of alleviating the illness.
Click here to read more.
Includification: Video Games for Players with Special Needs
3,000 words
About 15 percent of the world’s population has some sort of physical or mental disability, according to a report issued by the World Health Organization and World Bank. In a number of ways, we try to accommodate for the special needs of these 785 million people. Buildings have elevators or ramps to help wheelchair-bound individuals reach higher floors. TV programs have closed captions to let deaf people enjoy the show. And the list goes on.
However, the relatively young video game industry hasn’t been so quick to design its products in such a way that they can be enjoyed by all people regardless of their needs. This oversight leaves many people out of the fun. PopCap Games, the maker of Bejeweled, Feeding Frenzy, Plants vs. Zombies, and other well-known video games conducted a study that found roughly one in five casual gamers has some sort of physical, mental or developmental disability. Another study led by researchers Bei Yuan, Eelke Folmer and Frederick Harris, Jr. found that roughly two percent of the US population cannot play video games at all due to their impairments. That’s over six million people.
Click here to read more.
Scientists Shed Light on Different Uses of Light Exposure Therapy
2,800 words
Although we sometimes romanticize winter as a season of sparkling white snow for us to play in, it’s common for people to feel a little down during the first months of the year. Winter’s characterized by short days with little sunlight and troublesome weather, after all. But winter makes some people feel more than a little blue; they feel downright miserable. Such people are depressed enough to be diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder.
According to Professor Scott O. Lilienfeld and other authors of the textbook From Inquiry to Understanding, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can be defined as “depressive episodes that display a seasonal pattern, most commonly beginning in fall or winter and improving in spring.” As we’ll discuss later, exposure to the sun usually accounts for these rises and falls in mood. The psychologists go on to note that “there must be two consecutive years in which the episode appears on a seasonal basis” to make a diagnosis. “Symptoms often include weight gain, lack of energy, carbohydrate craving, and excessive sleep,” they add. [This condition, as well as non-seasonal depression, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, menstrual-associated disorders, and bipolar disorder, can be treated with light exposure therapy.]
Click here to read more.
Assistive Technology for Various Levels of Paralysis
3,000 words
There are various levels of paralysis depending on how much body control the individual has lost. Paraplegics have lost use of their legs, quadriplegics have lost use of everything below the neck, and locked-in people have lost use of every external body part except the eyes. A growing amount of incredible technology has allowed these individuals to perform tasks they never thought were possible.
Click here to read more.
Technology for the Mind: Treating PTSD and Other Anxiety Disorders
1,900 words
It’s shocking how many people suffer from anxiety disorders. It has been estimated that anywhere from 5 to 20 percent of children cope with an anxiety disorder. Roughly 18 percent of adults are in the same situation, according to the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, one of the most prominent anxiety disorders in America today is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The condition is characterized by frightening memories of a painful or disturbing experience. These flashbacks are strong enough to make the person feel as if he or she is actually reliving the event. Ordeals such as war, natural disasters and rape are common causes of PTSD. Their effects are intense enough to alter the physiology of the brain.
Click here to read more.
