Sponsored by: American Printing House for the Blind

Overview

Eye pressing is a behavior heavily associated with vision loss. Due to potentially negative medical outcomes from eye pressing, the OpticAware bracelet was developed through a partnership between APH and HabitAware. The bracelet alerts the wearer when they press on the eye to help the individual become more aware of and break the habit. The OpticAware bracelet is managed by an app that privately tracks the eye pressing activity, allowing and for viewing of trends and patterns by parents and/or teachers.

Content Disclosure: APH is currently working on a product to identify the actions that lead to eye pressing for people who are blind or have low vision. This project called Optic Aware will hopefully be available sometime in 2024. This session will not include information on similar products.

Learning Objectives

1. Develop an understanding of eye pressing and one or more medical ramifications of the act.
2. Identify the role that OpticAware plays in helping individuals become aware of their eye pressing.
3. Demonstrate how the bracelet is set up for initial use and how participant data is tracked through the OpticAware app.

Strand(s)

Vision & Hearing Technologies; Research

Target Audience

Accessibility Professional; AT Specialists; Caregivers; Consumers/Individuals with Disabilities; Educators; Family Members; Occupational Therapists

Experience Level

Introductory

Primary Life Cycle Addressed

All

Session Delivery Format

In-person presentation with recording

Course Schedule

This course was given at the ATIA 2024 Conference on Friday, January 26 from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (EST)

Continuing Education Credits

For Satisfactory Completion and Continuing Education information, please visit: ATIA Online Education CEUs

This course is offered for the following CE Provider Credits:
ACVREP; AOTA; CRC; IACET
For: 0.10 CEU Units or 1.0 CEU Hours

Recorded Session: This course is offered for 0.05 ASHA CEU Units or 0.5 ASHA CEU Hours per ASHA guidelines.

Speaker/s:

Greg Stilson

American Printing House for the Blind, Head of Global Technology Innovation

Biography

Greg Stilson joined The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) in January of 2020 but has been building technology solutions for those who are blind or low vision for the past 17 years. While at HumanWare, a leading assistive technology manufacturer, Greg led the development of such products as the BrailleNote Touch braille tablet, Trekker Breeze talking GPS device, Brailliant braille displays, and VictorReader accessible audio book devices, among others. He spent two years with a startup company Aira, developing the Aira app and smart glasses platform, to create access to on-demand visual information. In 2020 he joined APH to further develop access solutions for those who are blind at all stages of life, from education to leisure. When not working, Greg lives in Wisconsin with his wife and two children. He is a huge sports fan, loves wine making and home brewing.

Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
Greg Stilson is a salaried employee of the American Printing House for the Blind, the organization partnering with HabitAware to design the OpticAware bracelet.

Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: No