“My heart is with people who have disabilities,” said Rebecca Koszalinski, an assistant professor of nursing. She was recently featured in Teknovation.biz.
Koszalinski explained that she understands first-hand the experience individuals with disabilities have. She is a former gymnast who ended-up in a wheelchair for a period in her life after an injury.
That passion for those with disabilities and her real-life experience led Koszalinski to develop an app, Speak for Myself, specifically targeted for people who are intubated or have afflictions like cerebral palsy and spinal bifida that render them unable to communicate with others.
Using an iPad or Android tablet, the app that she developed provides a means whereby the individual can communicate pain, fear, anxiety, loneliness or other matters to caregivers and nurses. The menu includes some standard phrases the individual can select, but it can also be customized.