I know someone recovering from a stroke who can't speak, but his other mental faculties are pretty intact (he can slowly peck out email messages.) He's on a low budget and can't afford a mobile phone account (and he wouldn't be able to talk on it anyway) so I'm considering suggesting this mobile email and SMS device from Peek:
This might work great for his communications with people who have mobile phones or a computer and email, but some of the people he needs to communicate with are Luddites who have neither.
Do Telecom list members have any ideas for what could enable this person to use Peek's SMS and/or email messaging to communicate with people who only have a POTS line? Do SMS-to-TTY/TDD Relay Service gateways exist? SMS or Email-to-POTS speech translation? Other ideas?
-Ed
***** Moderator's Note *****The Peek Pronto has gotten mixed reviews:
In any case, I'd be very uncomfortable recommending so small a keyboard and/or device to someone recovering from a CVA: motion impairments are often compounded by insensitivity-to-touch and clumsiness, which would result in a lot of breakage. This device is intended for hard-core text addicts who don't like to talk, not for stroke victims.
Bill Horne Modeator