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New: Videos Online
Our customers have valued our award-winning videos since 1993. Many thousands of them have been sent around the world, in formats appropriate for each country. Although the products they describe have changed slightly over the years, the information in the videotapes is still current and they provide valuable insights to each product’s performance. The MACAW continues to be the most complete digital recording communication aid available; the LightWRITER is without equal in its ability to provide a conversational rate to augmentative/alternative communication; and the GEWA Page Turner is still that well designed machine that works.

Finally, the technology is available to send the videos worldwide with relative ease—via the Internet. The 3 videos are now available for viewing on our website. For those who cannot view the videos from the Internet, CDs are available for operation in PC and Macintosh computers.

Improved: Rental Program — A wise solution for your evaluation phase
This rental program allows consumers to familiarize themselves with the features and functions of one or more devices before making a decision to purchase. It is a flexible way for you to meet your short-term needs. Unlimited rental period and unlimited technical support are among many of our renting advantages. Remember that ZYGO will apply up to eight weeks rental payments towards the purchase of any ZYGO product.

The initial backbone of this speech was written by Jeremy Haines as an assignment when he was studying English at an Adult Education College in Australia. He found that this speech was so well received by anyone who heard it, that he has expanded and added to it many times. This speech has
been delivered to various groups of people including other disabled people, support workers for disabled people and more recently, to two different classes of social work students at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

Jeremy has used his LightWRITER for this speech. To refresh your memory on how to setup a LightWRITER to deliver a speech, you may refer to our May 2001 Chatter issue. We have printed Jeremy's talk as it appears in his LightWRITER.

Note: This character group, ["] , is a word stress command in the LightWRITER. Jeremy is using it to emphasize the word following the stress mark.

[Memories]
Z=When I was young, about two, my father and I were in a ["]car accident. The end result of this accident, was that my mind was trapped in a crippled body. &link Z1
Z1=The hardest part was that I couldn't speak, and was not able to communicate anything but my most basic needs. Never could I speak about my feelings. I felt like I was ["]dead. &link Z2
Z2=During my teenage years, I often felt invisible. Teachers, therapists, doctors, in fact almost everyone I came into contact with, acted like I wasn't ["]there. They would talk to someone else about me, but never directly to me. &link Z3
Z3=I would sit there in my wheelchair, while people discussed my life over the top of me, and then I had to live with decisions other people had made. &link Z4
Z4=Even when someone ["]did speak directly to me, they acted like I couldn't understand the simplest words. I left school at eighteen, and thought life would be more of the same, no communication, and no way of having a say in my own life. &link Z5
Z5=After a couple of years where life ["]was like that, a miracle happened, and I was given a way of communicating. It was like a mini computer. When I pressed re play, it spoke, using a voice that was ["]mine. &link Z6
Z6=This was the most important part for me, as I had never had a voice to communicate with. Using this machine, called the lightwriter, was a completely new world for me. &link Z7
Z7=When it arrived, I didn't know what to do with the lightwriter, as I had never used anything like it. Never in my life had anyone heard me speak. Finally, I would be heard by everyone! &link Z8
Z8=We spoke about using the lightwriter, but I never thought it would be like it is. For me, it was a very strange time, because I was not used to being asked questions. &link Z9
Z9=The only things I had been asked, were about food and drink, never about my feelings. This type of communication, called facilitated communication, meant that now, I could tell people I was a real ["]person. &link Z10
Z10=It was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I thought that would be the answer to all my prayers, and communication would be just saying the words. &link Z11
Z11=Of course, it has been harder than I thought it would be, and is taking lots of hard work to learn to communicate, rather than just talking. I still find it difficult to say exactly what I mean, or to disagree with others, &link Z12
Z12=or to put forward my own point of view. I have found that it is scary, when people expect me to set goals, and work to achieve them. &link Z13
Z13=However, I still feel it is worth the hard work, because to me, communication is more important than anything. It has meant that people talk to ["]me, not to my parents or support workers. &link Z14
Z14=I have had some wonderful experiences since finding facilitated communication. I learned to communicate in this way just before my twenty first birthday. &link Z15
Z15=I was able to write a speech for my party, which my brother red for me, as I didn't have my lightwriter at that stage. One type of experience I have had repeatedly, involves health professionals. &link Z16
Z16=On one memorable occasion, I needed to have my wisdom teeth removed. The oral surgeon at first talked to my parents, but after Mum asked my opinion once, he directed the rest of his questions to me. &link Z17
Z17=It's ["]great, being able to talk to people, personally. I can make my own phone calls myself, on my speaker phone, and best of all I can chat up pretty girls. &link Z18
Z18=Every day I am amazed all over again, that this miracle has happened to me. Each time I speak, a ["]thrill runs through me. I can't emphasize enough how this has changed my life. &link Z19
Z19=Since gaining communication, I have been able to do things I couldn't have otherwise done. I have completed grade 10 English at Heatley Adult Education Centre. &link Z20
Z20=My tutor, Sarah, came with me to school, and helped during lessons. She also helped me to get my homework, and assignments done on time. I have become a member of Toastmarsters and sometimes deliver speeches there. &link Z21
Z21=Andrew, one of my support workers, was a member of Toastmarsters himself, and asked if I would like to go along. I tried going to meetings, and discovered it was fun, being part of a group of such great people. &link Z22
Z22=I especially enjoy having a small role to play during our weekly meetings, and going to the pub afterwards is always a wonderful social time. I like being with people who are not disabled, because then I don't feel so much that I am different. &link Z23
Z23=I suppose that most disabled people need to have a place in the wider community, as well as having time together to offer support to one another. I feel that I am fortunate to have found a way of communicating, &link Z24
Z24=as that gives me access to people I could not have come to know, without a voice. All the wonderful experiences I have had since gaining communication have taught me a lot, &link Z25
Z25=and even though I still have much to learn about communicating effectively, I feel that at last, I'm heading in the direction I ["]want to go. Everyone wants to feel that they are contributing to their community. &link Z26
Z26=The role I would most like for myself, is to have a part in educating people about disability. Just by letting me talk to you today, you are helping me in that aim, and it gives me more pleasure than you can know, just to ["]be here. &link Z27
Z27=I guess the main thing I want to say to all of you is, treat us like other people. Don't assume that because there is little in the way of verbal communication, there is no person. &link Z28
Z28=Make the effort to get to know us, and you will probably discover we're no different from you. Thank you for listening to me this morning.

The purpose of this column is to share information about Medicare’s reimbursement policy for speech generating devices. Consumers rely upon providers, speech therapists, and other advocates to advise them and provide factual information from which they can make informed decisions about their healthcare. ZYGO supports the consumers' right to direct their healthcare, including the choice of augmentative communication that best meets their needs.

Fact: Medicare beneficiaries can choose to rent or purchase a Speech Generating Device (SGD).

As with purchases, rentals must first meet the medical necessity criteria to be eligible for reimbursement. Some examples of situations in which an SGD would not be considered a medical necessity by Medicare include, but are not limited to:

• Items which are not ordered by a physician or qualified nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or physicians assistant
• Items which do not meet medical necessity coverage criteria (i.e., have not been recommended by a licensed Speech Language Pathologist and documented in a written report)
• Items which do not meet the frequency guidelines (the useful lifetime of most durable medical equipment is estimated at 5 years)
• Items which are the same as or similar to covered items that the beneficiary is already using
• Items whose safety and effectiveness in the home has not been established
• Experimental or investigational items (treatment has yet to be proved effective)
  

Fact: Medicare will not pay for more than 10 months of rental.

If Medicare reimburses for rental and the beneficiary subsequently purchases a device, (from the same supplier or a different supplier), the Medicare reimbursement for the purchase will be reduced by the amount already paid by Medicare in the form of rental payments.

September 2002

A routine part of any manufacturer's business is participation in trade shows, in-services, and work shops. As a manufacturer of products that benefit people with disabilities, ZYGO’s audience usually is comprised of professionals, disability advocates, and disabled users of the products. Rarely does the general public have the opportunity to see the technology that is available. One such event is the Iowa Assistive Technology Expo which is traditionally held at the exhibit hall at Hawkeye Downs where about 26 vendors display their products. This year the venue was changed to the West Dale Mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Our representative Mindy Williams jumped at the chance to get the able-bodied community involved and share with them the technology that many of us already take for granted. Of course, the event was well attended by the traditional conference-goers but Mindy came up with an intriguing “hook” to attract the attention of the able-bodied shoppers. Mindy set up a pinwheel that was activated by switch access. The wheel was set up with ZYGO trivia questions that the contestant had to answer before winning a prize of candy, stickers, or pencils. This unique presentation caught the interest of kids, teens, and adults of all abilities. Although it was a long day, from 10am to 6:30pm, Mindy thoroughly enjoyed interacting with all the participants and enlightening those who had never been exposed to the technology that improves the quality of so many peoples lives.

How well do you know your ZYGO trivia?

The answers to the following questions can be found below. Sorry, no candy, stickers, or pencils, just a little fun.

How was the name ZYGO selected?
When was ZYGO founded and by whom?
Where can you read about other people using AAC technology (struggles and joys), find out about funding programs, check out upcoming events and check the Market Place for used devices?
What do the letters AAC stand for?
What is the difference between dedicated/non-dedicated communication devices?
Who is Toby Churchill?

How was the name ZYGO selected?
Zygo is a prefix meaning when two things come together to form one. The name was chosen by two engineers who joined forces to create ZYGO.

When was ZYGO founded and by whom?
ZYGO was founded on February 5, 1974 by Larry Weiss (ZYGO's current president) and another engineer.

Where can you read about other people using AAC technology (struggles and joys), find out about funding programs, check out upcoming events and check the Market Place for used devices?
You read about other people using AAC technology in Chatter and find everything else on ZYGO's website.

What do the letters AAC stand for?
AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

What is the difference between dedicated/non-dedicated communication devices?
Dedicated devices are designed solely for communication. Non-dedicated devices perform other functions such as word processing, Internet access, etc., in addition to communication.

Who is Toby Churchill?
Toby Churchill, the director of Toby Churchill Ltd., is the designer of the first LightWRITER. He has been an AAC user for more than 25 years, having used virtually every model of LightWRITER that has ever been produced.