Mandar Rane

“Exploring the role of healthcare pictograms in the context of people living with ALS”

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive motor neuron disease that impairs muscle control, affecting movement, speech, and eventually breathing, while not impacting cognitive functions like intelligence or senses such as sight and hearing. Communication with caregivers becomes challenging, especially since ALS patients often rely on specific gestures or visual aids to express their needs. These methods, however, fail when the caregiver is not nearby, leaving individuals unable to communicate essential daily requirements.

This paper introduces a technological solution to enhance communication for ALS patients, particularly those with significant muscle control loss and speech difficulties. It proposes an augmented reality headgear equipped with an eye-tracking device, allowing users to select need-based pictograms by staring at them, which then notifies caregivers via mobile alerts. This system not only facilitates immediate communication in the caregiver’s absence but also opens avenues for standardizing repetitive pictorial messages and exploring pictograms as a visual language within an interactive framework. The paper details potential uses and the development of this visual communication tool by analyzing the daily needs of people with ALS.

Biography
Mandar Rane is a Professor of Communication Design at the IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay, India. His focus concerns theoretical aspects of communication theory and its practical application in the context of message design. You can learn more about his academic as well as professional work on his website: www.mrane.com

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https://www.facebook.com/ranemandar.cdp Twitter Handle: @ranemandaridc