Imagine being able to strap on a headband that could read your mind and move the cursor around on your computer screen based on your thoughts.

It sounds like science fiction, but researchers at Kansas University are testing the “mind mouse,” officially known as Cyberlink, on study subjects who can’t otherwise use a computer because of a developmental or physical disability.

The device, which reads electrical impulses in the brain and muscle movements in the forehead area, could allow someone who’s completely paralyzed to use a computer.

“If this device is developed as something reliable, we’re going to walk around literally wearing a thinking cap,” said Jeff Kuykendall, assisted technologies specialist at Independence Inc., an independent living resource center for people with disabilities in Douglas, Franklin and Jefferson counties.

Though Cyberlink already is being used by people with certain disorders, it’s still just a possibility for folks with very severe disabilities. But countless other technologies already exist to help those people live independently.

A few months ago, Tammy Higgins didn’t have a job. Her cerebral palsy limited the time she could stand. But she took a few basic computer courses at Independence Inc., improved her typing speed from less than 20 to more than 40 words per minute, went to the agency’s first-ever job fair in January and snagged a job at a local company.

A 1998 United Way survey of Douglas County found that people like Higgins are the exception rather than the rule. The results suggested that a large percentage of people with disabilities in the county were unemployed, said Kendall Simmons, Computer Learning Center coordinator.

“It was a hugely disparate figure,” she said.

Building independence

So Independence Inc., which had offered its clients the use of a sort of primitive computer lab with outdated machines since 1985, hired Simmons and shifted the focus of its lab to teaching basic skills for enrichment purposes and vocational skills that could lead to employment.

“What we’re really trying to do is improve people’s ability to live independently through the use of technology,” Simmons said.

For example, someone who is visually impaired can benefit from voice recognition software. Screen magnification also can assist someone who has difficulty seeing.

In addition to teaching office skills, Independence Inc. also trains clients to repair and service computers. Students tear apart and rebuild old computers in a work area in the building’s basement.

Simmons is looking into setting up an area network for graduates of the computer repair program.

“We have people asking us to do repairs,” Simmons said. “We could be a central contact point, and the people doing repairs could work from home and be paid for it.”

Simmons also is attempting to get grant funding for a telecommuting course, which she said would help fill a service gap at Independence Inc.

“We’re supposed to cover three counties  Douglas, Franklin and Jefferson. We do outreach, with staff going from here to there. But in terms of computer training, unless it’s assistive technologies training, for the most part people have to come to us,” Simmons said. “What we want to do is start taking our show on the road. Telecommuting is part of that, but we’re also looking at the possibility of setting up a satellite dish so we can have satellite Internet access and get a set of laptops to provide training elsewhere.”

New technology

New developments also are brewing in Independence Inc.’s assistive technologies department. Regardless of a person’s age, disability or income, Kuykendall and other staff members can help clients figure out if technology is available that could make their lives easier and then help them track down funding.

The agency also is working on a pilot project with Kansas State University and Vocational Rehabilitation to help injured farmers adapt to new limitations and continue making a living from the land. New technologies in this arena include hand-operated tractors with wheelchair lifts, heavy duty wheelchairs that can be taken into the pasture, specialty saddles and dogs trained to help herd cattle, Kuykendall said.