Oliver is a wheelchair rugby league player and history graduate from the UK who communicates full time using AAC. He recently started using eye gaze with his Grid Pad 13 and Evo eye tracker.
Oliver identifies as an asexual, non-binary trans man and shares openly online about disability, communication, mental health and inclusion. Oliver is autistic and has Tourette’s, schizoaffective disorder (bipolar type), alongside other disabilities.
In this blog, Oliver shares more about his experience with the Evo eye tracking camera, trying eye gaze for the first time, and how it has changed his day-to-day communication.
Before trying Evo, did you have any concerns about whether eye gaze would work for your individual needs?
Definitely! I thought that eye gaze just wouldn’t work for me. I believed that my motor tics would get in the way and cause the eye tracking software to get very confused. Especially with my head shaking tics, my blinking and screwing up eyes tics. I very much presumed that as my head, face, neck and even shoulder tics are pretty constant and quite violent too, especially the head shaking one. I knew very little about different eye trackers and how they can work differently. So I was worried that with my previous experience of eye gaze not being very beneficial that I would not be able to benefit from the Evo eye tracker.
“I can communicate with others with more confidence and with more ease. This helps me to keep up better with conversations as Evo means I can use eye gaze with more speed. I can also use the Evo eye tracker in various environments with different lighting levels. This includes whether I am at therapy, using the Evo whilst resting in bed, or sat in an outdoor space. This allows me to communicate with more people in more settings.”
Oliver, Grid user
You mentioned Evo isn’t confused by your tics. Can you give us some examples of situations where you have noticed this?
I have noticed it in all situations, however for me where I have noticed it the most is when I use Evo with computer control.
When on the screen with the zoom to move and click, I believed that I would struggle a lot more as I thought my tics would interrupt the zoom and click motion. So I was very impressed when my tics didn’t affect my usage of computer control via Evo. I think that is where I have noticed the best way in which Evo works with my tics rather than against them.
How has Evo performed with your tinted Irlen glasses compared to what you expected?
I was honestly very anxious about how Evo would work with my tinted Irlen glasses. The glasses are quite a dark tint with about ten layers of different coloured tints. So I worried that the Evo eye tracker would not be able to pick out my eyes behind my glasses.
However, Evo works great with my Irlen glasses. I have even used the Evo with my Grid Pad 13 in a very low light setting with my Irlen glasses on and the Evo still worked brilliantly. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised.
What differences did you notice between Evo and the previous eye tracker you’ve used?
The ease of use and the precision were the first differences I noticed when I first tried the Evo. With my previous eye tracker I struggled to be precise, especially with their computer control set up. I would get very frustrated when using the previous eye tracker. It was very draining using it.
Evo is a lot easier to use. It feels more natural to use. The ease at which I can use it makes me feel a lot less frustrated. I don’t feel as drained using it. It seems to flow better.
Was there a moment when you realized Evo was working particularly well for you?
Honestly, when I first tried it at an assessment with the ACE centre. I was going into the assessment with eye gaze in mind, but was also anxious because of my previous experience of eye gaze. At first I tried a head tracking method with a sticker on my glasses. That did not go well! Due to my Tourettes the cursor was whizzing all over the screen and as well as being useless in controlling the cursor it also made me feel nauseous. So then I was very anxious about trying a new eye gaze and eye tracker. However, within seconds of using Evo on the Grid Pad 13 it felt easy and natural. The workers at ACE centre who were assessing me were very impressed at how well the Evo eye tracker was working for me in such a short time. It was such a relief after the head tracking sticker access method which really didn’t work. So using Evo for the first time felt so liberating and freeing. It was a great moment for it to work so well.
What would you say to someone with involuntary movements who thinks eye gaze might not work for them?
Firstly I would say give it a go. I would also say that eye tracking software is getting better and better. And it seems that they are made with involuntary movements taken in to consideration. It is a really great way to access communication and other things like social media, the Internet and more. For me as someone with involuntary movements I find eye gaze extremely useful, pain reducing, and a great way to access AAC and wider computer access.
“Eye gaze for me is not just about communication, it is about accessing social media, the Internet and access to programmes such as Word. Eye gaze is also about social networks and connections. It is about friendship and community. It is about getting better access to things such as therapy and support and social groups. It is about being heard and being listened to. About not being dismissed and not being pushed to the back. It is about having voices like mine heard and listened to, but also for people to take on board what I am saying. AAC users deserve to be heard. And the Grid Pad 13 with the Evo eye tracker allows me to communicate and to be heard.”
Oliver, Grid user
Explore more of Oliver’s story
Oliver has also shared more about his experiences with Tourette’s, accessibility and AAC, alongside his journey using eye gaze and Grid. You can also learn more about Oliver in his blogs and poems on The Tudors make me tic.