Event

One moment changed my life. I had a swimming accident in 2017, a big wave took me and I broke my neck.

I am paralysed from the chest down, have no hand functions and sit in a power wheelchair. I cannot cough up independently and rely on 24/7 help to live an active life.

In the first few months, I was not able to breathe, eat, drink, speak, walk etc. by myself. In the meanwhile, I made some significant progress and began to work independently using my computer and assistive technology. Step-by-step I came back to a new kind of life.

I love travelling and am fascinated by innovative technologies. I love my job in the IT industry and passionately work full-time for a startup company in Berlin.

I will share some insights on spinal cord injury and my experiences of how I work, live and travel using a power wheelchair. There are millions of people who cannot control a computer, tablet, or smartphone with their hands. Assistive technology supports the main functionalities which are needed: mouse movement and different kinds of clicking.

I'm really lucky to be part of the current generation. In the last couple of years, the major technology companies released significant updates in regards to voice recognition, universal design, accessibility and assistive technology.

My portfolio of hands-free assistive technology enables me every day to be active without using my hands or feet. I’m going to present Solutions which make my everyday life more comfortable

I will share my personal setup which includes software and hardware. You can assume that I tested all of these products, and I’m using them in my smart home.

Assistive technology is going to change the lives of many forever and is much more vital than ever before.

Here are a few examples which I'm going to present.

My remodelled VW Transporter which enabled me to be the co-driver

My Smart home setup for lights, doors, tables, couch, TV, curtains, temperature and kitchen with speech, voice control and apps

My power wheelchair and its individual configuration so I can drive using my chin or head

A robotic arm which allows to be a personal assistant to drink, smoke or scratch myself

My computer, smartphone and headphone setup includes a head movement mouse, voice and switch control for dictation and commanding as well as a Bluetooth module to control the smartphone with single button clicks

Last but not least, I love doing videos using my GoPro and I'm happy to share my perspective