This spring, Sean Santry completed a whirlwind EagleEyes training tour across Utah. He demonstrated EagleEyes to users and school staff to bring everyone up to speed on the technology. The B.E.A.T. interviewed Sean upon his return.
Can you describe your experience?
The trip was really quite fun and I was amazed by all the great work being done in Utah. Everyone was extremely welcoming and excited to show off their students. For a techie like me, getting to see the manufacturing process at Sanmina SCI, where they build the EagleEyes circuit boards, was a real treat. Debbie Inkley also made sure that we were well fed. We must have found the best restaurants in Utah.
What schools/organizations did you visit?
Viewpont Elementary, Jordan Valley School, Hartvigsen School, Dan W. Peterson, Oakridge School, Rocky Mountain Elementary, the School for the Blind and Deaf, and the Utah Center for Assistive Technology.
What were your day-to-day activities?
Each day brought something different. Most of the time was spent in schools and in people's homes working with teachers to make them more comfortable with the system. I was fortunate to work with several students and their teachers during live EagleEyes sessions, helping the teachers calibrate the EE system for their students. I think these hands-on sessions really helped build teachers' confidence.
Who did you meet on your trip?
A great experience I had on the trip was working with Britt Allen during our training session at Viewmont. Britt, his fiancé Heather, Debbie, and I arrived at the school early to set up and to do a quick check of the EagleEyes system that Britt and I would use for the demonstration. We had Britt's laptop attached to the projector. During my lecture, I talked about the various software programs that we use with EagleEyes, and in each case Britt would have the program on screen right on cue, ready for me to point out mouse click settings on the Eag;eEyes driver program or how to change the aliens picture in the Aliens game. He's one of the best presentation partners I've ever worked with, and we didn't even rehearse!
Any difficult challenges that were overcome?
The biggest challenge is showing that working with EagleEyes is a skill that the user needs to develop, and so is running people on the system. Typically we use our eyes to look at things, so we send them darting about, focusing on what we're interested in seeing. With EagleEyes, we're using our eyes to control a mouse cursor. The movement therefore needs to be more deliberate and more controlled. It takes time to learn how to use our eyes in this new way. Overall it was a truly wonderful experience and I was glad to have been a part of it. These teachers and students are working every day to make their lives better and I'm just happy to have been able to answer a few questions and set up a few computers.
