Support us
About
Resources
Research
Autism through talent
DEVELOPED WITH PARTICIPANT
Joshua Soliman
People underestimate how very intelligent Josh is, how much he understands, and how capable he is. When he first started typing words on the Key-X, things we'd never thought to ask him, like ‘tent’ or ‘boat’, we finally got a window into his mind.
Michelle Soliman, Joshua’s mother
Joshua reaches for the board in front of him while an educator holds it steady. He looks at the colored buttons, picks one, and reaches again. Each reach takes effort. He decides which button to press.
Joshua is a teenager on the autism spectrum. He has physical disabilities that affect his movement, uses a wheelchair, and has a cochlear implant. In Abu Dhabi, he receives educational and rehabilitation support through the Zayed Authority for People of Determination.
Outside his learning sessions, Joshua loves the water. He likes the beach and swimming in the pool, and most of all going out on a boat. He enjoys eating out, especially pasta at Le Brioche, and gets excited about camping and anything with a tent. He's also clever and a little cheeky. He can be very good at convincing people he can't do something so they'll do it for him.
Most digital learning tools expect a certain kind of movement: hands that can use a keyboard or a mouse, or press small keys accurately. For Joshua, that expectation can make a simple task hard. It becomes a real problem when a student's answer is how other people judge what he understands.
Outside his learning sessions, Joshua loves the water. He likes the beach and swimming in the pool, and most of all going out on a boat. He enjoys eating out, especially pasta at Le Brioche, and gets excited about camping and anything with a tent. He's also clever and a little cheeky. He can be very good at convincing people he can't do something so they'll do it for him.
Most digital learning tools expect a certain kind of movement: hands that can use a keyboard or a mouse, or press small keys accurately. For Joshua, that expectation can make a simple task hard. It becomes a real problem when a student's answer is how other people judge what he understands.
Before Joshua started using Key-X, adults would ask him questions and offer two choices. He could show which one he preferred, but the options still came from what other people thought he might want.
Then he began typing words himself. One of the first surprises was seeing words like tent and boat, things no one had thought to ask him about. For the first time, he could bring up something that was already on his mind instead of picking between options someone else had chosen.
Then he began typing words himself. One of the first surprises was seeing words like tent and boat, things no one had thought to ask him about. For the first time, he could bring up something that was already on his mind instead of picking between options someone else had chosen.
Key-X is an accessible keyboard made by Key2Enable. Its large buttons can be placed to match the movements Joshua can actually make. His educators also build activities for him on Expressia, a learning platform.
During a session, adults still help. They set up the equipment where Joshua can reach it and give him time. Then he looks at the activity, reaches for the keyboard, and picks his answer. Sometimes he smiles when he gets it right. The decision is his, and the keyboard gives him a way to act on it.
During a session, adults still help. They set up the equipment where Joshua can reach it and give him time. Then he looks at the activity, reaches for the keyboard, and picks his answer. Sometimes he smiles when he gets it right. The decision is his, and the keyboard gives him a way to act on it.
The setup has changed over time. At first Joshua used a keyguard to reduce accidental touches, but he still had to navigate 11 buttons. Later a switch was added to cut down the movement he needed, help manage his dystonia, and make his selections more stable and intentional. With regular use, he got comfortable with it in about two months.
With a standard interface, someone else often has to finish the task for him. An accessible one leaves more of the answer in his hands.
Joshua has also found his own uses for the technology. He worked out how to use the Key-X as a remote control, so he can pick and watch the YouTube videos he wants on his television.
With a standard interface, someone else often has to finish the task for him. An accessible one leaves more of the answer in his hands.
Joshua has also found his own uses for the technology. He worked out how to use the Key-X as a remote control, so he can pick and watch the YouTube videos he wants on his television.
Finding His Voice Through Assistive Technology & Inclusion
His family describes this as the first area of his life where he is truly independent. They say that as his independence has grown, they've seen more confidence, more maturity, and more enjoyment in everyday life.
His educators have learned that access alone isn't enough. Daylinda, who works with Joshua one-on-one on the Key-X, mixes structured learning with time for him to explore the technology himself. That's how he discovered he could control his television. Linda, a former special education teacher and family friend, works with him in a similar way. Both have seen that Joshua does well when he has time and is trusted to explore.
Joshua's physical needs haven't gone away. He still needs help with positioning and access, and his hearing and communication needs shape how each session is planned.
His educators have learned that access alone isn't enough. Daylinda, who works with Joshua one-on-one on the Key-X, mixes structured learning with time for him to explore the technology himself. That's how he discovered he could control his television. Linda, a former special education teacher and family friend, works with him in a similar way. Both have seen that Joshua does well when he has time and is trusted to explore.
Joshua's physical needs haven't gone away. He still needs help with positioning and access, and his hearing and communication needs shape how each session is planned.
The goal is for Joshua to control as much of his own response as he can, with help where he needs it.
Repetition helps. Each time Joshua reaches, chooses, and finishes an activity by himself, the people around him get a clearer picture of what he actually wants.
The keyboard didn't give Joshua his choices. He already had them, and now he has a way to show them.
There are still practical limits. The Key-X isn't portable. Joshua is now working to move what he has learned, typing, selecting, and making intentional choices, to a tablet with Avaz AAC. It has been difficult. Accidental touches are still a problem, and the switch isn't part of the tablet setup yet.
The next goal is a communication device Joshua can use throughout the day: in his wheelchair, in bed, or out at the mall, without having to sit in front of the Key-X.
Repetition helps. Each time Joshua reaches, chooses, and finishes an activity by himself, the people around him get a clearer picture of what he actually wants.
The keyboard didn't give Joshua his choices. He already had them, and now he has a way to show them.
There are still practical limits. The Key-X isn't portable. Joshua is now working to move what he has learned, typing, selecting, and making intentional choices, to a tablet with Avaz AAC. It has been difficult. Accidental touches are still a problem, and the switch isn't part of the tablet setup yet.
The next goal is a communication device Joshua can use throughout the day: in his wheelchair, in bed, or out at the mall, without having to sit in front of the Key-X.
Joshua's story raises a question: how much of taking part comes from a person's own ability, and how much from whether the world gives them a way to use it?
