The "Voice of New York" SPeaks About the iPad's Usefulness for Individuals with Disabilities

It was such a pleasant surprise to see Winston Cheng appear in the New York Times' video feature of Owen Cain and his use of the iPad.  Winston Cheng, M.S., CCC-SLP is the section chief of the Speech-Language Pathology section of the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, works as a speech-language pathologist at the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Research Center at the Columbia University, teaches at Adelphi University and Pace University, and is the owner of "Voice of New York," a private consultation company for voice and swallowing disorders.  He, along with his friends, also started TherapyLibrary, an online resource for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. 


He's also from the University of the Philippines-Manila, by the way, and is very active in research.


"The iPad is one of the more superior devices we have out there in the market for patients with disabilities to assist them in their daily activities," he said.  "I think that the more people use these devices, the awareness of the public relating to these lower-cost alternatives improves, then I am also hoping that the insurance companies would have an open mind in terms of covering these types of devices."


It is really amazing to see people like Owen Cain use the iPad despite their movement difficulties.  As the New York Times article had indicated, studies are being made to assess the effectiveness of iDevices in therapy.  


Now that is one research project I would love to be part of someday. ;)