Now Morse code!
Of the hundreds of adaptations I’ve helped design and build over the last 30 years, two of the projects that changed me most were the Morse code switches for Jeff Watkins. We made the first set in 1988 and a second a year later, both while I was coordinating the Assistive Device Center at the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston.
When Jeff’s computer teacher called to share her idea, she explained that Jeff had memorized most of the Morse alphabet simply by listening to the “dit” and “dah” patterns of each letter as she entered them on an Apple IIG. In addition to being blind, Jeff did not have the finger dexterity necessary to use a standard keyboard so Sandy wanted to create an effective way for Jeff to write in Morse with two switches. Specifically, she imagined two spring-loaded levers that would each trigger a micro switch connected to the computer, and she wanted them mounted to the sides of his school chair. One lever would enter a “dot” the other a “dash”.
It was a wildly fun project and Jeff quickly mastered operation of the two levers. He finished memorizing the Morse alphabet by playing hangman, and then learned Morse numbers and punctuation at a speed we found stunning. It was that surprise that reflected my own naiveté, so in 1988 I swore to never doubt the tremendous aptitude of another human being.
"I swore to never doubt the tremendous aptitude of another human being."
Within a year, Jeff gained significant speed and dexterity and found the lever switches frustratingly slow. His occupational therapist suggested making a set of small grip switches that would be more responsive and portable. We sized them to his hands, mounted them on lightweight bases, and Jeff was able to position them however he wished.
I have spoken about the importance of custom adaptations with thousands of people through the years, but it wasn’t until 2012 that someone asked if I knew what Jeff did after graduation and if I had ever worked on another Morse project. Unfortunately I had not followed Jeff, and I had always been told when I mentioned it, that Morse was too difficult to learn and the technology had been surpassed by newer augmentative communication systems.
Jen Adler (an ADA Board Member) began researching the use of Morse and discovered fascinating connections. She found a study at the University of Washington from the early 1980s. One of the participants, Tania Finlayson, was still using Morse code. Thomas King had written a comprehensive textbook on assistive Morse code, and Darcy Lynds inspired her grandfather to use the Morse skills he’d learned in the Air Force to create a computer interface so Darci could “touch type” with her forearms.
In 2013 I met Tania Finlayson at her home in Seattle. I also met her husband Ken and their son Michael. I learned that Tania loves skydiving and had driven her wheelchair 300 miles to raise funds for guiding eye dogs. I recorded several video clips of Tania tapping Morse text and activating voice output with her head switches. I left their home blown away, and absolutely frustrated that Tania’s story was not widely known.
Jen, with her history of ham radio, arranged a meeting with a group of ham radio operators at the New York Hall of Science, and one member, Jim Wroten, spent the next 18 months creating an open source Morse communicator called Morse2Go. In 2016, I visited Thomas and Debbi King in Wisconsin, and learned that in addition to authoring the only textbook on assistive Morse code, they had also developed a global network of assistive Morse enthusiasts (called“Morse 2000”) based at the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
I met with Tania and Ken again in October of 2017 and the visit multiplied my determination to move from wishing if only there was… to finding a way to supercharge the assistive Morse project. I introduced Tania and Ken to Jason Beck, our Creative Technologist, who promptly began experimenting with ways to add bluetooth to their keyboard interface, called TandemMaster, and they mocked up a variety of two-switch Morse games to inspire new learners.
Fast forward, to January 2018. Through a stroke of great fortune, John Schimmel, co-director of DIY-Ability, introduced Amit Pitaru from Google’s Creative Lab to the Adaptive Design Association. Amit had told John he was pondering a Morse Code project, something he had wanted to explore since Maureen Aliani, an occupational therapist at the Henry Viscardi School told him she believed Morse code would be a superior communication option for many people with speech and physical disabilities.
We introduced Amit to Tania and Ken, and on May 8th Google announced they had collaborated with Tania and Ken and developed Morse code for Gboard and, further, that it would be available for free download on all mobile devices.
I cannot overstate the joy I felt that day, or how delighted I am about this whole amazing story. And it’s impossible to express the enormity of my hopes that Morse code will help everyone (all of us) assume untapped intelligence and aptitude in ourselves and others; reinforce our commitment to providing alternative and augmentative communication systems without hesitation; and magnify our appreciation of how utterly dependent we are on one another.
"it’s impossible to express the enormity of my hopes that Morse code will help everyone (all of us) assume untapped intelligence and aptitude in ourselves and others..."
And finally, to add to wonderful, Nicholas X. Parsons is making a documentary film about Jeff Watkins and he will include footage from ADA’s first Morse Code Game Jam. Jeff would have celebrated his 45th birthday this year, and would have loved learning that his life helped tip a social evolution.
About the Author:
Alex Truesdell received a B.S. (1979) and M.Ed. (1998) from Lesley University and an M.Ed. (1982) from Boston College. She was affiliated with the Perkins School for the Blind (1981–1998), where she was founder and coordinator of the Assistive Device Center, prior to founding Adaptive Design Association, Inc., in 2001. Alex was recognized for her innovative work by the MacArthur Foundation who selected her as a recipient of the MacArthur Fellows Program in Fall 2015. Alex Truesdell is a visionary social entrepreneur who creates low-tech, customized solutions that enable children with disabilities to participate actively in their homes, schools, and communities. Alex started building adaptations for people with disabilities in the 1980s when her aunt, Lynn Valley, lost the use of her fingers after a spinal cord injury. Truesdell challenges our assumption that disabilities are fixed and instead suggests that limitations can be minimized, or even eliminated, with effective user-inspired adaptations—the kind that Adaptive Design Association creates. Driven by a determination to help people anywhere, ADA disseminates adaptive design methods through in-person classes, internships and how-to videos. ADA has reached families, clinicians, and educators across the United States and as far away as Peru, Guatemala, and Ecuador. Truesdell’s innovative approach to designing and building cost-effective, high-quality adaptive equipment is improving the lives of thousands of children and disrupting traditional approaches to assistive technologies.
In celebration of the Adaptive Design Association’s 20th Anniversary, we’re launching our Adaptive Design Without Limits: Beyond Inclusion to Full Engagement Campaign.