Beginning in 1999, additional devices have been purchased by the Kornreich Technology Center to supplement the lending program and expand availability in the Long Island area. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a neuromuscular disease that results in the progressive deterioration of muscles throughout the body. About 5,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in this country, but extensive research has not yet determined the cause or cure. Although mental capacity is rarely affected, ALS can affect oral muscles and cause the loss of ability to speak. They can then choose to obtain one of the tested devices for longer-term use, investigate other devices, or decide to use other methods of communication.
People can continue to communicate while awaiting purchase of a device of their own.
Many medical insurance systems are not set up to accommodate diseases, like ALS, where symptoms can progress significantly in a few weeks or months. The device lending program gives people a way to communicate while they wait for the wheels to turn and a device of their own to arrive. People without medical insurance, or whose policies will not pay for a communication device, will have an effective method of communication. The DynaMyte and The Handheld Portable Impact Two devices that display multiple pages of words and symbols, which the user selects to build a message. They also produce artificial speech, but can be used by those who cannot type, or even by those who cannot use their hands at all.