Patient lecture

Imagine not being able to control your movements – for the rest of your life. You cannot functionally use your arms and legs, and even speaking is nearly impossible. With great effort, you might be able to say the word ‘Yes.’ This condition is medically referred to as severe spasticity.

Despite having a sharp mind, you cannot point, type, or express what you want to say. How do you communicate with others? How do you let them know what you feel, what you like, or what you need? A wheelchair can help you move, but how do you make yourself understood? Imagine having an eye-operated computer that allows you to write, speak, draw, and create music. What a relief that would be!

Andrei Fokkink, 28 years old, lives this reality. For many people, daily activities such as walking, climbing stairs, eating, drinking, going to the toilet, or rolling over in bed are taken for granted. For Andrei, these tasks are impossible without assistance. Everything requires more time, effort, and preparation. Yet, he does not focus on what he cannot do but on what he can do. And that is a lot.

His expertise lies in creating and selling artwork. With a positive attitude, Andrei does not see himself as someone with a disability but as someone with opportunities. He uses the proceeds from his artwork sales to help people with disabilities in Bacău, Romania, who do not have the same access to assistive equipment as he does.

But could he do more? What if he could decide to go somewhere and actually be able to go there independently? Cars are being developed to drive autonomously—so why not a wheelchair? Five years ago, Andrei and his father Arie posed this question to a group of student volunteers and researchers at the University of Twente. This led to a long-term collaboration known as AbilityTech.nl.

To answer the question of how Andrei and others can gain more autonomy, the researchers started with an essential tool: the Tobii eye-controlled computer. This technology forms the basis for several innovations: an eye-controlled wheelchair that can orient itself, detect obstacles, process commands, and execute movements; an eye-controlled shuffleboard, allowing Andrei and others without functional arm or hand movements to play the classic Dutch game; and other assistive devices, such as a tool for putting on a coat and toys for deaf children that do not rely on sound.

With AbilityTech gaining increasing recognition through media, fairs, and symposiums, more questions and challenges continue to arise. Where possible, we enthusiastically take them on, always aiming to make our innovations accessible to others facing similar challenges.

Since this is a patient lecture, we also want to reflect on the term ‘patient.’ According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, it describes ‘a person receiving medical treatment’ and ‘someone dealing with problems calmly and without haste.’ But Andrei is much more than that. His definition of a good life revolves around more autonomy, inclusion, participation, and mastering a skill.
At the end of the lecture, Andrei challenges you to play shuffleboard with him! Curious?

You can find more information about Andrei and AbilityTech on these websites (which will be also available in English soon):
● andreitekent.nl
● https://www.andreitekent.nl/nieuws/
● abilitytech.nl