{"id":5248,"date":"2025-10-15T11:10:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T11:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eikholt.no\/?p=5248"},"modified":"2025-10-15T11:10:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T11:10:22","slug":"technology-independence-combined-sensory-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eikholt.no\/en\/articles\/technology-independence-combined-sensory-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"New perspectives, limitless possibilities - assistive technology that makes a difference"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stories from people with visual and hearing impairments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How can technology improve quality of life and independence for people with dual sensory loss? In this series, we meet people with combined visual and hearing impairment who have found their favourite assistive technology - and let them tell us in their own words how it makes a difference in their everyday lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time we spoke to P\u00e5l Kjetil Lyngstad, who uses his favourite tool, VoxiVision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P\u00e5l Kjetil - From craftsman to experience consultant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"P\u00e5l<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

P\u00e5l Kjetil has both impaired hearing and severely reduced vision - with about 10 degrees of visual angle, double vision and poor contrast vision. His eyesight began to deteriorate in his 20s, but he trained and worked as a carpenter, computer operator and in the service industry. However, the gradual deterioration of his vision led to major changes in his everyday life. He stopped driving, and in 2017 he also had to quit his job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It's about turning adversity into momentum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

P\u00e5l Kjetil has long experience of living with double sensory loss. The transition to no longer working was a major upheaval, and he had to actively work on his cognitive skills - learning to turn what was less good into something positive. Over the years, he has shared his experiences to give others insight into what it's like to live with double sensory loss, and engaged in user involvement. Working together and sharing knowledge and experiences is important to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 2017, he learnt a lot about communication and the importance of saving energy in what he does. Independence has always been important to P\u00e5l Kjetil, and he has worked purposefully to master everyday life on his own terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-\"I had to learn to turn what is difficult into something positive. It's all about coping and determination. Living with a visual and hearing impairment is energy-consuming, but the desire for independence is so strong that it gives me the drive to constantly find out what's new.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"P\u00e5l<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Throughout his life, P\u00e5l Kjetil has been curious and explorative - especially when it comes to technology. He has tested and trialled many different assistive devices, always with a desire to find solutions that make him more independent. This drive has also led him to his job as an experience consultant at Logisense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VoxiVision, a small tool - but with a big impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An important turning point in his life came when P\u00e5l Kjetil discovered VoxiVision - an assistive device the size of a smartphone that has three tactile navigation fields at the bottom. It combines a camera, image analysis and Artificial Intelligence to provide visually impaired people with access to information via sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"VoxiVision
Photo:VoxiVision on a stand to read information from an airline ticket<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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He discovered the product by chance - and this is where P\u00e5l Kjetil gets serious. The provision of assistive technology and training in the use of assistive technology is far too random, says P\u00e5l Kjetil. He has many opinions on this. For P\u00e5l Kjetil, a meeting with a supplier was the gateway to learning about VoxiVision. He quickly contacted an occupational therapist in the municipality to get it dispensed. He has been using it actively ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P\u00e5l Kjetil becomes enthusiastic when he begins to describe what this aid does for him. -I want to say just one word about VoxiVision:<\/em> optimal!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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VoxiVision gives me independence, saves energy and gives me capacity for other things I want to do.\"<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Quote: P\u00e5l Kjetil Lyngstad<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical use in everyday life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With VoxiVision, P\u00e5l Kjetil can read documents and magazines - not just the text, but also descriptions of images. He uses the solution both when he shops and cooks. P\u00e5l Kjetil uses VoxiVision actively in the shop. When he needs to find the right milk product among many different variants, he can use image analysis to identify the right type of milk and be told which shelf the product is on. In addition, he can retrieve product information from the QR code on the milk and, if entered, also get the price via the barcode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

- Question rings<\/em>, he says, that's what the entrance is<\/em>. I can ask a question and get an answer, and ask follow-up questions.<\/em>
- If I'm cooking, for example, I can take a picture of the packet and ask how much liquid I should use. Then I get an answer to that.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

P\u00e5l Kjetil has his own labels and QR codes that come with the products. He uses these to enter which spice is in the box. He also uses it for medicines so that he can easily find the right medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-\"VoxiVision even reads handwriting,\" he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, P\u00e5l Kjetil pulls out a pad and asks me to write something, before demonstrating how VoxiVision reads it out to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video demonstration of how P\u00e5l Kjetil uses VoxiVision to read handwriting:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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