Two extremely useful buttons I program on virtually all my clients’ speech devices are variations on call chimes.  They are included in the AlphaCore page set that I designed for people with ALS that is offered through DynaVox Mayer-Johnson  (so now I don’t need to program them over and over again – Yay!).  AlphaCore runs on the V and VMax as well as the EyeMax.  For more info on how AlphaCore speeds up communication and significantly reduces the time spent customizing your speech device visit the AlphaCore page on the DynaVox website.  

These two buttons serve a different purpose and function than call systems I have spoken about in past blogs Home Alone-Personal Emergency Response Systems and Call Chimes: When a Handbell won’t do the Trick).  Also, delightfully, they don’t require any extra equipment- just your V, VMax or EyeMax. 

The first button I like to program is a loud clangy “Call Chime”.

 The second is a more Melodic “Attention Please…Oh When You Have a Moment” chime. 

The loud clangy  button’s purpose is to get someone’s attention in another room.  By programming this button to be louder than other buttons on your system (instructions provided at the end) it will work for signaling between rooms that are fairly close together.  If the caregiver will be further away in the house, a baby monitor can be used to carry the sound.  

The idea for the second type of call chime button came from support group participants.  This button produces a courteous little harp sound that can stand for “I am ready with my message now.” 

This pleasant sound does not interrupt the current speaker.   Instead the group knows that you have something to say and will pause for you to provide your message after the current speaker but before the next “talker” gets started.  This works nicely during any group conversation.  

Clients also tell me that this melodic chime is a nice way to let a caregiver know, “I need your attention-when you have a moment.  No rush.”  

Others use this melodic chime before they provide a message to someone who is involved in another activity as a way to say, “I am about to tell you something. Please give me your attention.”  Clients find this nicer than just launching into a message when they don’t even have the other persons attention.     

Here are instructions for making these buttons.    As I mentioned earlier, if you have AlphaCore you will already have these.   

Instructions for Making Buttons that Play Sounds (loud) on a DynaVox V or Vmax 

1. Go to a page on which you would like to place a sound button.
2. Select the Modify Button in the top toolbar.  It will turn red.  This means you can modify the NEXT button you select. 
3. Select an empty button on the page or a button you don’t often use.  The Modify Button Menu will pop up.
   
4. Select the box to the right of the word “Label.”  A keyboard will pop up.   Type “Call Chime” or “Attention Please” (depending on which of the two buttons you are programming) then select “OK.” 
5. Now select the blue “Behaviors” button.  A Behavior Editor will pop up.
   
6. Select the blue “Search” button.  A keyboard will pop up.  Type “temporary volume” then select “OK.”
7. A volume dial will pop up.  Adjust the dial to the maximum volume of 100 and then select “OK”.
8. Then select the blue “Search” button again.  Type “play a sound”.  Select “OK.”
9. Select the Play a Sound (Multimedia) behavior or the page that pops up.  Select “OK”
10. A “Play Sounds” folder will pop up. 
    
11. This “Play Sounds” folder will not have the two sounds we are looking for so you will need to select the blue “Change Folder” button.   A “Select a Directory” menu will pop up.
12. Select the box next to “Show All Directories”.  Now you should see the C: Drive Listed.
    
13. Select the + sign in front of the C:  Drive Icon.   Now all the folders on your C: Drive will be displayed. 
    
14. Select the + sign in front of the “5100” folder (the first folder). Now the sub-folders in the 5100 Folder will be displayed. 
    
15. Select the + sign in front of the “Shared” sub-folder.  They are in alphabetical order so if you don’t see the “Shared” sub-folder, use the blue arrows to scroll down.
16. Select the + sign in front of the “Sounds” sub-folder.
17. For a clangy alarm sound you can select the “Alarms and Sirens” sub-folder (it will turn blue when selected) and then select “OK.” 
    
18. Now all kinds of well…obnoxious alarm sounds appear.  You can try them all out by selecting a file (it will turn blue when selected) and then selecting the “Play Sound” button.  (I use Fire Alarm but take your pick.)  When you find the one you like (or the one most likely to make the people in your home come running to avoid a repeat) select it and press the “OK” button.
19. Select “OK” 2 times and you are done. 

 To create a button with the nice harp sound for your “Attention Please” chime, repeat steps 1-16 but select “Musical Instruments” instead of Alarms and Sirens” in the “Sounds” sub-folder.   Instrument sounds will appear.  Select Harp and then select “OK” 3 times.

I think you will find these buttons very helpful and now you know how to program all kinds of sounds (laughter, clapping, and messages you have recorded in your own voice that were saved as wav.files and then stored in the Sounds sub-folder, etc).  Think of the possibilities. 

In upcoming blogs I will tell you about two more fabulous communication solutions.  I’ll lead you through the steps of setting a button on your device to activate doorbells that can chime anywhere in your house (no distance limits like with the adapted call chimes we explored in my blog entitled “Call Chimes:  When a Handbell Won’t do the Trick”).  This is a very inexpensive, easy to set up and highly effective chime system that works beautifully in larger houses. 

Also, we will look at how to a have a message from your speech device show up on a caregiver’s phone whether they are in the next room or across town (through the wonder of text messaging).  These are two very popular alerting methods used by my clients and I wouldn’t want you to miss out on them.  See you next time!