Jorunn Sjothun

Jorunn is a social person who enjoys going to the cinema or a pub, spending time with her friends, writing and traveling. Several of her poems have been published and she has traveled as far as Brazil. She is a true inspiration for all who want to see how to overcome the limitations imposed on those with physical handicaps .

I meet up with Jorunn Sjothun at a hotel in Oslo, the capital of Norway. She is there to demonstrate at a Special Needs trade fair how eye control can be applied in real life.

Jorunn does not have her MyTobii P10 with her when we meet but instead communicates through her assistants via eye reading. Without training it is difficult to read her gaze and quickly comprehend what she means.

Jorunn confirms that communication with others than those in her immediate circle goes much quicker with the help of MyTobii – her eye-controlled communication device.

Eye control makes writing quicker and with the aid of a dedicated communication device, people outside her circle can finally understand what she wants to say, either via text typed on her screen or voice synthesis.

”Compared with before when I had to control the computer using a head mouse, it goes a lot faster now. I can also do things that were previously unthinkable, like writing emails and text messages, which makes it easier to stay in contact with family and friends. I do a lot of text messaging to communicate with others,” explains Jorunn later in an e-mail.

”Being able to write and send messages without anyone’s help has meant a huge improvement for me.”