Saturday, August 3, 2019
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

 Gaylord Hospital
50 Gaylord Farm Road
Wallingford, CT 06492

The Etiology of Essential Tremor:
What We Know, What We Don’t, and Why It’s So Hard to Treat
presented by Movement Disorder Neurologist Sara Schaefer, MD, MHS-Med Ed

…and…

Steady Type:
a Smartphone Keyboard for People with Essential Tremor
presented by Software Entrepreneur Andrew Shalit

THE ETIOLOGY OF ET:

We’re fortunate to have Dr. Sara Schaefer, Yale School of Medicine Assistant Professor of Neurology, Movement Disorders Fellowship Director, and Neurology Residency Associate Program Director, as our August speaker! At this meeting, Dr. Schaefer will discuss some of the theories of essential tremor, including the presence of a central pacemaker, the cerebellar degeneration theory, and what may be going on at a cellular level. She will also explain how some of the medications we use act on the brain.

A graduate of Brown University and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Dr. Schaefer is also an alumna of the Yale Neurology Residency Program and completed 2 years of subspecialty training in movement disorders at Yale.

Having a particular interest in medical education, in 2019 Dr. Schaefer completed a Masters of Health Sciences at Yale, with a focus on medical education. An active member of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society (IPMDS), and a member of the New Learning Formats subcommittee of the IPMDS Education Committee, she has published original movement disorders card games through the Young Members Group of the IPMDS. Dr. Schaefer also serves as co-founder and co-host of the new MDS podcast launched in January 2019.

STEADY TYPE:

Hand tremors can make it very hard to use smartphones, and typing can be particularly difficult. It doesn’t have to be that way. With some software changes, smartphones could be fully accessible to people with hand tremors.

Andrew Shalit will demonstrate Steady Type, a smartphone keyboard that makes it possible for people with hand tremors to type accurately and relatively quickly on their smartphones. He’ll discuss the design changes that made this possible. He’ll also discuss the history of software accessibility – features that make software usable by people who are blind, people who are deaf, and people who have other severe disabilities. What steps can we take to convince the large tech companies that it’s important to make software accessible to people with hand tremors as well?

Andrew Shalit is a software entrepreneur. He worked at Apple in the 1980’s and 1990’s. In 2008 he developed a line of successful educational apps for young children and children with special needs. Steady Type is his latest project.

Steady Type is currently available for beta test users on iPhones and iPads.

Registration is requested – Inquiries are invited!

To register or request information, email Helen Moser or submit the form below.
Click here for driving directions and parking information.

The CT essential tremor support group is sponsored by

DRIVING & PARKING:

Parking:

• Free on-site parking is available throughout the Gaylord campus.

Directions:

From Points South via I-95 and I-91

• I-95 intersects I-91 in New Haven, CT.
• Take I-91 north to exit 13.
• Turn left at light, then right at next light on Toelles Rd.
• At stop sign, turn right on Old Hartford Tpke.
• At second traffic light, turn left on Cheshire Rd.
• At stop sign, turn right on Parker Farms Rd.
• At next stop sign, turn left onto Gaylord Farm Rd. Gaylord is less than one-half mile up the hill, on the left.

From Points South via Route 15-Merritt Parkway

• Route 15 north (the Merritt Parkway) to exit 64.
• Turn left at traffic light.
• At second traffic light, turn right on Cheshire Rd.
• At stop sign, turn right on Parker Farms Rd.
• At next stop sign, turn left on Gaylord Farm Rd. Gaylord is less than one-half mile up the hill, on the left.

From Points North via I-91

• I-91 south to exit 17 (Wilbur Cross Parkway, route 15).
• Take exit 64, turn left on Turnpike Rd.
• At traffic light, turn right on Cheshire Rd.
• At stop sign, turn right onto Parker Farms Rd.
• At next stop sign, turn left on Gaylord Farm Rd. Gaylord is less than one-half mile up the hill, on the left.

From Points East

• I-90 to I-84 west.
• In Hartford, CT, take 1-91 south to exit 17 (Wilbur Cross Parkway, route 15).
• Take exit 64, turn left on Turnpike Rd.
• At traffic light, turn right on Cheshire Rd.
• At stop sign, turn right onto Parker Farms Rd.
• At next stop sign, turn left on Gaylord Farm Rd. Gaylord is less than one-half mile up the hill, on the left.

From Points West (Litchfield/Torrington, CT)

• Route 8 South to I-84 East.
• Continue to Exit 26. Bear right onto Route 70.
• Continue on Route 70 to Route 10. Bear right onto Route 10 South.
• Proceed approximately 2 blocks and turn left onto Wallingford Road, which becomes Gaylord Farm Road at the town line.
• Gaylord Hospital is on the right, about 3 miles from the Route 10 intersection.

From Hartford, CT via I-84

• I-84 west to exit 27 (I-691/Meriden).
• Take exit 3 (Route 10, Cheshire).
• Turn right at light onto route 10 south.
• Just past Town Hall, turn left on Wallingford Rd.
• Wallingford Road becomes Gaylord Farms Road at the town line; Gaylord Hospital is on the right.

From Waterbury/Cheshire

• I-84 east to exit 26. Take route 70 to route 10 south/Cheshire.
• Just past Town Hall, turn left on Wallingford Rd.
• Wallingford Road becomes Gaylord Farms Road at the town line; Gaylord Hospital is on the right.