Archives: Ambassadeurs

In 2016, the inhabitants of the Steenhouwersgaarde were interviewed by the municipality. We were asked what we think our lives will look like in 5 years and what facilities we think we need to be able to stay at home safely and comfortably.

Based on these interviews, the municipality set to work, which eventually led to iZi. Volunteers were sought to strengthen and build the iZi community. I immediately indicated that I would like to be part of this and that is how I started furnishing the experience home. 

Once the house was ready, we decided to organize a coffee morning every Friday, where visitors could easily drop by for a tour of the house. This was a success and I still love to do it. As residents of the Steenhouwersgaarde, we were also allowed to test devices at home for free during the first year and share our experiences. I received the robot vacuum cleaner, the sensor system that allows me to monitor my heart rhythm, sleep and diet, and the door viewer.

Together with a number of other ambassadors, I am also part of the Digigroep, which was founded to teach people how to use their smartphone, tablet, laptop and other digital devices. This is a good example of how accessible, cozy and educational iZi is, with a view to now and in the future.

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My name is Kathleen. I am 55 years old and have been battling type 1 diabetes since I was 16. I suffered complications because of this and eventually became completely blind after several operations.

There are a number of tools that help me in daily life. One of the most important is my iPhone 11, with several apps that support me. For example Libra link. A small sensor is shot into my arm and is there for 14 days. Through the Libra Link app I can check my blood sugars throughout the day. This is done via the VoiceOver in my mobile.

I can also use an app on my mobile that determines colors, reads books and looks up other information.

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My name is Eve, I am 61 years old and I have experience with the smartwatch. I'm a little deaf. The smartwatch helps me keep appointments and make phone calls. I'm definitely open to trying other things. Technology can make it easier for me to do and remember things myself.

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My name is Valerie and I am 28 years old. Since birth I have had a physical disability: Cerebral Palsy. This is then referred to as spasticity. For me it manifests itself in tension and vibrations inside and sometimes a movement that I cannot control, in other words a spasm.

I use remote controls a lot for different applications. For example, a remote control that allows me to turn a lamp on and off without having to go to the lamp. In the bedroom I have a curtain that I can operate electrically with a remote control. This allows me to open and close this curtain independently. 

I also have an electrically operated front door and back door. I can open the door by pressing a remote control. This way I can go in and out of my house independently.

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My name is Coen and I have always enjoyed working as an administrator of staff maps and aerial photographs. In addition, I have been a member of the Hague Water Friends for over 60 years, where I have held all kinds of different positions. I am now an honorary member and have been rewarded with the honorary medal of the Municipality of The Hague. I also served on the board of the friends of Huize Westhof for 25 years. So you can say that I have been actively involved in various organizations. When the iZi team showed up at my door a few years ago, my wife immediately thought this was something for me. Shortly afterwards my wife became ill, which caused me to drop out for a while, but now I am actively and enthusiastically involved in this project again!

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6 years ago, I, Wim Baanen, was asked to discuss setting up a home with technologies that help the elderly to live at home longer. If the elderly can live longer, more pleasantly and more safely at home, and so can I, then I would of course like to contribute to that. That's why I started as a volunteer and later became an ambassador and I still enjoy doing this.

I myself live in an elderly home from Haag Wonen, where I once came to live with my wife. She died in 2015, a pain that will never go away. I used to work as a manager at a car dealer and nowadays you can often find me in my lovely allotment garden or at my kitchen table where I build historic wooden model boats. I hope that I can do all this for many years to come, perhaps supported by the technology that I was introduced to through iZi.

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Gomer is my name, I am 35 years old and have been deaf since I was 2 years old. Throughout my life I have been intensively involved with sign language and deaf culture and I encounter deaf friends on an almost daily basis. In addition, I often travel in the Netherlands, we use Dutch Sign Language, but abroad International Signs.

I use different tools at home and outside. If someone rings the doorbell, I will receive a notification on my phone via Bellman&Symfon Calling System. This recognizes the bell sound and then lets me know that someone is at the door. This way I avoid missing parcels.

When I have appointments with people who cannot sign language, I have two options: sign language interpreter or speech-to-text app. It may happen that I do not have a sign language interpreter at my disposal, for example during busy periods, in which case I use this app. It can be done via my iPhone or iPad using the microphone, with the microphone speech can be understood loud and clear and therefore correctly converted into text. I then type back via my laptop or telephone.

Music is an important element in my life, because it brings out so much joy and pleasure. I can feel music thanks to Woojer Edge or Woojer Strap, which converts music tones into bass. Bass is a low tone that is very noticeable, so I can dance with it. In the future I hope to wear AR glasses so that I can follow information from the outside world via subtitles and visually recognize signals. So I see many possibilities in the field of technology. If you are curious about the many possibilities of AR glasses, please visit: https://artlabs.ai/blog/the-best-smart-glasses-and-ar-specs-of-2021/

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It's been 6 years since I was asked to participate in a project aimed at older people who want to live longer at home. I really enjoy showing others around a house with all kinds of modern gadgets and getting them excited about what technology can do for them. I myself have already seen many new aid products and I hope that I can be part of this iZi project for a long time to come.

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I am Annet, 29 years old and became deaf due to a nervous disorder. From the age of 21 I slowly lost my hearing. So I've had the chance to adapt to it more and more. At home I have a wake-up and warning system. There are a number of flashing lights scattered around my house that alert me when, for example, the doorbell or fire alarm rings.

It is also possible to connect a baby monitor or alarm clock to it. The latter works with a vibrating disc under the mattress. I found that waking up rather intense, so I came up with a different solution as an alarm clock. I now use my sports watch for that. It vibrates around my arm and I like that better than the vibrating disc. Ideal, because I wake up quietly, on time and my hearing friend can sleep through my alarm clock if I have to get up early. I also use my sports watch as a kitchen timer or if I need a timer for something else. I also had a flash lamp installed at work that is connected to the fire alarm.

To be able to communicate, it is important for me to have enough light in the house so that I can read lips or refrain from gestures. In addition, my friend often uses a light switch to flicker a lamp. With this he gets my attention so I know he wants to say something. Handy for when I'm upstairs and he's downstairs!

I also use an app that converts speech to text. I don't really make phone calls anymore. I use whatsapp a lot and to contact companies I use their chat or social media. Suppose it is really necessary to call, for example in an emergency, I use the Tolkcontact app. This allows me to call via an interpreter who translates the conversation for me. You probably understand that I always make sure that I have my phone with me and that it is sufficiently charged. Even if, for example, I have a miscommunication or lip reading is not going well (think of face masks), I can communicate with my phone everywhere!

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