At some time in most people's life we ask questions such as "what will be my place be in the world?", "what can I achieve?", "what will make me happy?" or even "what is the purpose of life?". Much of this revolves around concepts such as "do I feel valuable and /or valued?". These questions are hard enough for anyone to answer but there are special challenges for people who have physical and or cognitive / language difficulties as a result of brain injury or other neurological problems, particularly when there is a communication difficulty. The use of technology has made a difference to this situation but generally the level of this technology is quite elementary compared with what technology is being used for in the world at large. In a young childs' development we take it for granted that this will be facilitated by close hands-on guidance (and discipline) extending over many years. Unfortunately society is not well adapted to providing this level of "fly on the wall" steering at other times and in different situations, but this is exactly what is needed in attempting to realise the potential of someone with physical and or cognitive / language difficulties. This seminar will outline the current technologies and techniques in use and ask questions about how artificial intelligence might be relevant in training and modeling, leading to improved outcomes of the use of electronic assistive technology, and ultimately elevating quality of life.