September 21, 2000

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing you about my son Michael. Michael is a young adult with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy. He currently lives in his own home in the community. This has been his dream since he turned 18 years of age and realized that he wanted to be independent just like his brother. Michael enjoys watching football, going to museums and music of all types.

The biggest limitation that faces Michael from this disability is that he is not able to communicate. We have worked on sign language, but due to Michael’s poor fine motor skills it makes it impossible to sign correctly and the same problem exists with language/alphabet boards. As his family, we are the only ones who can guess what he is trying to express and this puts Michael at great medical risk as he lives in his own home with various personal care staff. This makes Michael very frustrated and depressed.

Several times lately, we have attended doctor’s appointments with Michael only to find out that he had a throat infection or ear infection that had gone untreated for some time as he was unable to tell his personal care attendants his symptoms. We stay very involved in Michael’s life and are trying to keep him healthy, as you can see his inability to communicate medical needs keeps this from being successful.

A few weeks ago, Michael’s Speech-Language Pathologist, who specializes in augmentative communication devices, introduced him to a communication device system. He worked with the system several times a week at his regular therapy sessions.

Michael quickly understood how to operate the device. We were able to get a DynaVox 3100 communication system from our statewide loan bank so that Michael could try the system out in his home and community. He was soon requesting food and drinks and we noticed immediately his fluid intake doubled to a therapeutic level. Michael has been working on managing his toileting schedule more independently but due to his lack of communication hadn’t been successful. With the DynaVox 3100 he has been able to let his family and caregivers know when he needs to use the bathroom. Michael is also able to communicate information about his health to caregivers and his doctors. While Michael had the device on loan, he made great progress in his therapy and he is no longer depressed.

It is very obvious that a communication system will positively affect Michael’s health and well being. After considering all the possibilities, this system will best suit his needs.

Sincerely,

Mr. & Mrs. Baca