Ross Church and His New World

Ross Church has lived at Huronia Regional Centre (H.R.C.) for fortysix years. Injury during birth resulted in spastic quadraparesis. Ross has very little control of his body muscles and is not able to speak. He can call staff using a rasping sound and he answers questions by nodding yes or no. Ross has a good sense of humour and excellent comprehension. Up until two years ago, he chose objects in the environment by directing his' eyes and maintaining the glance until we guessed what he wanted. Ross only saw the outside world when we moved his bed or wheelchair for him.

In 1986, recognizing Ross's potential, we started to investigate the possibility of creating an environment or system that would allow him more independence. All kinds of technical devices were considered, including electric wheelchairs and independent speech systems. We were starting to make great plans for Ross until we discovered an unforeseen obstacle. In this new age of technology, sixty year old Ross was satisfied with his familiar lifestyle and didn't want a moving chair, a computer that talked, or any other wires and gizmos.

One constant in Ross's life was his friendship with a Multisensory Specialist working at H.R.C. He helped Ross develop his comprehension and communication skills and was gradually able to introduce Ross to his first form of technology. With his friend, Ross spent hours viewing a scanning cursor on a computer monitor while he practised pressing a switch with the side of his head. When the cursor landed on the appropriate letter, the computer voice talked out a pre-stored message. Ross was delighted and encouraged to try more. He began playing maze games, using his chin to operate a joystick that controlled the movement of a cursor. In a short time, he became very efficient and now challenges others at games like PacMan.

We are proud to say that Ross now moves himself around the grounds of H.R.C. and goes shopping at the mall with a friend by using the wheelchair van or bus.

Plans are underway to install an environmental control unit in Ross's area so that he can operate his lights, radio and television. A very important communication tool is also in the planning stages for Ross -a talking, portable computer.

Ross is an example for us all. With assistance and encouragement from his friends at H.R.C., he overcame his fear of technology and now he makes it work for him.

If you see Ross on the street or in the mall, say hello and welcome Ross to his new world. El

Koni Lattner and

Judy Collins