Frequently Asked Questions
How old are you?
Too old to be asked this question by people who I don't really know. Even though I look like I'm 16, I'm not. Ever hear of the saying "don't ask a lady her age"? That goes for ladies with disabilities, too. :) . . .
Is that your sister?
Nope. I don't have a sister. Never did. If I'm with somebody else who just also happens to be female, they are probably either my friend or personal assistant.
How do you work your DynaVox?
I work my DynaVox with the switch by my head. The device scans through words and letters on the screen, and whenever it gets to what word I want, I just hit my switch by my head.
Does it read your mind?
No, and sometimes it's probably a very good thing it doesn't. :)
Where did you hear about the DynaVox?
I first heard about the DynaVox when I was 13 at Camp Chatterbox. At the time, I was using a much older communication device that was a lot of work to use. When I was at Camp Chatterbox, all the other campers were using these, cool, new, awesome, devices, called a DynaVox. Of course, like all teenagers, I wanted to be just like everybody else. I wanted to try a DynaVox. And that is how I met my good friend PJ. PJ just started working for DynaVox at the time, so they stuck her with the job of going out in the middle of nowhere to spend a week in the woods. PJ started showing me the company device and then she let me try. Within five minutes I got the hang of it. Talking was not work anymore. The DynaVox just came natural to me. So to make a long story short, that was the last time I used my old device. People have not been able to get me to shut up ever since.
What is the one thing you would change about AAC?
I wish I could be able to talk / write faster. Although I absolutely love my DynaVox, it's very frustrating when I am thinking three times faster than what I am typing.
What made your start writing?
One night I was out to eat with my friend and my personal assistant. This guy came up to my assistant who was helping me eat, handed her $20, and said "thank you for doing this, I really appreciate what you are doing." Now, I totally understand he was just being nice, and was not trying to be offensive, but I had to fight so hard not to break down crying in the middle of the restaurant. To me, it was like him saying he didn't know why anyone would want to be with me or help me eat. That was the night that made me realize I had to do something to try to change people's attitudes towards people with disabilities.
I also feel like writing is the only thing I can do 110% by myself. When I write, every word, and every paragraph, and every sentence comes directly out of my mind, so whenever someone tells me they like something that I wrote, it's the best compliment they could give me. Since I need so much help with everything else in my life, writing gives me a break from relying on other people.
Is your boyfriend / guy you like disabled?
No. It's a common myth that people with disabilities have to date someone else with a disability. It's not true. I'm not against dating somebody with a disability, but when I'm considering a partner, I see if we have a connection rather than look at their abilities and disabilities.
What is the one thing you would change about your disability?
Contrary to what some people think, I don't really mind that I have to be in a wheelchair, or that I have to use a communication device, or I can't use my hands. If I could change one thing, I would not need personal assistants. Nothing against the assistants themselves, I just don't particularly like having to rely on other people for pretty much everything.
Too old to be asked this question by people who I don't really know. Even though I look like I'm 16, I'm not. Ever hear of the saying "don't ask a lady her age"? That goes for ladies with disabilities, too. :) . . .
Is that your sister?
Nope. I don't have a sister. Never did. If I'm with somebody else who just also happens to be female, they are probably either my friend or personal assistant.
How do you work your DynaVox?
I work my DynaVox with the switch by my head. The device scans through words and letters on the screen, and whenever it gets to what word I want, I just hit my switch by my head.
Does it read your mind?
No, and sometimes it's probably a very good thing it doesn't. :)
Where did you hear about the DynaVox?
I first heard about the DynaVox when I was 13 at Camp Chatterbox. At the time, I was using a much older communication device that was a lot of work to use. When I was at Camp Chatterbox, all the other campers were using these, cool, new, awesome, devices, called a DynaVox. Of course, like all teenagers, I wanted to be just like everybody else. I wanted to try a DynaVox. And that is how I met my good friend PJ. PJ just started working for DynaVox at the time, so they stuck her with the job of going out in the middle of nowhere to spend a week in the woods. PJ started showing me the company device and then she let me try. Within five minutes I got the hang of it. Talking was not work anymore. The DynaVox just came natural to me. So to make a long story short, that was the last time I used my old device. People have not been able to get me to shut up ever since.
What is the one thing you would change about AAC?
I wish I could be able to talk / write faster. Although I absolutely love my DynaVox, it's very frustrating when I am thinking three times faster than what I am typing.
What made your start writing?
One night I was out to eat with my friend and my personal assistant. This guy came up to my assistant who was helping me eat, handed her $20, and said "thank you for doing this, I really appreciate what you are doing." Now, I totally understand he was just being nice, and was not trying to be offensive, but I had to fight so hard not to break down crying in the middle of the restaurant. To me, it was like him saying he didn't know why anyone would want to be with me or help me eat. That was the night that made me realize I had to do something to try to change people's attitudes towards people with disabilities.
I also feel like writing is the only thing I can do 110% by myself. When I write, every word, and every paragraph, and every sentence comes directly out of my mind, so whenever someone tells me they like something that I wrote, it's the best compliment they could give me. Since I need so much help with everything else in my life, writing gives me a break from relying on other people.
Is your boyfriend / guy you like disabled?
No. It's a common myth that people with disabilities have to date someone else with a disability. It's not true. I'm not against dating somebody with a disability, but when I'm considering a partner, I see if we have a connection rather than look at their abilities and disabilities.
What is the one thing you would change about your disability?
Contrary to what some people think, I don't really mind that I have to be in a wheelchair, or that I have to use a communication device, or I can't use my hands. If I could change one thing, I would not need personal assistants. Nothing against the assistants themselves, I just don't particularly like having to rely on other people for pretty much everything.