No point in trying to make some grand entrance for this post because I am just way to excited...IZZY GOT AN IPAD2!!! This has been a long time coming and I am beyond excited!!! We got it a few days ago and just introduced it to him today and he was very excited too! Here's the whole story :-)
As you probably know from past posts, Izzy has a complicated mouth (to put it easily) and is unable to speak very clearly. He has been going to speech therapy four times a month for the past year or so. While he has made small improvements over this time it is very slow and will be many years before he is able to speak well enough for others outside our family to understand him. It will also be a long time before we (as his family) know more then the 40 words (or so) that he can say along with the sounds, pointing, prompting and playing 20 questions.
There is some amazing speech and communication devices, programs and software available these days. They are called AAC which stands for "Augmentative and Alternative Communication". I have spent many hours researching, talking with experts and parents, and getting some hands on experience too. We figured out exactly what we would need to purchase that would fit Izzy's needs...and well...the price was quite far beyond our range. We applied for different grants and continued to get denied. I almost just used our credit card many times, but knew better. And then one day, I got a very unexpected phone call. My Uncle Dale (who lives in Alaska) wanted to do a fund raiser at his work for Izzy to get him the iPad! I was blown away. Within a month he had raised enough money to get everything we needed for Izzy!!! I never cease to be amazed by the generosity of complete strangers when they see a need, especially when that need is my little boy.
We introduced the iPad2 and Proloquo2Go software to Izzy today and let me just tell you...that boy is a FAST learner. He picked it up in no time at all. I just know that within a few weeks he will be able to use it so functionally to "speak" and be understood much better, thus alleviating the frustration he experiences. I am very thankful that we live in such a technical era in which such things are available. What a blessing!
*THANK YOU UNCLE DALE for your generous heart and selfless act in raising money (and giving your own too!) so that Izzy has a functional way of communicating with his world. Your thoughtfulness won't be forgotten. I wish we lived closer so you could "talk" with Izzy. I will take some videos soon and share them with you.*
In March of 2009 we were blessed with our third child, Israel David. He was born with congenital limb differences and micrognathia. This blog was started to share our journey with friends and family and anyone else who God brings our way. Our hope is to share our miracle with you...and as you read, that you will be blessed. Remember to always enjoy the miracles in your life!
