The Family Center on Technology and Disability

Meet David Z. and learn about his successful use of assistive technology.

Like most children, David Z. has spent his summer at various camps and on vacation with his family. He participated in a Tae Kwon Do camp and is very proud of his yellow belt. He also spent two weeks attending a camp at Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development, where he took two classes. During the first week he took "Amazing Math" and during the second he took "The Physics of Simple Machines". During his time at camp David enjoyed learning and meeting new friends.

When camp was not in session, he went on a vacation to Georgia with his family. The family went to Atlanta for a long weekend in July to attend the bi-annual NOAH (National Organization for Albinism & Hypopigmentation) conference. This conference is very important to the family because David was born with Albinism, a genetic disorder. Even though this was David's third time attending the NOAH conference, it was the first time he was able to truly appreciate being with many children who looked just like him, wore glasses, hats, sunscreen, etc. While in Georgia, David embarked on a great adventure which today he is very proud of. He climbed a steep, 800-foot incline up Stone Mountain without any help.

David turned seven years old on September first and lives in Illinois with his mom, dad, and his eleven year old brother, Zach. He is in second grade at the local elementary school.

David enjoys his time at school. He doesn't yet know what his favorite subject will be this year, but he was very interested in math class last year. One of his favorite parts of school is gym class. As a dedicated fan of ESPN's Sportscenter, David likes gym because he is able to participate in sports with his friends.

One of David's favorite pastimes is to watch baseball on Sportcenter where he enjoys cheering on his favorite teams, the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs. When he is not watching baseball on TV, he is assisting his Dad with coaching his older brother Zach's fall baseball league. David's duties include typing up the roster on the computer, which he is very good at, and helping to announce the players.

When he is not busy with baseball, David spends his time playing with his friends. He takes a lot of pleasure in skateboarding and like many boys his age, he hopes to skateboard professionally when he grows up. In the summer, he spends a lot of time at the local pool swimming and going down waterslides.

During and after school (between baseball and skateboarding), David enjoys reading. He is an advanced reader and is reading at a fourth/fifth grade level. Lately, he has been reading the Boxcar Children book series. He is also delighted with books on tape, and has recently listened to some of the books from the Amelia Bedelia series. The books on tape present a great advantage to David because he has been visually impaired due to albinism since he was born. This visual impairment is not a big deal to him, and with various assistive technology tools, hasn't stopped him from doing anything.

David has had a hand held monocular device since he was three years old. He began to receive instruction on the device before kindergarten. Last year he spent a lot of time with his mobility instructor training to use his hand held monocular device to get around. He uses the device to read street signs and addresses, and it provides a means of independence. David is looking forward to a new hand held monocular at school in the fall, which was funded by the state. The new device will have more powerful magnification, which will be useful as he gets older.

David also uses CCTV, a closed circuit TV system, which enlarges print or hand-written text as required by the user. A CCTV is a single unit consisting of a movable table on which the item to be read is placed, and a screen where the image is projected. David began using his CCTV in the first grade when he received it through the school. The family decided that he needed this device due to his strong reading skills. As his reading skills advanced, the text in his books continued to get smaller. A CCTV was necessary to read the smaller print. Now, the CCTV will be useful in furthering David's reading skills and accomplishing other academic achievements in school.

David is also taking full advantage of the Library of Congress' Books on Tape Program. This program provides a free national library program of recorded and Braille materials, which are distributed to a network of regional and local libraries. This is a new discovery for him, and he is enjoying it. Assistive technology has been a big contributor to David's successes during his lifetime. He would not be able to continue excelling at his reading level without the help of his CCTV. He would not be able to find his way around without his hand held monocular. And he would not be able to enjoy listening to books without the Library of Congress' Books on Tape Program.

David's parents are very proud of him and how well adapted he is. When he gets frustrated he doesn't hesitate to ask questions about albinism, and often times will express his feelings in his journal. David's mother, Leslie, is a strong believer in an early introduction to assistive technology tools in a child's life. Since David has had his tools all of his life, he does not think of them as something extra, and neither do his peers. With the help of these technologies, and the support of those around him, David is well on his way to reaching his dreams.

If you have or know of a child/teen who has experienced success through the use of assistive technology that would like to be featured, please contact us at agutierr@aed.org.