Shaun attends Redlynch primary school he is included in a year 6 class and receives Special Education teacher support through out the day. Shaun is reading at a year 3 level and writing at a year 2 level. His maths skills are at a year 3 level.

He has had many low tech systems over the years including activity specific overlays, multilevel books, coded eye gaze boards and spelling boards. Two years ago the team supporting Shaun decided that an alternative device would be best for Shaun to use. Local charities were enlisted and a $18000:00 device was eventually purchased.

This has been the most frustrating 2 years for Shaun, his parents and teachers as the device has proven to be very fragile and spent long periods being broken down. The staff has spent between 150 and 200 hours programming and designing vocabulary overlays which still make it very tedious to communicate using language instead of core message. If Shaun had greater opportunity to use language in a more efficiently we believe his reading and writing skill would also improve further.

Shaun began attending a Minspeak users group this year and the speed and efficiency differences between using Minspeak or a multilevel system were instantly obvious. Shaun's system is so much more cognitively demanding than Minspeak but he continues to persist during these sessions to participate. Shaun has had the opportunity at the users group to use the demo vanguard software. The change in his speed and communication length was remarkable.

Shaun is very excited about using Minspeak and is waiting patiently until a source of funding can be found. This is quiet difficult as the local community has recently supported him financially to purchase the previous device and to return and ask them to do that again so soon will be very difficult and also it will make the local charity wary of others making requests.

Shaun will continue to attend the Minspeak Users Group in 2006 learning all that he can about Minspeak and language. He currently has access to the demo software on his classroom computer.

Shaun is an extremely bright, loving, intelligent child. He always gives his best in everything he does. He has struggled with communication over the years with low tech and some very Hi tech devices, due to lack of reliability of the devices and cumbersome system structures. Shaun currently has a very dedicated team of people to prepare him for high school. A suitable, reliable device would be marvelous.

Due to Shaun's very specific needs (He was a victim of SIDS at 7 weeks of age and now has Spastic Quadriplegia as a result of oxygen insult to the brain) and our economic situation.

The acquisition of a new device would be a great blessing to Shaun and all of us. The power of speech in this big world, as we all know is one of the greatest attributes a person can have. Please help Shaun to achieve this.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely

Ruth Smith