Profile
of Success - Bac Shelton
Hello,
My name is Bac Shelton. I am a 33 year old from Mississippi and I have cerebral
palsy. When my friend from a junior college, my mom and I learned about 12 years
ago that there was something on the market that could help me to communicate
with everyone, we were excited to get it. My friend and my mom called my vocational
rehabilitation service counselor and someone in Biloxi that could help me purchase
this type of talking computer. Since my father was in the Air Force at that
time, the Air Force purchased my first talking computer, the Touch Talker. My
pathologist and I had to learn all of these buttons and where to find them on
the keyboard. She gave me some homework to help me learn how to use the symbols
and words from the keyboard and put some sentences together.
While I was at Mississippi State University, I learned that PRC released a newer version of Talker called the Delta Talker. I became friends with Janie New when she was head of Communication and Speech Pathology at the T.K. Martin Center on the MSU Campus. She and I begin to work on getting the Delta Talker for me. She gave me the names of about five private foundations that could help purchase the Delta Talker. We began to write letter after letter to these foundations. Only two of the five foundations responded, but after two years I received a new Delta Talker. It was lighter, smaller, and very similar to my old talking computer. I could put it into my backpack along with my books. In the fall of 1999, I graduated from MSU with a bachelor's degree in fine arts. It took me about six years to earn it.
When I heard that PRC released an updated version of their communication devices,
I was excited to ask Janie New to see if this wastrue. I received my Pathfinder
when I was in Ohio for a training session in August (2003) during the PEC Conference.
It was easy for me to make a transition from the Delta Talker to the Pathfinder.
I like the Pathfinder's bigger display and the touch screen capabilities.
I am glad that my friend from junior college told my mother and me about these
talking computers and the Prentke Romich Company. Without these computers, I
would still be writing everything down.
Bac Shelton
Bac was recently hired by PRC as a Consulting Specialist serving in Mississippi.