Profile of Success - Kevin Tooley
Kevin
Tooley is my own personal "miracle student" but he refers to himself
as my "star pupil."
When I first met Kevin nine years ago he was a student in a newly formed "Augmentative Communication Class" in the school I was serving. The class was composed of seven students who had new AAC devices and here I was - their new speech pathologist! During that first year I spent every free moment storing messages and programming devices, but no one kept me any busier than Kevin. His device was a LightTalker using IEP+ software and it was his first AAC system. Little did we know that it would open a new world for Kevin. No one knew very much about Kevin's true abilities for several reasons. One reason was that we didn't have a great deal of information about his education since he had transferred to our school district. Secondly, he was thought to be "low functioning" simply because he never had the opportunity to show just how much he knew! We soon realized that Kevin knew how to read and do simple math, and that he understood a great deal more than we first thought. Before long it was evident that Kevin's educational needs were far greater than he could receive in augmentative communication class. Kevin was placed in a regular elementary school and went on to middle school. At middle school level he was using a Liberator with Words Strategy and continued to surprise everyone - his teachers, therapists and friends.
He is now a tenth grade student in high school and following a regular curriculum. Kevin has passed the high school competency exam and is working hard on a college prep curriculum. With the help of his assistant and technology (i.e., computers, scanners, etc.) Kevin has been able to adapt his assignments and show everyone what true determination is all about. He also finds time in his busy schedule to serve on the student council, to participate in sports such as water skiing and snow skiing, and to spend time on the computer.
I have to mention also that Kevin and his guardian, Jennifer, have become great advocates for Prentke Romich Company because of the wonderful service they have received when his devices were "down." He is now waiting for approval for a Pathfinder and hopes it will be his Christmas present this year.
To think that just nine years ago Kevin was "locked" in the world of being a nonverbal person with no way to communicate. Looking at him today makes us realize that he is an incredible miracle. With Kevin's determination, he will undoubtedly succeed in whatever he undertakes. He has been an inspiration to those of us who have watched him learn, grow and develop over the years. Hopefully his story will be an inspiration to others as well.
This profile was submitted by Kevin's Speech Language Pathologist, Laura Lutz. One additional note, Kevin did receive his new Pathfinder before Christmas of 2000.