Profile
of Success - Steve Mallory
My life could have been over in 1994 when I had a stroke at age of 36.
When a representative from the Prentke Romich Company visited me in the hospital after my stroke, it was starting to "sink in" that my body was paralyzed and my speech was gone. No way was I going to wear an infrared light source that was attached to my head! That would mean that I had given up and accepted my condition!
It is now the first year of the new millennium and I have accepted the reality of my disability. My name is Steve Mallory and I have quadriplegia plus severely affected speech. I was trained in aerospace technology as a Quality Engineer and worked primarily with aircraft components and complex high technology materials. However, I have now been faced with the most complex problem of my life.
My first obstacle in overcoming my disability was to realize that I must learn to communicate again -- however I could. I was evaluated for employability by the Maryland Department of Rehabilitation shortly after being discharged from the rehabilitation hospital. Although it was obvious that my physical deficits precluded me from gainful employment, the Department of Rehabilitation still purchased my onscreen keyboard, WIVIK2, from Prentke Romich. I was in heaven! I was now able to type whatever I wanted. I found myself writing letter after letter.
What happened next has been nothing short of a miracle. I was using my keyboard by sliding my arm over the laptray on my wheelchair and then clicking the mouse as I passed over the letter I wanted (with Word Prediction I could type faster than most of my other stroke-survivor friends). I met many other survivors of stroke on the Internet. We all began talking about having a web site for stroke support. Naturally, I volunteered for the chore! That was in 1996 and I haven't stopped designing web pages yet. I have switched from the laboriously tiresome method of typing by sliding my arm on the lapboard to the almost blazing speed of moving the cursor with a Headmaster made by Prentke Romich. I click the stationary mouse and use my head to move the cursor. Visit my web site at http://www.strokenetwork.org/staff/stevemallory.
By the way, I also purchased WIVOX several years ago. I wanted to be able to speak the words that I type. This software is especially excellent for teasing little nephews and nieces. On a more practical note, I've actually used it for speaking on the phone. I really don't use it that often but it can be quite a productive tool.
My real passion has been creating web sites. I have been very proactive with my online stroke support organization. We have had over 100,000 people visit the support web site and it has become so needed that we are now in the process of incorporating and becoming non-profit. I am so thankful for my onscreen keyboard, WIVIK2.