Profile of Success - Shelby Vandegrift
Shelby
is a 6-year-old little girl whose smile lights up the hearts of many people.
Shelby graduated from Hand in Hand in 2002 and currently attends Eden Elementary
School where she is a kindergartner along with her twin brother, Shane. Shelby
drives her wheelchair to get around and she uses the Vantage augmentative communication
device to help her speak and write.
Shelby loves reading books, collecting dolls, riding horses with Special Equestrians,
swimming, and being in beauty pageants. She also loves going to school to be
with her friends. Another favorite activity of Shelby's is spelling. She likes
turning to the alphabet page in her device, where she has learned to spell her
name. When at school, Shelby not only uses her device to speak, but also uses
it to take tests and operate the computer. In addition, she has also enjoyed
being in two plays at her church where she was able to use her device to say
her lines. 
Shelby has enjoyed using her augmentative device (Vantage) in order to show others how it works. She was an ambassador for Prentke Romich Company at the Southeast Augmentative Communication Conference in 2002. She made such a wonderful impression that she was asked to be an ambassador again at the national ASHA convention.
On March 15, 2003, Shelby was awarded the Augmentative/Alternative Award from the Speech and Hearing Association of Alabama (SHAA) This was quite an honor for her and her family. She was presented with a plaque and gift at the annual SHAA convention in Mobile, AL. Shelby is recognized for her patience and hard work -in learning to use her Vantage. She is also a great example to others who may use augmentative communication.