Profile of Success - Scott Kirklin
Submitted
by Michelle Mineo, Scott's SLP
On March 11, 2005, I attended the Ohio Speech-Hearing-Language Association's award luncheon for the first time. I was accompanying Scott Kirklin, the Association's recipient of the 2005 Outstanding Consumer Award. We spent a few minutes working out the details of how he would accept his award. Scott wanted to add a quick blurb to his pre-stored acceptance message, and he wanted me to make the changes for him, as I can program the Pathfinder a little bit faster than he can. I was soon completely flustered, because I couldn't find his Activity Row anywhere, . . . and they were calling him up to the microphone. I looked at him helplessly, and told him I didn't know what he should do. He smiled, drove up to the microphone, and found the Activity Row. As he began to speak, the lunch chatter quieted down, and people stopped to listen to what he had to say. And I was reminded of why I had nominated him for the award, and why he so deserved it. I was panicked, and he was a calm and effective communicator - to a room of 500 speech pathologists, no less. I had no idea what was wrong with his Pathfinder, and he found the missing speech! No problem!
Scott Kirklin is twenty-nine years old, drives a power wheelchair, and has used PRC products for at least the last ten years. He has a girlfriend, he likes to go bowling, and he uses a computer to do his work and play his games. He works at ARC Industries North (Columbus Ohio), typing up plant meeting minutes, making picture communication boards for others, and teaching Ohio State University Graduate Students a little bit about augmentative communication. He also recently spoke to Ohio Legislators about Medicaid funding for AAC. He is learning to paint with a head pointer. He is doing some work as a PRC Ambassador, showing other AAC users what their devices can do. And he does all of this with a head switch and his Pathfinder.
In Scott's own words: "I like Pathfinder to talk to people. I love Pathfinder to work on computer. I want to telephone Donna Ann. I love my girlfriend Donna Ann. I want job in grocery store."
Look at information on the Pathfinder