My name is Daniel Kyle Pop. I’m 21 years old and I have cerebral palsy.
I graduated from Barrington High School in 2018 and currently I am attending Barrington Transition Program.
My life with a communication device began when I turned 7; before that I had to rely on yes and no questions and eye gaze! It was just hard to ask for anything without words; even my parents always had to get out my thoughts and feelings through a lot of questions! My first device experience began with 12 buttons on Dynavox using the head pointer to access my new talking box! No problem now, I can say what I want, even ask questions about my life!
As I got better at accessing my communication device we started to increase the buttons on the device; today I’m using Word Power vocabulary My Core 117 position.
I used DynaVox device for a few years, increasing the vocabulary with more buttons every year, as I got very very excited about being able to communicate my wants and thoughts.
I was really good at accessing the device with a head pointer; it was direct and a fast touch of the screen!!!
My head pointer became part of my body!!!
Some of the challenges in learning to communicate using the AAC LANGUAGE system was positioning of the device and a lot of strain on my body due to spastic movement. A few years later I tried to work with a new device, Tobii with eye gaze. I thought that it would be easier for me, my eyes moved the cursor, but it was not working if I moved the head. It was just hard to learn how to hold my head still!
After Tobii device, I started using the iPad with the app called TouchChat.
I was able to play fun games which I was never been doing before!!!!!! Toca games were the beginning of my fun with the ipad! Today I’m using an Apple pencil ✏️ attached to my head pointer which makes accessing easier and quicker to navigate my iPad Pro.
Strain on my neck, due to the use of head pointer, was always a big concern for my school team! During sophomore year in high school, I looked at new devices with a different type of accessibility, it was the head mouse that seemed best for me! I can do it easier than the eye gaze because it is allowing me to move my head a little bit more!!! We decided for Accent 1400 with head mouse accessibility and my favorite, TouchChat Word Power vocabulary!! I am faster with the iPad with my head pointer with the Apple pencil but I am catching up with my Accent 1400 with the head mouse! Its very important to me that I am able to communicate my feelings and my thoughts especially with those people who don't know me pretty well. I have a physical disability but I breathe and think like everyone else. With AAC Language system I have a voice like everybody! More than that, with AAC Language I can study and hope to go to college and share life with someone!
In high school I’ve learned how to make iMovies on my iPad Pro, which helps me to get creative with my life’s stories about anything that I want to share with family, friends, and the world.
Last year I was offered to be an ambassador for PRC Saltillo Company. I did my first live conference with them, and I also write blogs and edit iMovies for AAC LANGUAGE LAB.
My plans for the future are to go to Elmhurst College ELSA Program to study technology and ministry. My faith is very very very important to me, I want to help people to know that disability is not the end of the road, but the beginning of a life with new abilities!
