There are people in this world who have the capability to enable other people who have disabilities to access things that might be otherwise unavailable to them, ultimately expanding opportunities and participation in a variety of events and activities that many people take for granted. This transformation takes place when the person who has the capability to facilitate access truly listens to the person who has the disability and respects what that individual needs and wants. One day, at a local agency that serves persons with disabilities I met such a creative person, an incredible computer technician who was able to recognize existing abilities and develop them into new possibilities; I nicknamed him "The Improvisor. " When I first met The Improvisor we both sensed that our lives were going to change as we began to put our experiences together in innovative ways. Here is our story.

I have cerebral palsy; I am unable to walk and I have difficulty controlling my arm and hand movements. In addition, I have difficulty speaking clearly and therefore it can require a conversation partner to devote a great deal of time and patience in order to understand exactly what I mean. The Improvisor would listen to me for hours as I would explain an idea that I had for making my computer more useful to me. As the conversations progressed he never completely rejected any of my ideas; rather, he modified my concepts to enable us to arrive at a mutual understanding of exactly what it was that I wanted my computer to do. For example, I shared with The Improvisor that I have always wanted to be able to read articles in newspapers and books, but because of my factors associated with by disability I was not able to fully access printed text. After hearing this, The Improvisor developed a program that enabled my computer to read things to me. Since then, I have become a voracious reader of local and national newspapers on-line, expanding my interest and knowledge of national politics, world events, and many other critical issues. As a result of The Improvisor's programming, I am better informed and can express my opinions about events and how they affect my life.

When The Improvisor realized that it was really in my best interest to change my computer's operating system from DOS to Windows, he allowed me the opportunity to find this out for myself by giving me the capability to boot up my computer in either system. This "compromise " provided me with the reassurance that I could go back to DOS at any time if I wanted and allowed me to be comfortable in the process of discovering what I could do in Windows. After I was quite good at Windows, he and I discovered things I could do with the computer to improve my life in numerous ways.

One area that has opened up to me has been writing. Now that I am better informed about current events, I have written numerous articles to express my views. When I write, I use a typing stick that I place through holes in a template over the keyboard to depress the keys. Before I met The Improvisor, I had to settle for typing sticks made out of various materials that all eventually wore out. The Improvisor studied how I used the typing stick and was able to determine just how much pressure I put on it. Armed with that information, he researched materials until he found one that could be used to make a stick that would hold up better under the many hours that I would be using it. He shaped my new stick using a skill saw and after each shaping he let me place the new stick in my hand so he was sure that it was coming out just right. This resulted in a perfectly fitting typing stick that I use about five or six hours a day and has not worn out.

Over time an evolution took place; with my advanced access to information, and my new invincible typing stick I continued to develop opinions and ideas for articles at a rapid rate. What I realized I needed next was a faster and more accurate way to produce words and sentences with my computer. The Improvisor helped me find a word prediction program that worked for me, enabling me to write complete thoughts with fewer keystrokes. With word prediction on my computer, I could write faster and produce more written work than ever before. I could even use the word prediction software to have my computer talk for me over the phone by using it in combination with another program that The Improvisor wrote to dial phone numbers for me.

All of these innovations enabled me to expand my writing abilities and along with that came the concern of backing up and saving all my material. At the time, most computers had one hard drive, one floppy drive, and perhaps a CD-ROM drive. Thanks to The Improvisor, my computer has three hard drives, one floppy, and two CD-ROM drives. With that arsenal, I can make backups of my writings in two or three formats, ensuring both their security and longevity.

As a result of my collaboration with The Improvisor, I now can work in Windows, read newspapers on-line, discuss current events, communicate effectively with other people, write with more authority about a variety of subjects, use word prediction software to write faster, make phone calls and back up all my hard work securely. These things happened because The Improvisor was able to integrate his knowledge and my capabilities in a way that truly has made a difference. As a result, I am an active, contributing, participant in my community. I owe this to The Improvisor. He truly listened to me.

© 2005 ConnSENSE Bulletin