Stories to Inspire
Wesley Wee
Finding my path through using the Pathfinder
Wesley Wee was born with cerebral palsy. He shares his experience on using the Pathfinder as a means of communication. This article is edited by his volunteer English tutor, Adrian Heok and was featured in the April 2007 issue of ExtraPage.
My name is Wesley Wee. I like going to the movies, eating Filipino food and going to Lucky Plaza with my friends. I want to go swimming again. The last time I went was when I was eight years old. Now I think I can learn to swim with more confidence.
I was born with cerebral palsy and my grandmother took care of me until I was 18 years old. Later, I met a friend called Kim Nicolson. She has been helping me all these years. One day she asked me if I wanted to go to SPD to learn about new technologies. I told her that I would like that very much. That was when I first came to SPD.
I began by learning how to use computer applications like Microsoft Word and Excel. I feel happy that I am able to use the computer because I can do more things with it like typing this article in ExtraPage for all of you. Also, I learned the Pathfinder because I cannot speak well.
Pathfinder
The Pathfinder, an Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) device, helps me to talk to people because some people find it difficult to understand me, as I cannot speak very well. In the past, I used my handphone to communicate with people by texting SMS. Now, with the Pathfinder, I can talk to people more easily as I can get my ideas across faster and it can read out the things I type. At the end of the day, I feel a great sense of satisfaction because I feel that I can communicate better with other people. I hope that I can teach others how to use the Pathfinder one day because it has helped me so much. The Pathfinder can do more things for disabled people who have difficulty communicating.
Computer
I use the mouse key to move the cursor because I cannot use the original mouse. I have difficulty controlling its movement. I use the sticky keys to help me type capital letters. This is because I find it hard to use the "shift" key.
Internet
I use the Internet to check my emails, read the news and look for information. I like to surf the Internet because I can find many new things there and make friends with strangers. This makes me very happy. I also have a webpage and welcome people to visit me there. My home page address is http://wesleywee.spaces.live.com/.
Learning in SPD
When I first came to SPD, I found learning difficult because suddenly I found that I had a lot to learn. Although overwhelmed by this in the beginning, I had the help of many friends here. Now I find it a lot easier to learn because I have become more familiar with the computer and more confident in myself.
I hope I can go back to school one day because I want to learn new things like computer programming. I have a friend now who is willing to help me learn computer programming languages. I feel very excited. SPD has been helping me in a lot of ways. For example, SPD has been trying to get a powered wheelchair and a personal Pathfinder for me. With these new tools, I can do more and get to places on my own, and talk to more people who had difficulty understanding me before. My experience in learning and going through the training in SPD makes me feel more independent.
I appreciate SPD’s care and concern for me and I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart.