MATP in Marquette: James’ Story

James works at Pathways in Marquette doing janitorial work and at times needs to communicate with his employer or even the bus driver who brings him to work. Due to his many disabilities, one of them being extreme hearing loss, James has a very hard time communicating clearly with others.  His mom, Judy, is usually able to understand him but oftentimes finds herself struggling as well.

James was referred to Tanya, Assistive Technology Advocate at the Superior Alliance for Independent Living (SAIL).  When Tanya met with James and his mom for the first time, it became a true mission to find something that would help him communicate clearly with others.  Through a device demonstration, James learned about the application “Verbally” for his iPad, which turned out to be the answer he was looking for.  When Tanya showed James how the application worked he was eager to tell us how he was doing when asked.  After showing him the repeat button, he typed in “I love you Mom” and kept hitting repeat.

Upon leaving his house! Tanya said, “See you later alligator” to which he replied with his iPad, “After while crocodile” several times all while laughing with a big smile on his face!