San Bernardino schools use additional funding to buy tools aiding education of special needs students
Special needs students within the San Bernardino County Unified School District were given access to new tools engineered to further their education and develop communication skills previously unavailable.
The San Bernardino County Office of Education was finally able to get the additional funds necessary to purchase the Tobii Dynavox Eye Gaze Machine.
The unit, worth approximately $10,000, enables people with conditions like ALS and cerebral palsy in communication and access their favorite applications or websites all by tracking the user's eye movements.
The text-to-speech tool allows users to put their thoughts into words - a first time occurrence for students like Athan Ortiz.
He was born with hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy, and doctors gave him just 24 hours to live. Now 12 years old, his mother Jessica Cleveland calls him her miracle baby.
"I had my son at 17, and I was told that he wasn't going to make it past 24 hours in. He's now almost a teenager," she said.
Born non-verbal, Ortiz's family has been working to find a way for him to communicate throughout his entire life, something now possible thanks to the school's efforts. They provided Ortiz and several other students with these machines and for the first time in his life, Athan was able to tell his mother "I love you."
Cleveland detailed the miraculous moment, in tears, to CBS reporters.
"It was awesome for me to be able to know that my son has those emotions, she said. "He'll be able to not only tell me, but somebody else in the future."
Athan is able to select words or type out phrases using his eye movements to finally communicate his thoughts.
"Once he was able to actually get out what he wanted and I saw it in his face… he has a voice," his mother continued.
These moments are exactly what the Office of Education had in mind when purchasing the machines.
"This equipment just motivates everybody to keep working on individual students and how we can best connect with them so that we can support their goals," noted Ted Alejandre, the San Bernadino County Superintendent Of Schools.
The schools allow students to take the machine home with them after school so they can continue working on communication with their families, in a setting where they're most comfortable.
Cleveland is nothing but hopeful now when she thinks of Athan's future, one where he can now "get a job or a career," or "get a girlfriend one day."