V-LINC - Providing Independence through Technology -

February is the time for HEARTS and LOVE and V-LINC loves to work with families who have children with disabilities. Not only do we work with them during summer camp, but the “What I Wish for My Child” program provides families the chance to work with an engineer or class of engineering students to co-design a product or adaptation that will make their children more independent! There are many past winners whose children can now do things they never thought they could, from riding a bicycle, to sitting at the dining table with their family, to dressing with little or no assistance. What would a child you know like to do that he or she can't?

Families don't need to know the answers, just the questions; our engineers have enough creative ideas for you and your family. Not to brag, but V-LINC engineers, craftspeople, and medical professionals have developed some fantastic solutions to motivate children to exercise (when they pedal a bike their favorite song might play, for instance), to allow them to safely play with others (on a special secure bicycle, perhaps) or simply to enjoy themselves (a portable, secure swing maybe). Recently a group of students working under the supervision of a V-LINC volunteer engineer, made a safe place for a young boy who could not tolerate noises that might not bother others. He might panic and injure himself at the sound of a neighborhood dog. Now he has a safe haven at home with reduced sound and light. He is so thrilled that he sent the student volunteers a thank you card and his mother has not seen him this happy in a long time.

Please visit the What I Wish for My Child to learn more or submit a request. Requests will be accepted until April 30, 2012.

What I Wish for My Child's Grand Sponsors are WBFF-TV and Northrop Grumman. Additional support is provided by Maryland Orthotics and Prosthetics and UPrinting.

It's not yet spring, but V-LINC is already planning for The Mary Salkever Inclusive Summer Day Camp.  We are recruiting children 7 to 14, those with disabilities and typically developing children, who want to join us for an unforgettable experience. Parents rave about how much their children enjoy camp and how happy they are when they come home after a day at camp. It is a unique experience with technology (like web design) and outings (like the aquarium) and experiences with a diverse group of children who learn to help each other out.

Each child, like Angel shown (above right) with a touchscreen on her computer monitor, is given the tools they need to do what others are doing at their computers. The atmosphere is warm and friendly with only 12 campers and helpers of all ages. Every summer we see new friendships formed and new skills learned. Nothing is as exciting for staff as observing the campers getting to know each other and offering help. Zahid, a long time camper diagnosed with autism also has a short span of attention and boundless energy, yet he found the patience to help Angel on her computer. Angel was independently listening to a story book and getting frustrated as she couldn’t get the book to progress to the next page. Zahid independently walked over and aided Angel by showing her how (not doing for) and where to tap the screen to continue the story.

This year, V-LINC had a lot of requests for modifications to be done to wheelchairs and bikes; 16 to be exact. They are undoubtedly amongst our most popular requests, but did you know that our volunteers are skilled enough to handle projects involving almost any disability? Let’s look at just a few of the other types of projects V-LINC has taken on in the past (when it was still known as Volunteers of Medical Engineering, or VME):

• 1989: A man who was left partially paralyzed due to a stroke contacted V-LINC for some type of device to help him move his arm. A volunteer developed an inflatable pillow operated by an air compressor, which not only provided the arm support, but also allowed the man to exercise.
• 1997: Cedar Lane School’s Career Skills Lab requested V-LINC to make several collator boxes with sensors. If the paper is placed in an incorrect tray, nothing happens. When a sheet of paper is placed in the correct tray, a light will glow. The sensitivity of each sensor can also be adjusted to respond to different shades and weights of paper. This visual feedback the children received from this sorting exercise was helpful in encouraging them to develop their skills.
• 1998: A woman with complex regional pain syndrome required support for her arm while she worked as a clothing inspector. She was fitted with a corset-like garment that has a fishing rod and line and attaches to a support that her arm fits into. The woman used the device at work and said that it allowed her the flexibility and movement she needed, while also solving the problem of pain in her arm.
• 2002/2006: A man with developmental disabilities was enrolled in a vocational training program at Penn-Marr. He had no use of his right hand, so he could not perform his job packaging materials well. An assistive device was constructed to help him place the contents in each bag, and then fold the package evenly to get the contact cement to seal completely. It worked extremely well for the client until the manufacturer redesigned the packaging in 2005, making the custom device unsuitable. V-LINC’s volunteers were once again asked to make meet the man and several of his coworker’s needs by creating a newer version of the device.

As you can see, V-LINC has taken on projects ranging in content and complexity throughout the years. Keep us in mind whenever you have a need that is made more difficult or impossible to meet due to a disability, whether your request is wheelchair-related or otherwise!

Imagine having to ask for help to do something so simple for most people. A young man who has CP and is about to enter high school, doesn't want to have to ask his grandmother for help. Recently a team of students at CCBC-Catonsville designed and fabricated an excellent solution.

We saw this solution at At V-LINC's monthly Project Review & Acceptance Committee meeting on December 14. Volunteer engineers were treated to a great presentation by students from CCBC-Catonsville. The project these students took on for V-LINC was to help Tommy dress himself. Their presentation was memorable because the solution the team developed was significantly under-budget, had a very simple design (some would say elegant) and it is portable. All of these elements make it very user-friendly.

How did we find out about Tommy's dilemma?

Tommy's grandmother heard about V-LINC's What I Wish for My Child Program in the spring of 2011 and submitted a request to us on our web site. It read, "I want Infomation about the device to help my grandson (Tommy Age 11) to dress himself. I heard about the device on Fox 45's  Wednesday morning news show. Thankyou..."

When we contacted the family for details, we learned that Tommy (shown above) can dress himself with moderate assistance and effort. His upper body strength is very good, but he doesn't have sufficient strength and flexibility in his legs to put on his pants solo. Tommy's strengths include his good humor a great attitude. Before approving this request a V-LINC Client Service Team consisting of one a volunteer engineer and medical professional (a physical therapist in this case) visited Tommy at home.

The team assessed Tommy's abilities, saw no health or safety issues that could create concern, and so recommended approval. The Project Review Committee officially approved the project as a What I Wish for My Child winner and V-LINC found an engineering instructor at one of our partnering schools who took on the project for one of his classes.

The CCBC-Catonsville engineering class worked for a whole semester, learning about CP, visiting Tommy, creating various design models and trying out materials to make the dressing device work easily with no rough edges or corners to injure Tommy. The final design earned applause and compliments from the engineers at the final review before Tommy received his dressing assist.

V-LINC is very happy that this is a product that can be replicated for others very inexpensively, is very useful to Tommy and his grandmother and the project provided a client-centered experience for a team of aspiring engineers who obviously took care with their work. Including the client in the process is a wonderful experience for both the engineers, children and adults we help.  The end result is always better with team work!

These three students made the presentation to V-LINC's staff and volunteers for their whole class.

Lauren (on left) is holding the device inserted into a pair of gym shorts.

Hannah has always been “tech-heavy,” relying almost solely on computers for her learning and communicating. Following her premature birth and subsequent complications, she learned to walk and talk almost as well as other children, though somewhat late. But by kindergarten, she had been diagnosed with a host of learning disabilities, including dysgraphia, which necessitated her use of a laptop for writing. Then it turned out she needed programs to learn and communicate effectively. Without these supports, it was as though part of her was trapped on the inside. This was more than 10 years ago and in our area, the schoolteachers who felt comfortable with technology were few and far between. She was the only one in any of her classes who used a laptop.

Her reliance on technology grew with the increasing demands of the classroom, and in the intervening years society’s acceptance and interest in technology likewise grew. Still, schools had a lot of competing priorities and they always seemed to be just a step or two behind in their complete acceptance of technology. In order for Hannah to attend college after high school graduation, we knew we might have a struggle on our hands. What was the state of technology in the real world, outside of the school system? How would a possible lack of understanding from service providers impede Hannah’s ability to be whatever she could be?

Not only were we pleasantly surprised at the response from V-LINC representatives, but we were jubilant. They were invested in Hannah’s potential, not in her limitations. She was assessed thoroughly for any technology needs, and soon we were loading software that was going to enable Hannah to take the next steps into her future with some degree of confidence. Instead of growing fatigued with the physical effort to track tiny text on worksheets and in textbooks, she can use Kurzweil to help with the mechanics of reading and note-taking – allowing her to turn her focus on understanding the material. She has other software that allows her to digitally record lecture notes in class and edit them for later study. Still other software allows her to dictate short writing assignments so she can focus on communicating her thoughts. Instead of stumbling through the mechanics of learning, she is able to spend time on “learning to learn” and developing the self-advocacy skills she will need the rest of her life.

We don’t know what the future holds for Hannah. But what we do know is that tech support has made the difference between a future limited by a severe disability and a future full of choices that she will make herself. It’s this support that will ready her to contribute something to the world someday – at work, at home, in her personal life.

-- Written by Hannah's mom, Teresa.

Matthew is a 9-year-old boy who enjoys playing ball and doing things other children his age like. Matthew also has autism. He gets very scared and has a fight-or-flight response when exposed to normal things we hear and experience every day, like a dishes clanging or a dog barking.

Matthew had already been hospitalized three times in 2011 when his mother, Trish, finally decided one day that enough was enough. She contacted V-LINC to see if there was anything we could do to help Matthew live a more normal life.

Since then, a volunteer team of seniors from CCBC Essex have diligently worked to transform Matthew’s bedroom and basement into “safe places” he can go whenever he feels overwhelmed.

An Early Christmas Present

In December 2011, Matthew's project finally came to a close. Some of the new, sensory-friendly additions to his rooms include a canopy bed with a blue curtain, his favorite color; protected windows that prevent him from harming himself in a fit, but allow access at other times; and a radio built into the basement wall that plays his favorite stations. The entire family couldn't be happier.

"Matthew absolutely loves his bed and the quiet room!!" Trish wrote to instructor Laura LeMire. "I have never seen him so excited :) Your students did an excellent job and we are so grateful to V-LINC, your class and everyone that helped on the projects."

However, Matthew isn't the only person receiving something from this project. He was so happy that he decided to make a thank-you card for all the new friends he made.

John Walker, project coordinator for V-LINC, also had some kind words to say. "The enthusiasm that the class showed from the start of the project is fully reflected here," he said. "All of us who have been with the family understand how much of a challenge Matthew is. You and the class have made life better for him and his mother."