Stolen Dynavox & Safeguarding Communication

by Kristina Chew · 2009-05-02 18:27:00 UTC
Topics:

Dynavox from http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/images_aac/dynavox_3100.jpg
We've written quite a bit about assistive technology and its numerous, potential benefits. While my son currently does not have one, the use of an augmentative communication device for him has brought up repeatedly, due to his limited speech. Currently, he does well enough talking. Another technological device come with benefits, for sure, but also new problems: We've been through a couple of iPods and iPod cases, and things get dropped, thrown, cast upon the lawn, left behind. Charlie brings his iPod to school (it's in the plans to teach him to put on his headphones and turn on the iPod when another student is vocalizing loudly or crying----this has been a long-time reason for him getting upset) and sometimes it hasn't made it into his bookbag.

8-year-old Casey Duncan's Dynavox was stolen from his mother's car in Liberty City, East Texas, last Wednesday, today's Typer Paper reports. Angel Duncan had saved for four years to purchase the device; Casey had had his Dynavox for only a year. Duncan thinks that thieves who stole it may have through the Dynavox---left in her car overnight as part of her son's routine---may have thought it was a laptop:

"I just hope they read this and turn it in somewhere, or a pawnshop realizes what it is and contacts law enforcement. He is really lost without it," [Duncan] said.

Ms. Duncan said even if she orders another device, delivery would take at least six weeks.

"I wish we could just get it back. It is not about the monetary aspect of it, but what it means to him. He has been unhappy since it was stolen. All he did today is write on his board that he was sad," she said.

Get Casey's Dynavox home-----I'll admit this case makes me think twice about technology (for the time being) and certainly of the need to take a lot of precautions. Communication by any means is a right(following up on Dora's post earlier today) and we need to safeguard it, legally and literally.

Kristina Chew
PREVIOUS STORY:
Electronic Health Records at a Third of the Price
NEXT STORY:
Why I'm Asking Aetna to Cover My Surgery

COMMENTS (7)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.