A Halifax woman living with cerebral palsy is thanking her community for giving her a voice.
About one in every 500 newborns are affected by cerebral palsy and the disease affects each person in a unique way. Some people have no control over their limbs while others can’t speak.
Penny Kitchen is affected in both ways – she has no use of her legs, arms or voice - but she has refused to let it slow her down.
“My mom has fought for disability rights for many, many years and through that, Penny ended up going to regular school and graduating from Sir John A,” says Kitchen’s sister, Patricia Phonchareaon.
Kitchen then completed a Bachelor of Commerce from Saint Mary’s University. She now spends her time talking aboutcerebral palsy at a variety of events.
Her life was recently made a little easier with the help of the Accent 1200 - an advanced eye gaze tracking system that allows her to communicate. The device is the first of its kind in Nova Scotia.
“It works like a camera and it sees where her eye is looking and it will then click,” says Phonchareaon.
With the Accent 1200, Kitchen can access the Internet, check her email and create presentations, thanks to a scanner that follows her eye movements, allowing her to create sentences.
Before, Kitchen communicated using a special system of eye signals, looking up for yes, down for no. She has had other devices to help her communicate, but none as sophisticated as the Accent 1200.
“It’s going to be faster and she’s going to be able to communicate with more people. People understand her more and it is quite portable,” says Phonchareaon.
Kitchen first saw the Accent 1200 at a conference in Toronto and immediately wanted one, but couldn’t afford it. That’s when John Lebelle stepped in.
Lebelle is a war veteran from Kitchen’s church and when he heard about her situation, he decided to help.
“He approached the minister, Pastor Kimber, and said, ‘I’d like to set up an account and let’s fundraise,’” says Phonchareaon. “He was just gung-ho, he was amazing. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think we would have got there.”
They managed to raise the $25,000 needed through donations and Kitchen has a message for everyone who worked so hard to help get her the device.
“Thank you Halifax for giving me a voice.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Matt Woodman
