2025
Victoria (November 2025)
Victoria is 52 years old. She suffered from a severe stroke in January 2024 which resulted in the loss of her speech and the use of the right-hand side of her body. Prior to this she was a happy, loving and sociable wife and mother whose hobbies included interior design, art and keep fit. Victoria is now unable to continue working and is being supported by her elderly parents and carers.
Since being discharged from hospital, Victoria has had regular therapy aimed at using a total communication approach to allow her to express her needs independently. She has been using a ClaroCom app on an iPad with good results. Her Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) told us that it increased her confidence and independence and meant she could communicate her needs with family and carers. Unfortunately, Victoria did not prosses her own iPad and the available loan was only for a limited period.
Victoria was awarded a grant to fund the iPad and the Clarocom app.
Nayel (November 2025)
Nayel is 6 years old. He has autism and is nonverbal. Nayel lives with his mum, dad and sister and has help from his grandparents. His mum tells us that he is a very loving, happy little boy who loves swimming, trampolining and going to the park.
Nayel attends a specialist school which caters for pupils with complex needs. His SLT reports that he is highly motivated by the class iPad with the Prologuo2go communication app and will use it to make his wants and needs known. She believes if he had the same app to use with the home iPad it would provide continuity between school and home and support his progress. At present Nayel is working below age related expectations but with the correct interventions it is believed his communication skills will improve.
Nayel was awarded a grant to fund the Proloquo2go app.
Bella (November 2025)
Bella is 10 years old. She has a diagnosis of Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome and duplication of short arm chromosome 8. Bella also has a cleft palate and presents with a complex and highly disordered profile of severe speech and language difficulties associated with her underlying diagnoses which make it difficult for her to make herself understood.
Bella lives at home with her parents and her younger sister and attends a specialist speech and language school which provides intensive support, structure and therapy.
Bella’s mum tells us that she is a creative and curious young lady who thrives when she is engaged in hands-on playful activities. She especially enjoys dancing and is increasingly showing interest in using technology to support her communication, especially when it gives her independence to express her own idea and choices. One of Bella’s biggest achievements is beginning to type short phrases and use symbols to express herself, which is a huge step given her complex speech and language needs.
The SLT who works with Bella at her school reports that she is a highly sociable and communicative young person. She has opportunities to use a school laptop and Clicker 8 software during structured sessions in school and both the class team and her family feel that Bella would benefit massively from having her own equipment. It would give her continuity between school and home and support her in all areas going forward.
Bella was awarded a grant to fund a laptop with a lower case colour coded keyboard, software and printer.
Susan (April 2025)
Susan is 68 years old. She was diagnosed with cancer of the voice box in November 2013 and, although she fought to keep her voice, sadly she had to have a laryngectomy (removal of the voice box). Susan lives with, and is supported by her partner, and her daughter visits regularly.
She describes herself as a kind and caring person, who is willing to help others. Susan really loves to be sociable but after surgery she is unable to express herself or interact with others to share her thoughts and feelings with them. She is finding this change extremely frustrating to cope with.
Susan’s Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) reports that she had a trial on the BlomSinger EL2000 which has made a huge difference to her and, in effect, has given her a voice. She was able to communicate with society, increasing her independence, self-esteem and confidence. Having a device of her own would greatly improve her quality of life and means she can communicate with a much broader range of people. Her family are unable to afford this device themselves.
Susan was awarded a grant to fund the BlomSinger EL2000.
Charles (April 2025)
Charles is 29 years old. He has Cerebral Palsy and also has learning difficulties; he has been disabled since birth and is non-verbal. Charles lives with his mother, who tells us that he is a very happy, sensitive and funny young man and has a very close supportive family who all play a big part in his life.
Charles and his mother have joined a theatre company which she says has changed his life. He attends 3 or 4 times a week and, if there is a show, he is there every day. Charles loves being part of the group and to be an accepted and valued member. Charles also enjoys taking trips on steam trains and has ridden on the Flying Scotsman.
Charles’s SLT said that he had been loaned an iPad with GoTalkNow which has helped improved his behaviour, as he is less frustrated as he is able to communicate what his needs are, especially when he is in pain. It has also relieved his frustrations when going to medical appointments. She says that having his own device will be life changing for him and will also enable him to participate even further with his theatre group.
Charles was awarded a grant to fund an iPad with the GoTalkNow app.
Nazeem (April 2025)
Nazeem is 8 years old. He has Autism, Global Development Disorder and is non-verbal, making every day communication extremely difficult for him.
He lives with his mother and younger sister and has a strong and supportive family network. They describe him as a bright, caring and loving child with a sensitive and gentle nature and he brings joy to those around him. Nazeem enjoys listening to music and spending time outdoors. He loves water and sensory play, which helps him relax and engage with the world. Nazeem finds it very difficult if his daily routine changes and he particularly dislikes any loud noises.
Nazeem recently had a trial on a loaned piece of equipment which was very successful and his mother said that it felt like he finally had a voice. His SLT tells us that if he had his own device, it would allow him to express himself more freely. A communication device will improve his quality of life and support his developmental needs.
Nazeem was awarded a grant to fund an iPad with the Grid app.
Message from Nazeem’s mother:
“He enjoys using it to communicate and make choices throughout the day. He is so happy now at least he can say something. Once again thank you so much for us this was life change for him.’
David (April 2025)
David is 49 years old. He had a haemorrhagic stroke 5 years ago which has resulted in Aphasia and Apraxia, causing severe impairment of his linguistic capabilities. He lives with his wife and two children and his wife describes him as a very caring positive person. Before his stroke David was an IT Director of his own company and he loved playing football and was an expert at fixing computers.
David’s SLT tells us that his condition is unlikely to improve but the equipment that she is recommending will give him an effective way of communicating. It would have set phrases/sentences which will allow him to communicate with others in a variety of settings. Family would be able to update these as needed and it would help increase his confidence when socialising with others.
David was awarded a grant to fund an iPad with a text to speech app.
Kaiden (April 2025)
Kaiden is 19 years old. He has Angelman Syndromewhich is a genetic disorder causing problems with speech and balance, mental disability, and sometimes, seizures. Like most people with this syndrome, Kaiden requires constant care.
The Sequal Trust first supplied Kaiden with a communication aid in 2018 but this has now deteriorated and needed to be replaced urgently. Kaiden lives with his mother, who is his main carer and she describes him as a happy young man who loves watching YouTube, swimming and being taken out. Having a communication device has been life changing for Kaiden. It allows him to interact with family, friends and peers and has had a huge impact on his confidence, independence and mental wellbeing.
Kaiden was awarded a grant to fund a replacement iPad with a rugged carrying case (the licence for the original software is transferrable so there was no new additional charge for this).