Dee is a 17-year-old student with cerebral palsy and quadriplegia who uses a wheelchair and assistive communication devices. She attends a residential school for students with special needs but wants to study at Belfast University after completing her A-Levels. Dee enjoys the support of her residential school but feels she has missed out on social experiences. She is concerned that her verbal communication is unclear to most people and that her current communication equipment is too slow to support her independence at university.

1. Facilitating participation
Dee’s story

2. Dee
is
17
years
old
and
is
due
to
sit
her
A-­‐levels
within
the
next
12
months.
She
is
skilled
in
using
computers
for
her
wri@en
work;
and
her
teachers
have
predicted
that
she
will
get
good
grades.
Introducing Dee

3. Introducing Dee
Dee
currently
a@ends
a
residenBal
school
for
children
with
special
needs.
She
has
cerebral
palsy
and
quadriplegia.

4. Introducing Dee
She
uses
an
electric
wheelchair
for
mobility;
and
has
an
electronic
device
to
support
her
communicaBon
with
others.
She
has
a
range
of
assisBve
technology
equipment
to
support
her
needs
but
these
are
now
geEng
old.

5. Dee and school
Dee
has
enjoyed
being
at
a
residenBal
school,
and
appreciates
that
this
has
helped
her
to:
•
Achieve
her
full
academic
potenBal
•
Communicate
with
others
be@er
•
Learn
to
be
independent
within
a
home
environment
However,
Dee
feels
that
she
has
missed
out
on
many
other
areas
of
her
life
by
being
there.

6. Dee’s plans
•
Dee
is
desperate
to
achieve
her
key
goal,
which
is
to
study
at
Belfast
University
following
her
A-­‐levels.
•
Her
parents
are
keen
to
support
her,
but
are
worried
about
her
living
away
from
home
without
specialist
care
input.
•
She
wants
to
be
able
to
study
and
socialise
with
a
much
wider
range
of
people.
•
She
would
like
to
take
part
in
some
mainstream
sports
and
outdoor
pursuits,
perhaps
compeBng
with
able-­‐bodied
people.

7. Dee’s concerns
Dee’s
only
worries
are
that:
•
Her
verbal
communicaBon
is
not
clear
to
most
people
outside
the
school;
•
Her
current
communicaBon
equipment
is
too
slow.