Improve my Independence with Adaptive Equipment

Steven Lynch is organizing this fundraiser.

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My name is Steven Lynch, I'm 29 and have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. I use a wheelchair full time and I have very limited use of my arms and my other extremities. I have also been a full-time ventilator user since 2015.

Lately I've been noticing a faster decline in my muscle ability. This has translated to the decreased ability to be independent and has negatively impacted my quality of life. I've even switched my wheelchair controller to a more sensitive joystick to combat my weaker hand muscles. My caregivers help me live my life and do important things for my health but I'm looking for more things to do on my own. I'm wanting to be employed for the first time, I'm wanting to play video games, I'm wanting to control my environment (open doors, turn on lights, operate the thermostat, ect) and having the ability to do some things on my own will improve my happiness. I decided to research solutions for adaptive equipment.

As I researched adaptive equipment and electronics and I came across a man with an inspiring story. Todd Stabelfeldt has been a c4 quadriplegic for decades yet has found his independence. He's been employed for years, he's been able to control his entire home with just his voice and he seems to have an all around great quality of life. Researching more I discovered Todd was combining Apple Homekit with a device called a tecla to control all of his surroundings. I learned these things would help me do the same.

After a week or two of research I had found several pieces of adaptive equipment that would dramatically improve my quality of life. Some things, I knew about, most of them I didn't. Some of these things included; a video game controller for quadriplegics, an environmental control unit for my wheelchair (tecla-e), a voice control app for my computer, and even a phone mount for my wheelchair. The pricing and descriptions with links are located below.

Getting these funds soon will help me make the changes to improve my independence. I'll get to play video games (a hobby I never thought I'd be able to do again), I'll gain the confidence to actively start looking for my first job as the equipment can allow me to control all of my electronics, I'll be able to control any Bluetooth device in my home with just my voice (allowing me to control mostly everything in my home), and I'll be able to control my phone in my wheelchair, a task I haven't been able to do in years!

I would greatly appreciate any donation and I would be forever grateful. You'd be contributing to my independence and my confidence in life. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

-Steven

Adaptive Equipment Pricing:

tecla-e Switch Kit: an environmental control device giving individuals with mobility impairments full access to smart devices and other mainstream technology. Comes with a mount for my wheelchair, a phone mount for my wheelchair, a wheelchair cable, and an Ablenet Micro Light Switch, an easy push assistive device. (Already purchased through the Laughing At My Nightmare technology grant)
Tecla-e
Micro Light Switch
Phone Mount

Dragon NaturallySpeaking: a sophisticated voice-activated software to control my computer and type with just my voice. (about $300)
Dragon NaturallySpeaking

Quadstick FPS Game Controller: an adaptive gaming controller operated with an individuals mouth that can also double as a computer mouse. (about $550) (Already Purchased)
Quadstick FPS Game Control
http://www.quadstick.com

Flexible Mounting Arm Kit for the FPS Game Controller (about $230) (Already Purchased)
Mounting Arm Kit

Tobii Eye Tracker 4C: an adaptive device that will allow me to control my PC with eye and head movements. (about $230)
Tobii Eye Tracker

Ablenet Sip-and-Puff Switch: allows me to control my iPhone using a single sip-and-puff straw. ($395)
Sip-and-Puff Switch