Going for a nice stroll and having a chat are two things we take for granted, doing both together is a dream some people can only wish for.

Unfortunately for my niece, Malita, she can only do one of this activities at a time and both require the use of supportive equipment and devices. What if we could change that and make the impossible a reality. With the help of an Ability Drive, a powered wheelchair, which would allow her to move independently and still have the ability to talk using her Eye Gaze, the impossible can become possible.

Malita is a bubbly 10-year-old with a brilliant sense of humour, a contagious personality and loved by all who meet her. Malita has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and is non-verbal. Due to her condition, Malita has very limited movement and dexterity in her arms and hands, due to this she is unable to use a joystick to drive a power chair. She also has very limited control of other areas of her body, for example; her head, her feet or her legs, meaning she cannot access other ways of controlling a powered wheelchair.

Malita is already a proficient Eye Gaze user, and can use an Eye Gaze to communicate extremely well. Ability Drive is a control system that enables the user to drive powered wheelchairs with their eyes, using eye gaze technology. An Ability Drive, powered wheelchair would allow her to move independently and still have the ability to talk using her Eye Gaze.

As with all new technology, this equipment is not cheap so through various fundraising events we have been trying to raise the money to provide this little bit of independence for Malita.

To help raise funds to enable Malita to move around we will be embarking on a 100km walk along the Jurassic coast in May. Although this challenge will be both physically and mentally gruelling, it is nothing compared to the daily struggles Malita faces. If you could assist with this challenge in anyway, be it a donation or a share on social media, we will be very grateful.