Dan

When Dan’s mom first learned about The Eric Fund through a parent group she belongs to, she was hoping her son could finally get an iPad of his own to help him communicate.

Dan, a 16-year-old teen on the autism spectrum, has challenges communicating verbally and uses an old iPad issued to him through school. His school iPad cannot be updated without permission. Plus, Dan and his family are nervous for him to take the school iPad outside the house or school for fear it will break or something will happen to it. This issue has been exacerbated by the pandemic. With his school iPad being his connection to learning right now, any damage to it could jeopardize his education and repairs would take a long time.

Dan was thrilled to receive from The Eric Fund an iPad of his own to take anywhere he goes, a keyboard and gift card for a specialized app. Dan’s iPad includes the LAMP Words for Life app, a communication tool that works well for him.

Dan and his family look forward to the greater independence the new iPad can bring. “We’re super excited that he is going to have his own device that will grow with him,” his mom said. “It is something that can be with him at all times that he can use to communicate with other people.”

When he’s not in school (which he really enjoys), Dan loves sports, especially basketball, swimming and adaptive skiing. He enjoys spending time with his family, doing things with his big brother, and going to the beach. Dan and his family look forward to an exciting new chapter of communication and greater independence with his new iPad.