Nick and his family have tried several times to get him an iPad to better communicate, but each time, they hit a brick wall with the insurance company who refused to fund it. They denied the essential equipment “because he can play games on it,” his mother said. So when Nick learned he was receiving an iPad, keyboard and case from The Eric Fund, he spelled out on his laminate letter board: “I am very excited and grateful!”

Nick, 15, is on the autism spectrum and has challenges communicating verbally. A fun-loving, caring kid, he did not find a communications system that worked for him until he was 10 years old. The app worked only on the iPad, but Nick and his family could not get funding for the device until they found The Eric Fund. In the interim, Nick communicates on a laminate word board. His mom says Nick is a “typical teenager who wants to be able to talk on his own” and not have her translate all his conversations from his board. The iPad will give Nick the independence and autonomy he desires. “The independence is going to be phenomenal. He will have his own voice and be able to talk to anyone he wants to without me being there,” she added.

In his spare time, Nick enjoys walks, basketball, being outside and spending time with family and friends. “He is a great kid,” his mom said. “He brings us so much joy.”

Caroline can’t wait to get started creating new art with the iPad, keyboard, pencil and case she received from The Eric Fund. Caroline is a 27-year-old artist and graphic designer with cerebral palsy who has her own design business and creates original artwork on the computer that she sells at art shows, craft fairs and on her website: www.labradorabledesigns.com

A power wheelchair user who always has her service dog, Shelly, by her side, Caroline is excited to find a new way to create her art using the iPad. “I am looking forward to learning how to do my art right on the screen with the iPad pencil or my finger. I think it will be easier and more fun than what I do now, which is draw with my finger on a MacBook track pad,” she said. “I look forward to trying different art apps on it, and keeping my website updated. I hope to grow my business by learning more about online market- ing, especially since I can’t do fairs and shows during COVID. It will make me more independent in every day life, because I can use it to text, write emails and look up information.”

She looks forward to the iPad helping her expand her business in-person as well once the pandemic subsides. “Hopefully when this COVID thing is over, I’m going to do more art shows again, and plan to use the iPad for taking payments,” she shared. “I’m also hoping to learn how to do more photography with the iPad camera. It’s also fun taking classes and seeing people through Zoom, so I’m going to look for more things like that. It will help me learn new things and stay in touch with people. I’m excited.”

When Caroline is not busy creating, learning and running her business, she enjoys riding horses and driving a horse-drawn carriage, writing and listening to music, exploring big cities, and going to concerts, movies and art museums. Caroline is also a disability activist who volunteers for Canine Companions for Independence (where she got her service dog, Shelly) and at a therapeutic riding program.

She said just like Eric Savader for whom The Eric Fund was founded, she enjoys adventure: “From what I’ve learned, Eric was a wonderful guy, who lived life to its fullest while he could. I feel the same way,” she said. “My cerebral palsy and wheelchair don’t stop me from riding and skiing and traveling, and I have many more adventures ahead.”

Leticia is a single mother from northern Virginia who suffered a traumatic brain injury, spinal injury and other injuries due to an accident. Since the accident, Leticia has been on a long journey from the hospital to an assisted living environment, to a shelter and now back into housing. Due to her injuries, Leticia has mobility and administrative skill difficulties, a visual disability and other challenges.

The Eric Fund purchased an iPad for Leticia to stay on top of bill paying, keep up with daily activities, medical care and case workers she coordinates with, including those that have moved their services to apps and online platforms for transmitting information and communication. With services going digital during the pandemic, the equipment has become essential for Leticia and her family to maintain activities of daily living, coordinate services as well as medical care and equipment, and help with her child’s education. Leticia said she thanks God each day she was able to survive and get back to being a Mom to raise her child. The Eric Fund is honored to provide this equipment for Leticia to help her and her family navigate the next steps of their journey.

Carvel is a 17-year-old teen with autism, sensory processing and verbal expression challenges. An evaluation showed Carvel would benefit from an iPad for word recall and putting sentences together to increase his communication ability. He currently communicates using two-to three-word phrases, but the iPad will help open Carvel’s world. Carvel’s mom, a single mom raising five children, shared that Carvel also wants to be social but needs technology to assist him in communicating and being independent. She added that the iPad will help her son immensely.

In his spare time, Carvel loves to sing, draw and build elaborate Lego sets. He also swims and plays basketball on a local Special Olympics team.

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.

Ibem is a 30-year-old man with developmental and cognitive disabilities, short-term memory challenges, as well as executive functioning and auditory processing conditions. Ibem’s evaluation showed an iPad would be a good fit for him. The iPad he received from The Eric Fund will help him better communicate, organize himself, and use assistive technology as he actively looks for supported employment. An iPad would help him make that successful transition to a workplace and have job success by keeping him on task, on track, and communicating more effectively.

A high school graduate who attended community college, Ibem completed a four-year program and earned his apprenticeship diploma in plumbing. He plans to study and take the licensing exam to become a plumber in the future after serving as an apprentice in the field for a while. Ibem’s mother shared that the iPad will help him greatly in achieving that goal and many others.

In his leisure time, Ibem enjoys puzzles and virtual calls with his sister and her new baby. Before COVID-19, Ibem was volunteering

at his church and at the Northern Virginia affiliate of Rebuilding Together, a home rebuilding and repair organization. Fortunately, these groups have regular socials on Zoom that he now participates in to stay connected. Now that Ibem has his own iPad, he can participate in calls on his schedule as he won’t have to share the family computer.

Ibem was in his own assisted living apartment for the past four years until COVID-19 began and he wasn’t able to get the personal care he required. It was a difficult decision, but his mother determined he needed to be at home with her. He looks forward to returning to his own apartment with his new iPad once the pandemic is over.

Garvin is an 18-year-old young man with intellectual disabilities, speech & language challenges and other health issues. He was evaluated for an iPad and was shown to have success with it. Assistive technology like an iPad will help Garvin in school and in the community. The iPad he received from The Eric Fund will help him with reminders, visual reminders, cueing and note taking. Garvin has challenges keeping up with note taking due to his handwriting speed. The voice-to-text feature of the iPad will help him as he has limited ability to express himself in writing. The iPad will help Garvin with school, homework and employment exploration.

When he’s not in school, Garvin enjoys music and has had DJ gigs for the local ARC chapter and other organizations. He has also been actively involved in a program called the I’m Determined Project, a state-directed program funded by the Virginia Department of Education, that focuses on providing direct instruction, models and opportunities to practice skills associated with self-determined behavior. This project facilitates youth, especially youth with disabilities, to undertake a measure of control in their lives, helping to set and steer their own course rather than remaining the silent passenger. Garvin’s mother said the program has been very good for him and wanted to share information about it.