The entertainment and mobile computing behemoth, Apple iPad, the tablet device that has taken the world by storm, seems to have now achieved a very noble purpose of becoming a vital communication tool for Owen Cain, a seven year old boy who is suffering from a motor-neuron disease since he was born. This remarkable breakthrough came from an unplanned move, where in Owen instinctively touched the screen of an iPad and launched an application called, Gravitarium, thereby being able to have some semblance of communication.
Owen’s parents in the last few years have tried numerous electronic communication devices in an effort to enable the kid to connect with others. However, until the arrival of the iPad all such efforts were in vain. Since the launch of Apple iPad in the month of April this year, the device has not only become a dream gadget for tech enthusiasts, but has also proven its usefulness for numerous patients with varying types and degrees of disabilities. At present many medical institutions such as Walter Reed Army Medical Center are using iPads to provide the disabled with precious communication tools, including parents of children suffering with autism, who are now taking the help of iPads to teach their kids some of the most basic motor skills such as brushing teeth and communicating with others.
According to Ellen Goldstein (Mother of Owen Cain),
“We have spent all this time keeping him alive, and now we owe him more than that. I see his ability to communicate and to learn as a big part of that challenge — not all of it, but a big part of it. And so, that’s my responsibility.”
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