At Forbes: What if Everyone Had Assistive Technology?

America is getting an intimate snapshot of how technology lets inclusion make life better for everyone through the new hit ABC comedy Speechless. (ABC/Kelsey McNeal)

Ever hear that argument? If they give a computer to a kid who has dysgraphia then what would happen if all the kids wanted a computer. I like to answer it with if you gave someone whose legs never let him more than a half a block even with crutches, a wheelchair, then that's good. But if all the kids said, hey I want a wheelchair too then what would you say? You'd probably have a lot of things to say.





Still, it's not so cut and dry. Giving everyone a wheelchair, if one did, would teach a lesson to remember for a lifetime. Some people may learn a lot from that and some people may find that they may want to buy or make one afterwards.  There is so much to learn when you walk in someone else's shoes.

This is what I was trying to get at with my latest story at Forbes.  It starts Minnie Driver who I've loved since Good Will Hunting.  For those of you who have 2e kids, don't you want your kids to marry someone like Skylar? And now in this new show Speechless, she is a kick-ass mother with more guts than I'll ever have and believe me, I can become really persistent but I can never be like her. Wow.

SPEECHLESS- "Pilot" - Maya DiMeo moves her family to a new, upscale school district when she finds the perfect situation for her eldest son, JJ, who has cerebral palsy. While JJ and daughter Dylan are thrilled with the move, middle son Ray is frustrated by the family's tendencies to constantly move, since he feels his needs are second to JJ Soon, Maya realizes it is not the right situation for JJ and attempts to uproot the family again. But JJ connects with Kenneth, the school's groundskeeper, and asks him to step in as a his caregiver, and Ray manages to convince Maya to give the school another chance, on the series premiere "Speechless"  The show airs WEDNESDAYS (8:30-9:00 p.m. EDT), on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Adam Taylor)

Anyway, this is a story about writing with technology.  I have been focusing on this topic heavily for the past two years. It has been the cause for many tears and many eureka moments.  I hope you enjoy the article.  It's at my blog at Forbes!

jenn

Click HERE for the story.