Candace once lost her ability to speak, but through SeeAbility's support, her world began to open up again, and the laughter and the words started to return. Now, Candace decides what she wants to eat, where she wants to go, what groceries to buy. Each small choice is a step toward independence. Each decision is a sign that her voice - one lost - is growing stronger.

Rebecca is part of Candace's support team. She says:

"It's not about making decisions for Candace. It's about supporting her to make her own."

But Rebecca and the team know Candace has even more to share and this could be made possible with the help of new technology - a VOCA tablet. This specialist device will turn typed words into speech - so that Candace could tell the world exactly what she wants to say.

Rebecca says:

"A VOCA tablet would open up new possibilities for Candace. It would give her more of a voice and really reduce the frustrations she feels when she can't communicate exactly what she wants."

Candace's story is just one example of how technology can transform lives.

Across SeeAbility, our teams are using specialist tools to help people express themselves, make choices, and connect with others, many for the first time. 

Leah* loves her independence. She is supported by SeeAbility to live in her own home and she enjoys a full and active life.

But for years, she couldn’t have the life she wanted, because she couldn’t communicate fully. 

Leah used an old app on an outdated tablet to chat with her friends, family and support team. As she does not communicate verbally and has limited hand movement for sign language or Makaton, she relied on this slow, cumbersome technology. She was often unable to express her choices or tell people how she was feeling. 

Like Candace, her world became smaller. Leah grew frustrated and isolated, trapped behind technology that didn’t meet her needs. She began to withdraw from the people she loved. 

Eye-gaze technology changed everything. 

Eye-gaze tracks eye movement, so the user simply has to focus on an item onscreen to select it, making it incredibly intuiti ve for people who face even the biggest communication challenges. 

With this new technology, Leah’s world opened up again. 

She could choose what she wanted to wear each day, where she wanted to go, what she wanted to do - the everyday choices we all take for granted. She reconnected with her family and friends and could finally express herself fully to her support team. 

Everyone could see the happy, vibrant person who had been hidden behind inadequate technology. 

Technology gave Leah back her community, her independence, and her life. 

At Christmas, we’re reminded how much connection matters. The joy of being heard and understood by the people we love.

* Name changed to protect privacy.