My name is Dallas – I’m 14 and I live in Minnesota. I have CHARGE syndrome, and for a while, it was hard for me to communicate and connect with my family and friends.
Back in 2019, I was going to a school that was a long 45-minute bus ride away. It was really frustrating because I couldn’t always talk to my parents when I wanted to, like on the bus or at school, because the old technology we had wasn’t great and there wasn’t always cell service.
Then, through the Minnesota DeafBlind Project, my parents found out about iCanConnect, a program that provides free communication equipment and training to people like me who have significant combined hearing and vision loss.
My parents helped me apply – and once I was accepted into the program, a trainer came to my house to figure out what equipment I needed to help me with distance communication.
Now “iCanConnect” with family and friends
Not only did I get an iPad, but I got training on how to use it, too. I could finally talk to my parents whenever I wanted!
I used FaceTime with my mom on those long bus rides to and from school. I also used the voice-to-call and voice-to-text features a lot to keep in touch with everyone. I even started connecting with other gamers on Minecraft. I’d use the chat feature on my iPad to talk to other players and work together on adventures. I also discovered a new hobby – taking pictures and videos on my iPad and sending them to my grandparents. It was another way for me to share things with them and feel close to them.
It’s been a few years, and I still use my iPad every single day. It’s one of the things that’s made the biggest difference in my life.
It really changed how I connect with others. I use FaceTime all the time. Seeing the person’s face and lips on the screen helps me understand them better and have good conversations with my family and friends.
I love learning, and right now, I’m really into world geography and history. I’m fascinated by different cultures, especially the food people eat. I enjoy taking what I learn and sharing it with others.
My intervener (a specially trained person who helps people who are deafblind, like me, connect with the world) and I have been using my iPad to find restaurants that serve authentic food from different regions, like Indonesia, Africa, and China. I search for the restaurants and then send the information to my intervener and we talk about it.
I’m so grateful for iCanConnect. It’s literally opened up a whole new world for me!
About the author
Dallas Bauer is a 14-year-old Minecraft enthusiast and aspiring foodie from Hastings, Minnesota who has CHARGE syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes a range of physical and developmental conditions, including hearing and vision loss.
About iCanConnect
iCanConnect is a national program with local contacts that provides free distance communication equipment and training to qualified individuals who have significant combined hearing and vision loss.
For more information, or to see if you or someone you know qualifies, visit www.iCanConnect.org or check out this video. You can also follow iCanConnect on Facebook, X, TikTok, and YouTube.
For additional insight on real-world experience with iCanConnect, read these #MyBlindStory posts from Larry Faunterloy, a 58-year-old event coordinator and activity liaison from Baltimore, and Burgon Jensen, a 31-year-old teacher, self-taught crochet artist, and motivational speaker from Draper, Utah.
