Matthew Harris, a 65-year-old resident of Glen Burnie, Maryland, is rediscovering the joy of communication and connection, thanks to iCanConnect, the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program. iCanConnect is a national program with local contacts that provides free distance communication equipment and training for qualified individuals who have significant combined hearing and vision loss.
Living with Usher syndrome, a genetic condition that has rendered Matthew blind and with increasing hearing loss, he faced considerable challenges staying connected with friends, family, and his community. Before iCanConnect, Matthew struggled with essential distance communication tasks. “I was struggling with text messaging and navigating through emails,” he recalls. The isolation that often accompanies dual sensory loss was a daily reality.
Through a Facebook support group for spouses of individuals with Usher syndrome, Matthew’s wife learned about iCanConnect. This discovery led Matthew to apply to the program. Once he was accepted, his local iCanConnect representative met with him to discuss his distance communication needs and goals. Through iCanConnect, Matthew received essential equipment, including a computer, braille display, a smartphone, headphones, and a smartphone keyboard. In addition to the equipment, Matthew received training on how to use his new technology.
“I received excellent training through the program,” Matthew shares. “My trainers were very knowledgeable of the technology and possessed a tremendous amount of patience.” They set up his computer and cellphone, helping him master Outlook for email – a program he had always found challenging. “After training, I am now a confident Outlook user and find it easier to use as a totally blind person than I did when I still had some sight,” Matthew says.
His iCanConnect trainers also set up the braille display and connected it to Matthew’s computer, integrating it with JAWS, the audio assistive software he uses. This combination has been a “gamechanger.” Matthew explains, “It allows me to read in braille what’s on the computer screen. It not only helps me feel more connected to the world but also allows me to read and edit messages more effectively. For example, JAWS uses a sound effect to indicate uppercase letters. But with my hearing impairment, I cannot pick up the tone; but with the braille display, I can feel if the letter is uppercase or not.” As his hearing loss progresses, Matthew knows he will still be able to communicate effectively using the braille display he received through the program.
The impact of iCanConnect on Matthew’s daily life has been profound. “As a result of the equipment and training I received through iCanConnect, I am able to participate better in typical everyday communications,” he says. Simple interactions that many take for granted, like a text message from his daughter saying, “Hey dad, just left my house. I’ll be there in 20 minutes,” or being included in a group text about a loved one’s condition, are now possible. “We often take for granted such simple communication encounters such as these, that is, until something like deafblindness disconnects us from them,” Matthew reflects.
Matthew is a strong advocate for iCanConnect. “I highly recommend the program to anyone who would like to get reconnected to their family and friends,” he says. He has already shared information about the program with a former social worker and his wife has spread the word in her online support group. “I quite often tell people how iCanConnect has been an answer to my prayers,” he adds.
Beyond everyday communication, iCanConnect has also empowered Matthew to continue pursuing his passion for poetry. “By further expanding—on my own—the skills I learned from iCanConnect to communicate through emailing and texting, I can still reach the community at large with my poetry,” he shares. He recently wrote a poem, “Where I Go,” to bring awareness to the experience of living with blindness and hearing loss, and is currently working on a poetic novel. “Although this book is not about blindness or deafness, it will show what a person with dual sensory challenges can achieve, and that’s largely because now I can connect—pun intended, by the way.”
