Excerpts from an article called "My authentic voice" by Jon Feucht.

I am a 21-year-old guy. I attend college, where I am majoring in English literature and psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. I live alone in my own apartment. This all sounds like typical responsibilities for the average person starting out in his or her career, but for me they are major accomplishments because I have cerebral palsy. I am not able to walk or talk; that has made my life's journey an ironic series of challenges.

I began my Early Childhood Education program in 1980 and graduated from high school in 1996. During that time I used a manual communications board. Working with a manual board is very time-consuming. Others had to read every word I pointed to. But it worked great, or so I thought.

My biggest challenge so far has been finding the most appropriate computer for use with voice-output that I'd be able to use for speaking anytime. Searching for the right device was also one of the most frustrating tasks I've ever taken on because it involved trying out so many devices before having success...

Then my friends and family understood that my long journey through life without a voice was over, and a whole new world was opening up for me. Nobody knew how much this would change my life, or even if it would.

Being able to reach someone by phone has been one of the biggest changes in my life, particularly since it's not always easy to go see them. I called people who I had not seen in years! I'm now back in touch with old friends and I've rekindled old friendships I thought were long lost. I've been using the telephone for about a year now.