An inspiration

Sarah Elgohary                        

Perspectives of people with different disabilities

Jeff Frankel Week 5 book report 

Week 3

 Onset Broke Ellison became a quadriplegic at age eleven.  

Etiology of disability Broke Ellison was paralyzed on September fourth 1990 when she was eleven year old, after she was coming home from school with her friends instead of taking the bus.  Broke Ellison was hit by a car the car accident damaged her C two in cervical part of the spinal cord. Broke Ellison had no brain activity for thirty six hours after the aaccident. The accident made her a quadriplegic she was paralyzed from the neck down.  Broke Ellison cannot move her arms and legs. Broke Ellison cannot breathe on her own she uses a mechanical ventilator to breath. Broke Ellison uses a motorized wheelchair to get around.  

Broke Ellison treatment after the accident  

She spent a few weeks in the hospital .9 Months of rehabilitation therapy followed the accident.  Brooke needed a respirator for breathing, assisted feeding, catheterization for all body wastes, and instead of worrying about boys, she was worrying about bed sores and the seemingly infinite variety of everyday activities that we take for granted. Her home was renovated (with the help of friends, neighbors, and community fund-raising drives) to accommodate Brooke’s needs. While most of the attention was focused on those body parts that were below the point of injury, what would happen to the mind and dreams of this bright, smiling soon-to-be teenager?

After her condition stabilized, Brooke was home-schooled by four teachers from the middle schools in an everyday summer program. Never before had a student on life support attended mainstream classes in the local Long Island, N.Y., school district. To do so, Brooke needed a specially-equipped bus for transportation, someone to take notes for her, and nursing care. The school district provided all of the necessities and Brooke’s mother Jean (a special education teacher) attended classes with Brooke as her personal nurse.

In the beginning, Brooke had to dictate her essay assignments to others. She had to do all math computations in her head and tell the answers to someone who would write them for her. She received assistance from many school friends and teachers. But not everyone gave Brooke special treatment; one teacher told her, “I don’t accept late papers and never give extensions. You are going to be treated like everyone else. Frankly, Brooke, I’m not sure whether you’re able to handle this program….” Yet the combination of personal drive, hard work, family, friends, and yes, teachers, must have worked, because Brooke finished junior high and high school with a top grade-point average.

Brooke’s family sought new technologies to increase her ability to function independently. A sip-and-blow straw technique allowed Brooke to turn the pages of her school texts, write some term papers, use the television, and take part in a series of other activities. There were major time limitations, however, with using the straw technology. In addition, constantly holding the straw between her teeth adversely affected her temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

Brooke’s dad read about the UCS 1000 TM Tongue Touch Keypad TM (TTK), manufactured by the new Abilities System Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif. The TTK is a battery-operated, wireless transmitting device, similar in appearance to an ordinary orthodontic retainer, which contains nine tongue-activated keys. When pressed, the keys use radio waves and infrared technology to activate an array of devices and equipment in the user’s immediate environment. The TTK is customized to an individual’s mouth and fits against the roof of the mouth in a comfortable and unobtrusive way. The unit is made from biocompatible dental material and may be worn at all times except when eating or performing dental hygiene.

Brooke’s father consulted with her dentist to inquire about the suitability of the TTK for his daughter. The dentist felt it was a perfect fit and they submitted a pre-determination to their health insurance carrier. The pre-approval was requested on the evidence that the chronic use of the sip-and-blow straw was overworking the muscles of the TMJ (her only functional joint), which could lead to severe symptoms that can accompany TMJ syndrome. After multiple frustrating denials and resubmissions, the approval was finally granted and the dentist was able to take the impressions of Brooke’s dentition and begin the long process of giving Brooke the independence about which she dreamed.

The combination of the TTK and voice recognition equipment opened the expanding world of electronics to Brooke and imbued her with an increased sense of self-reliance and independence, as well as dignity and security. She now was able to move her wheelchair, rapidly call for help in case of emergencies, access the Internet, produce reports, and respond to e-mails via voice recognition at a rate that would be required if she planned to complete college-level class work.

Brooke set her goals on an Ivy League school since she had earned an A+ average, graduated from high school with high honors, and scored a 1510 on her SAT. She was accepted by Harvard University and was provided with financial aid, transportation, an extra-large dormitory room, a wheelchair-accessible bathroom, and room for mom to live with her. Brooke spent four years at Harvard, during which she majored in cognitive neuroscience with a dual concentration in psychology and biology. The topic of her thesis was “hope.” In 2000, she earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in cognitive neuroscience and was selected by her fellow students to speak at graduation. However, this was not the end to her education. She continued at Harvard, earning a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 2004; she later earned her doctorate in political psychology at Stony Brook University in New York.

Brooke and her mother co wrote a book (Miracles Happen) that detailed their struggles—such as the slow realization that Brooke would never regain the use of her arms and legs or breathe without a respirator—and their triumphs. Brooke’s life also was depicted in the motion picture The Brooke Ellison Story, which was directed by fellow quadriplegic Christopher Reeve.

After the book and movie were produced, Brooke spent her days answering and responding to e-mails from people worldwide, answering and making telephone calls, giving inspirational talks, and writing. In 2006, Brooke ran for the New York State Senate to represent her home district. Although she lost to the incumbent, 40 percent of the voters agreed that there was a need for a change in representation in the legislature and that she was the individual for the job. When asked about her future, Brooke speaks of political action groups, the need for stem cell research, and a range of community service programs. But what attracts most people to Brooke is her drive, determination and, yes, her smile.