By Morgan Smoker, PRC-Saltillo Ambassador
Hey everyone, my name is Morgan Smoker. I am known as an infamous Ambassador and the World’s Greatest Photographer! I was born with a rare genetic disorder called Glutaric Aciduria. I have been in a wheelchair since I was four, but I am still so full of life. I have been using my communication device since I was three years old. I operate my wheelchair with only my head and use my communication device with the dot on my head called a "Head Tracker" and specifically it is called Nupoint. The Head Tracker (Nupoint) is a reflective dot that allows a sensor in the computer to sense my movement and emulate it as a computer mouse. I can move my head around, clicking buttons and typing words to express my feelings, make jokes, and share my story. Without my Accent1400, and Nupoint I wouldn't be able to express my feelings, tell others what is on my mind, and so much more… about which I have a story to tell you in a little bit.
Anyway, you may ask, “How did I start using my first communication device?” In preschool, my old speech language pathologist let me try a communication device from PRC that was called the “Vanguard” and all it had was 20 Unity keys. I could program keys for phrases or words for what I wanted to say to people. Throughout my years, the company has updated the communication devices and now I have an Accent 1400.
So now, I will tell you, my story. Always remember not to take things for granted because one day, it literally may be gone just like that. Remember when I said, I can move my head around, clicking buttons and typing words to express my feelings, make jokes, and share my story. Well, a few months ago, my head pointer kept freezing up and I kept restarting it over and over. So the next morning, I told my nurse to take off the Nupoint and clean it. After she put it on, the green light on my Accent didn’t come on, so I was praying that it would work. But nope, it stopped working. And oh yeah, I was going camping the next day, so it needed to be fixed. So, I drew up letters with my head to tell my nurse to call my local PRC-Saltillo Consultant. She didn’t have an extra Nupoint. Luckily, I know a friend that uses an eye tracking system, and I borrowed it for the weekend because I needed a voice to talk with. Oh my gosh, using my eyes drove me crazy and gave me a big headache. Meanwhile, I was about to buy a new Nupoint, but no my parents and consultant said no way your loaner should be here within a day. I was thinking to myself that, what if you didn’t have your phone for 5 days? You would be lost without it. In my transportation van, it was so hard to communicate with my driver for 2 hours. After camping, my amazing nurse that I call my sister came and found two extra Nupoints in my messy closet. I said to her, I will never complain about using my Accent again.
And now, I'm called The World's Greatest Photographer in the world! I have worked at the “sweetest place ever on earth”, also known as Hershey Park, as a photographer since 2021. I kid you not, I am such a workaholic because I work at least 5 days in a row. In case you didn’t know, when customers say “no I don’t want a picture taken” this is the reason why I am their top photographer. I say to them "I am sorry, but, no, is not in my dictionary, so you kind of have to let me. When taking the pictures, I click on the space bar to capture the perfect picture. I was also on Fox43 to share my story because I am literally the world's greatest photographer. God has given me four amazing jobs and I am so grateful for that!
Communicators In Action - independence, photography,