By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger This week, I will be back attending college full-time again.  Long before our lives had been impacted by COVID 19, my spinal cord injury had caused me do some rethinking.  And attending college was something I decided to put on hold last year.  But since I usually like...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Life without a way to communicate is very difficult. Communication devices are such a blessing and have opened the world for so many, including myself. My first device was the Vanguard II. In the beginning I did not use it to communicate, but only to write stories. One day I discover...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Life has become very different today.  With everyone feeling uncertain about the future, people appear to be anxious and impatient.  Maybe that is why there are so many grouchy and apprehensive people walking around ready to point a suspicious finger.  If you go out in...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger In my lifetime, I have had two things happen involving my nose.  Last year I had surgery on my neck.  But before surgery, the doctor wanted to check my vocal cords. He explained that he was going to put a scope into my nose that would go down my throat to look at my vocal c...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I would like to tell you about my brother, Cameron.  Even though he is seven years older than me, you’d never guess it.  Our relationship is like most brothers.  And like most good brothers, Cameron includes me in all kinds of things.  He takes me to Starbuc...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger One day my dad and I were sitting on our outside swing talking and enjoying a peaceful evening. We could see our neighbor’s calves calmly grazing in the pasture to our left. Some were off in the field walking around; and many were simply laying in the grass. I was showing my da...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger On a bright and early Saturday morning, I greeted the day by jumping out of bed.  You would think that I was a morning person, but you'd be wrong.  Mornings aren't my thing since my day normally begins around noon.  And getting up early on a Saturday...well...that's ju...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger When I was six years old, my speech therapist recommended me to have an evaluation with Mid Missouri Assistive Technology in Mount Vernon, Missouri. I tried multiple types of communication tools during this evaluation.  As she watched me, the therapist told my parents that my sp...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger It is amazing how you can think that something is all over, and then life can completely switch to a new way of living.  We can choose to change with the times or fight against the changes. Recently, my life has had a ton of changes. But one of the good changes was that we rec...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I have always been fascinated by color.  Did you know that the human eye is able to see color because light produces different wavelengths and energies?  A simple experiment using a bright light, a prism, and a sheet of paper will demonstrate this perfectly.  If a brig...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger & college student “It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life, and I’m feeling good’’ -Nina Simone.  This describes my feelings as the state of Missouri begins to reopen.   I long for my original life. Each year is l...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger My brother is very talented musically, and for many years practiced his musical talents with piano, drums, and the guitar. Cameron also enjoys playing many different styles of music. Because of that, I have a broad appreciation of all sorts of music.  Last year I had spine surg...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger With the COVID-19 virus keeping us at home, we have time to reflect back on our lives.  We can remember and ponder things that we didn’t think about before, or reflect on the good old days. One memory I have would be when my family went to Florida.  I was nominated t...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I have always had a difficult time falling to sleep.  I think it's because of my overactive mind.  Many times I do feel sleepy at bedtime, but as soon as my head hits the pillow I become wide awake!  I have battled this issue most of my life and have tried various thin...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I have spent 17 years of my life dreaming about adulthood.  Finally, it arrived, but now I find myself dreaming about childhood.  This 'becoming of age' isn't all it is cut out to be.  It's a trap!   I like making my own decisions, but the number of those dec...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger A couple of days ago, my family drove to the grocery store. My mom went in while my dad and I stayed safely in our van.  When my mom came back, she told us all about her shopping experience. She remarked that all of the shoppers looked frightened as passersby were confronted wi...

By Kye Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger We are seeing a different world. Social distancing and bare shelves in the grocery stores have become commonplace.  It seems that our reality changes every day. Last week, our local coffee shop was hosting a comedy show. I enjoy humor and watching comedians on TV.  The idea...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger In this time of more people staying at home: many of us are online using social media to connect with friends and family. Some are watching more tv or streaming movies. A couple of weeks ago, we decided to upload the brand new Disney Plus on our Roku streaming stick.  I was rea...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Have you ever seen Abbott and Costello’s Who’s on first comedy routine? It is a classic comedy of misunderstanding where two people discuss a baseball game. At times it’s as if they both are speaking a different language. Using an AAC language device can seem like a...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Last Sunday, we visited a new church.  My dad had heard about it through friends.  So, even though the church was farther than we usually go, we went.  And as usual, I had my Accent 1000 with me. Everyone at the church seemed very nice.  One woman came over to in...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Sometimes we win, and sometimes we don't in this adventure that we call life. Last week I lost my step-grandpa unexpectedly.  My parents and I were there visiting him in the hospital when he passed. It was quite a shock. My mom, aunts, and Uncle had to quickly put together a...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger In 2019, I decided to grow my hair out long. Actually I had long hair once before, and my mom said she liked it. But then I slowly got sick of it and cut my hair.  Since then I have kept my hairstyle the same length up until my late teens. When I was nineteen, I wanted the long ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo blogger  This past week I went to a dance.  It was called a New Year’s Cosmic Glow Party.  I hadn’t danced for a long time, and this sounded like a lot of fun.  So we packed up my walker and drove to a strange, dark, and somewhat foreboding building.  Com...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger We have the best neighbors in the world.  We look out for one another and are always ready to lend a hand when needed.  Every year we usually exchange cookies, but a couple of our close neighbors bring us gifts. This year one neighbor gave us a basket filled with all kinds ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Day in and day out, chickens seem to live life without a care in the world.  Whatever happens, it seems as if chickens just keep on pecking.  I believe that we should be more like chickens.  This past year began great for me.  I had lots of big plans for 2019.&nb...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Change can sometimes be difficult, but sometimes it can also be wonderful. A good change recently came into my life. About a week ago, I got a power wheelchair! This isn’t my first power-chair. I had a chair when I was in the third grade. It was really fun navigating down the h...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogge It has been over four months since I had spinal surgery removing a disc that was pressing on my spinal cord.  Thankfully the surgery gave me my old life back again.  But the doctor wanted me to come back and have another MRI to check the healing.  Those four months slip...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Coming out of my room, I moved a toy out of my normal walking path, when the sound of crying caused me to pause and reflect on all of the changes that have happened recently in our life. We are fostering two kids who are family members. Their ages are three and one.  Thankfully...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Two months ago, I found out that I needed surgery on my neck after an MRI.  I had to have the surgery because I had a bulging disc that was pressing on my spinal cord and slowly paralyzing me. On the 5th of August, the surgery was a success, but I got a neck brace collar that se...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Flies, ants, spiders, bees, and bugs have always freaked me out. I don’t like anything that can crawl on my body, or run in our house. When I see an insect in our house, I need someone else to kill it because I have climbed on top of our television to avoid the multi-legged bea...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger We have this overweight, orange, tabby cat that lives in our house.  His name is Alfredo and he will be eighteen years old in February.  And throughout all of these years, he has been a joy to us. Recently, I was asked to Skype with a class for PRC.  Even though I hav...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger When we left Missouri the weather was 86 degrees and sunny, but when we arrived in Minnesota it was 46 degrees and raining.  What a difference! Our shuttle didn't arrive to pick us up from the airport until an hour and a half after our flight landed.  We watched lots of pe...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger As I watched white, fluffy clouds floating by from my airplane window, I rehashed my whole adventure from the past week. Gretchen Bright had asked me if I would work at PRC’s booth in Minnesota for the “Closing the Gap” Conference.  I have never been to Minneso...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I really like the song by Mandisa called Overcomer.  It talks about how we can overcome things when they seem impossible.  And every time it's on the radio, I boldly sing it in my loudest voice.  It is an awesome song. Labor Day weekend 2 years ago, my dad and I took ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger The doctor gave me the okay to go home from the hospital earlier than planned.  My parents were very excited.  Even though everyone assured me that I was strong enough to go home, I wasn't sure.  Scary thoughts flooded my mind.  What if I fall or hurt myself again...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Both my brother and I were homeschooled; however, when I was nine years old I did go to public school for a year.  I had an assigned helper that helped me with things such as carrying my books or writing things down. Going to school was a bit overwhelming.  A new place fil...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I had spinal surgery on my neck August 5th, and I get to wear a fancy collar every-day for 6 to 10 weeks. I look like an old-fashioned Englishman now.  It is like a fashion statement. I just need a top hat and walking stick to complete the ensemble. I have been having Occupation...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Staying in a hospital can be a little boring. While staying at St. Louis Children’s hospital this week, my parents and I sometimes go exploring.  Once this week there was an art class in the garden and we had to check it out.  There was a table covered with hundreds o...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger      Imagine yourself lying on a pristine beach. Your toes are dug into the warm white sand. A gentle  breeze softly touches your face and blows through your hair. You gaze out and see the most gorgeous sunset you have ever seen. Now you're totally relaxed without...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Whenever I meet someone that is going to college, I usually ask them what they are studying.  I also ask what school they are going to. However when people learned that I was going to college, they asked, “Oh! Are you taking online classes?” Why is this always their...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, prc-saltillo blogger OVERCOMER I really like the song by Mandisa called "Overcomer."  It talks about how we can overcome things when they seem impossible.  And every time it's on the radio, I boldly sing it in my loudest voice.  It is an awesome song. Labor Day weekend 2 years ago, my da...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, prc-saltillo Blogger In June, I had the opportunity to go to camp for the second time.  I had even more exciting adventures and made lots of new friends.  The camp is called Camp WeCanDu, and it is in St. Louis, Missouri.  A whole week filled with fun activities from the moment you open yo...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger   Chicken Run Have you ever wondered about those things you see on the side of the road?  How did they get there?  And what becomes of them?  If only things could talk, we would probably hear some interesting stories. My mom is quick to notice these things alon...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger With a thump, my dad jumped on my bed and began hopping up and down. I groaned, “What time it is?”  “Nine o’clock,” he cheerfully replies. I buried my head deeper in my pillow. “It’s DASA’s Super Sports Sunday,” announces...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Recently my mom and I went to St James, Missouri to celebrate a family member’s birthday.  My great aunt lives alone in a small house with her cats. She loves food and shopping.  She often buys too much food.  Her refrigerator is packed with leftovers.  Each...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Everyone likes superheroes, but what is a superhero? There are more than 8,000 characters in Marvel comics and Marvel Studios, not even counting DC.  And what makes a hero?  For David Banner, it was caused by gamma rays.  For Tony Stark, it was due to an injury to his ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Our home is heated by a woodstove.  It keeps our home so warm and toasty except when dad opens the front door to bring in more wood.  After dad buttons his coat up to his chin, he holds his breath as he opens the door to the North Pole.  Brrrr!  That icy gust of a...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger My dad wanted to eat in Saint Louis on The Hill.  So, we decided to eat at Mamas on the Hill.  Except when we got there, we learned there was going to be a 40-minute wait.  Maybe we should go somewhere else, but my dad wanted to wait.  I guess it wasn't too bad.&n...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger One year ago, my whole family was chosen by The Dream Factory to make a dream come true.  The Dream Factory is an amazing organization that makes the dreams of children with illnesses or disabilities come true.  One day a wonderful woman named Maureen came over to our house...

By Kyle Dinwiddie,  PRC-Saltillo Blogger I was asked to go to Tan Tara resort to work with Gretchen Bright at a  Prentke Romich’s booth for the Missouri Speech and Hearing Association’s conference to talk about my communication device. I was so honored and of course, I said YES!   So early on a ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Going to college has been one of my dreams since I was about 12. I didn’t know if I would ever get to go. Many people assumed that I would do online classes, but I wanted the college experience. Although, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay in a dorm like my brother, being accepte...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger The cave was amazing even though it had some very steep places which made it a tricky situation for my dad. He had to push my stroller up and down these steep, slick walkways. My dad’s calves were burning by the time the tour was over. But the things I saw were awesome. There were hug...

Today I would like to tell you about my grandpa. My grandpa likes to tease. He has a special sense of humor. But my grandpa DOESN’T sit around the house. He is a working man. Whenever we asked him to help us fix things, he does it in a flash. One time after coming home from a family outing, our van suddenly died with...

Have you ever had a craving for a particular food, and could not let go of it until your craving was satisfied? This happens to me all the time. Sometimes I crave ice cream after supper. Years ago we lived near Springfield Missouri where we would go to Braum’s ice cream store for their amazing frozen custard. Many tim...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger My parents often say” they don’t make things like they used too” and they are right. Many items are made more cheaply and don’t last as long, but some things are a lot better than they used to be like candy for instance. My dad loved the wax lips, or wax bottles with...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger You already know that I went to camp where I gained so much confidence. I was able to do many things that I had never dreamed I could do. When I first heard about camp, I wasn’t sure about it. The idea of being away from my family for a week was a little scary, even though tree climb...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Sometimes life can be unfair. Life can throw you face down in front of that finish line you are running towards. Life can definitely be unpredictable. And many times things do not work out as planned. It was Independence Day 2017! My family had a plan to go to a church picnic followed by an ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger I have had many firsts this year such as graduating from high school; applying and getting accepted to Columbia College; flying on an airplane; surfing on the ocean; and finding DASA, which stands for Disabled Athlete Sports Association. Becoming a member of DASA has given me lots of oppor...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Warning! Warning! My mom is a shopper. She bulks up things and stores them up like a squirrel storing up nuts for winter. Some may call it hoarding, but mom calls it smart shopping. When an item is on sale, it pays to stock up. Such as the Great Sugar Heist of 2017, my mom has certain item...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Do you have a dream? Have you always wanted go skydiving or snorkeling? All of us probably dream of doing some exciting things. I have some dreams. One dream is to publish a book. Another is to see the ocean and go surfing. This was my year to see a dream actually come true. I was nominate...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger The day for my triathlon finally arrived, although I didn’t get to train as much as I would have liked. My dad was busy working on his own marathon. However when that was finished, the weather wouldn’t cooperate. And then I had that nasty kidney stone. I was nervous that I might...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Today, I want to tell you about my communication devices and what they mean to me. You already know that I write a weekly blog for PRC’s AAC Language Lab, but it might surprise you that I, also, write for my local newspaper. I am able to write and store these articles on notebooks, w...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger I wanted to give a shout out to all the people who wished me well and sent me cards following my kidney stone surgery. Thank you very much, and I am feeling better every day. I am honored and touched. Last Friday I went to a Brew Brothers ’coffee shop Worship event in my hometown. It w...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger The Stronger Men’s Conference was finally here with some literal lightning and thunder welcoming it. I am not talking about my ear infection either. What is better than starting the day with a caramel corn macchiato at Brew Brothers and a coffee cake muffin of course? Later, while we...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Old Scrunchie New Scrunchie “Well,” the regretful words came out of my dad’s mouth as he handed me my blue bath sponge, “I think it is time to get a new scrunchie.” I sadly looked down at my old bath buddy with its thinning cloth. It did look pretty worn. I had ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Apple cider, hot cocoa, creamy soup, homemade bread, macaroni and cheese, fluffy warm blankets, cozy fires, snow ball fights, snowmen, and sledding down a hill are all things that make us think of winter. Like it or not winter is here! What other season can you throw a frozen ball of rain a...

_By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Having CP isn’t a walk in the park. I have my ups and downs. I have big struggles and I have small struggles. Basically, you can say I am very human. For example getting dressed can take me a long while. Just to put my shirt on, I have to lay the whole shirt flat; make an opening; re...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC blogger This week I wanted to give thanks to our law enforcement. They are really great heroes. Whether solving crimes, chasing down bad guys or helping with emergencies, they seem to face most anything with no fear. A few months ago my mom, brother, and I were driving in our van. We were heading ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Have you heard of baptism? Some churches baptize babies. Some sprinkle you with tiny droplets of water. Others pour a bucket of water over your head. My church pushes you totally under water. No matter how your church does it, baptism is a pretty cool thing. I have been a Christian for 13 y...

_By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Who has been to the brand new coffee shop here in Eldon on Business 54? For many months my family waited for the Brew brothers’ opening. I mean they opened early to our soldiers, police, and firemen, anyone who is important. Not to say that we aren’t important. Twelve days lat...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, prc-saltillo Blogger We all make judgments about things we encounter such as animals, people, places, ideas, things, and even food. We judge those things by how they look or sound. If I am in a doctor’s office and the nurse comes in with a shot. I am going to get out of there as fast as I can! No...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Many people say, “You should go to my church.” My parents come from different religious backgrounds. My dad was raised Assembly of God, and my mom was raised Catholic. Although our home church is Calvary Chapel, my family and I still like to visit other churches. We have met ma...