How Dominique Found Her Voice

It’s been almost 15 years since Nicole Bottino was touring pre-school facilities for her now 19-year-old daughter. But despite the time that’s passed, when she retells the experience, the feelings come flooding back.

“As a new mom, I had her with me until pre-school, so sending her off like that was scary,” recalls Nicole, whose daughter, Dominique, was preparing to enter pre-school completely nonverbal.

“I remember visiting three places; the first two I left in tears. I thought, ‘there’s no way I can send her here, I’m going to have to do this myself,’” she says. “But when I left Easterseals it was different. I was crying tears of joy. It was such a warm and welcoming place, I knew it was the best place for Dominique.”

What Nicole didn’t know then was that those very first moments were just a preview of the place that would shape Dominique into the vibrant, social, athletic, active teenager she is today, thanks in large part to the assistive and adaptive technology implemented by the Easterseals team. 

As a nonverbal child, Dominique had primarily been using the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) method, which allows people with little or no communication abilities to communicate using pictures. But the approach wasn’t always easy for Dominique, prompting her therapists and teachers to suggest an alternative approach: an iPad. 

Through innovative apps like Proloquo, an augmentative and alternative communication tool that speaks out loud for people who are nonspeaking or have limited speech, Dominique found her voice. 

“It was the first time she was really able to communicate in a way that everyone could understand,” says Nicole. “What started with a single button and a single word, like ‘cookie’ or ‘hi,’ has evolved into stringing entire sentences together.”

“Her personality has come to life, and we owe that all to this technology and the Easterseals team who gave her tools to utilize it,” Nicole adds.

It’s been more than a decade since the team at Easterseals introduced Dominique to the device that changed the way she communicates with the world. Today, she's more fluent with it than ever, says Nicole, thanks to the strong foundation she received as a pre-schooler. 

“The resources are invaluable, the team is invested, and most importantly, they want children to start out with a great foundation for learning—you don’t get that everywhere, a full team that is familiar with this technology and the best way to implement it,” Nicole says. 

But it can’t end with Dominique, says Nicole, stressing the importance of keeping this technology up to date and accessible for a new generation of nonverbal learners. 

“As we move towards a more inclusive society, we are promoting neurodiversity in the workplace, which is great, but we need the tools to do that,” she says. 

“Investing in this technology helps children like Dominique find their voice, and because of that, they have the opportunity to play an important role in the workforce and in their communities.”