A Challenge Overcome With Dots and Dashes

When fourth-grader Jonell Floyd wanted to write a joke book for Prince William County School Superintendent Steven L. Walts last year, he didn't use a keyboard or pencil and paper.

Instead, the Old Bridge Elementary School student, who is blind and has minimal movement in his left arm, danced his right-hand fingers back and forth between two buttons, sending Morse code signals through a computer to make "Jonell's Book of Laughing Jokes."

"It made me feel like a million dollars because I know we've had a positive effect on him," Walts said about receiving the book. "He used the Morse code to type out each question. . . . I think he's a good jokester."

Although not born blind, Jonell was stricken with Devic's disease in October 2003, when he was 6. The neurological disorder, which attacked his spinal cord and optic nerve, forced Prince William educators to think creatively to make sure he succeeded in school.

"His case is so unique, and when we were trying to figure out how to help, we couldn't find any place in the region dealing with a situation like Jonell's -- someone who was blind and had orthopedic limitations as well," Old Bridge Principal Anita Flemons said, noting that Jonell joined the school in first grade. "We had to develop a program from scratch that would work specifically for him."

Because of the lack of sensitivity in his fingers, Braille was not an option.

Instead, Rebecca Shell, the school system's teacher for the vision-impaired and blind, pitched the idea of using a computer program along with Darci USB -- a Morse code-based computer access device created by a woman whose granddaughter, Darci, was born without limbs.

The Darci, along with the IntelliTalk 3 program, helps Jonell with his writing, spelling and tests. Two buttons that represent the dots and dashes of Morse code feed into the Darci converter box, which translates the signals to text on a computer. The IntelliTalk program recites test questions and worksheets and also recites what is typed into the system so Jonell knows if he makes a mistake.

"He sits and operates that thing at the speed of sound," Walts said about Jonell's use of the Morse code switches. "I think Jonell's a student with unlimited potential. He has a staff that supports him and the technology, which sets him free. He is becoming quite a good writer at such a young age."

Recently Jonell also started using a miniature keyboard that has been programmed for a right-handed user, Shell said. The keys are close together and aligned based on usage, with those used most often in the middle.

"The computer is coming along good, but it's a challenge to remember all the letters," Jonell said. "I'm good with the Morse code because I've been doing that since second grade. But sometimes it's still tricky to remember how to do the quotes and quotation marks."

Flemons said it cost about $3,000 to purchase Jonell's technology for both his classroom and the extra room where he works with the vision teacher. About a year ago, the Lake Ridge Lions Club pitched in, purchasing the equipment needed for him to work at home.