Marshall (in photo above) was born with cerebral palsy and quadriplegia and doesn’t speak. He communicated well with facial expressions, but it wasn’t until he had his voice box that I saw the depth of his intellect.

I knew then that I wouldn't have to guess what he wanted anymore. But there were new challenges – ones we’re still facing now that Marshall is 17 and in a regular Grade 10 program.

Marshall hits a head switch to scan to the words and letters he needs on a screen mounted in front of his wheelchair. Unlike speech, it takes time, and often people aren’t willing to wait. So at school, a student will say “Hey Marsh, how’s it going?,” then keep on walking.

People aren’t comfortable with technology and will look away. Sometimes they can’t hear the device if it’s noisy. Or the machine breaks down. Or people assume that if you can’t speak, you don’t have anything important to say.

When your child has significant physical needs, transporting the voice box around with its attachment and wires is a pain. It’s cumbersome and you have to be willing to go that extra mile.

People who work with your child may not put in the effort. For example, Marshall went to a camp for children with disabilities and they didn’t hook him up to his voice for a week, even though I’d spent a day training everyone. He lost 11 pounds and couldn’t tell them he was thirsty. In Grade 7, his class went to a careers day in an inaccessible school. Because the teacher and education assistant had to carry his wheelchair up and down the stairs, the voice unit never made it. So here he was at a careers day, and he couldn’t ask any questions. I’ve seen young children without their devices, sitting in a classroom in a corner.

Access to a voice box for youth like Marshall is a safety issue. Last year, he got off the school bus one day with his head bleeding. The staff asked the bus driver what happened, and he shrugged his shoulders. It wasn’t till Marshall was hooked up to his voice that he could tell us that the driver forgot to strap down his chair in the bus, so when they went round a corner, his chair tipped over.

As parents, we think we know our kids best. But when they can’t speak, we often make assumptions that are wrong.

With his voice box, my son is always surprising and teaching me.