Kimi Ora School - New Zealand

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The Kimi Ora School in Wellington New Zealand is one of the most progressive education establishments for children with significant disabilities. Working with the Rotary Club of Wellington North, Kimi Ora School bought their first NeuroSwitch in 2004. The first person to use it was Shane Coburn, a teenager who had been hit by a school bus 12 years earlier and sustained acute spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

A huge Elvis Presly fan, the first thing Shane did using NeuroSwitch was play an Elvis track, to the delight of his therapists and classmates. See video below of Shane and NeuroSwitch inventor Peter Ford working with the 2004 G1 series: the monitor and cables have since been replaced by a pocketsized Bluetooth powered EMG monitor that links wirelessly to an Apple MacBook Pro 15" laptop [all included in the system].


Shane uses Neuroswitch G1 Prototype to play Elvis Presley (2004)


Rotary Club Support

The Rotary Club of Wellington North donated the funds to Kimi Ora to buy their first NeuroSwitch. The results were immediate (see Shane's video above) and the club's President Chris Tempest (pictured between therapist Carleen Phillips and Kimi Ora Principal Don Stevens) came to see how adaptable and versatile NeuroSwitch is.

Kimi Ora R&D

Kimi Ora's Occupational Therapist Dave Speden and Speech Language Therapist Carleen Phillips immediately began innovating techniques and applications with NeuroSwitch within the school. Working with Shane Coburn and other students, they set up lighting, media and remote systems controlled by NeuroSwitch. Shane was able to select music played over the school's public address system, and turn on a jug to boil water for morning coffee breaks.