KIMI ORA SCHOOL - NEUROSWITCH ORIGINAL WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND "I think this year has been my year. Access to the NeuroSwitch has allowed me to gain independence and has provided opportunities for me to shine." Shane Coburn, 18 years old NeuroSwitch system after hearing a report from Deputy Principal Judy Waterhouse and Speech and Language Therapist Carleen Cordes who both saw it demonstrated during the 2004 Assistive Technology Alliance New Zealand (ATANZ) annual road show, an innovative showcase of the world's leading Assistive Technology organized by Jim Palmer and Elizabeth Messina of TalkLink in Wellington. Don and Kimi Ora School Teachers, Speech & Language Therapists and Carers in Wellington, NZ, promote proven high technology in their therapy, rehabilitation and education programs. An assessment was done at Kimi Ora on Thursday, July 22, 2004 with three students: one with a brainstem sheering injury from a traffic accident from which he has effective quadriplegia and inability to speak but good cognitive abilities; one with cerebral palsy and inability to speak; and one with cerebral palsy, an inability to speak and cortical blindness. The assessments were done by Peter Shann Ford in the presence of Staff and Speech & Language Therapists. The assessments were videotaped by a staff member.  As a consequence of the assessments, Don Stevens and his staff decided to buy a NeuroSwitch System. The local Rotary Club donated funds and in the first week of November, 2004 Peter flew to New Zealand and installed the system. "The staff at Kimi Ora School have been energized by the NeuroSwitch. It offers opportunities for staff to creatively explore a wide range of operational possibilities. Barriers have been overcome and doors have been opened using the NeuroSwitch." Don Stevens, Principal In the first week, its installation was reported in the national media, when Kimi Ora student Shane Coburn became the first person to use the school's new NeuroSwitch. Speech & Language Therapist Carleen Cordes undertook to learn the system protocols first, and train the Kimi Ora staff in the full installation, use, maintenance and management of the NeuroSwitch System. The training lasted a week, at the end of which Kimi Ora not only had the first NeuroSwitch System in New Zealand, but had a fully trained staff who are now able to use the system to its fullest capacity, and train others to use it efficiently. "NeuroSwitch has enhanced Shane’s independence and ability to make decisions. Shane has become an active participant in the classroom... "NeuroSwitch has greatly empowered Shane. His motivation has increased. He is communicating with people his wants and his feelings." (Judy Waterhouse, Deputy Principal and Carleen Cordes, Speech and Language Therapist) Carleen Cordes is also undertaking to conduct Proof of Concept studies on the efficacy of the NeuroSwitch System as a stand alone communications system; and as a reliable and versatile Assistive Technology switch controlled by nerve signals; and as a training simulator for future device operations, such as controlling a powered wheelchair with nerve signals. In addition it enables Kimi Ora to use NeuroSwitch Clinical Management applications to gather a wide range of EMG data with unprecedented precision, speed and reliability. This effectively establishes Kimi Ora as the leading institution of its kind in the world to gather clinical data that will be used not only within its own therapy and study programs but which is already being actively sought by university investigators in the course of their own research. Kimi Ora's role as a NeuroSwitch Original stands to substantially enrich the rapidly growing knowledge base of EMG study and applications. Kimi Ora School also stands to be a significantly valuable member of the global NeuroSwitch community, sharing knowledge with colleagues and people with disabilities around the world, and developing as an authoritative advisor for institutions and individuals everywhere who seek to benefit from this new technology.