The Dale family is visiting Ohio from across the pond, as they say.
"I'm from Biddington, a small town in Kent, England," says Peter Dale. They made the trip to Wooster based PRC, a technology company in Wooster that makes communication devices for people who don't have the ability to talk.
Peter's 29-year-old son Anthony has cerebral palsy. "He's been using a talking board for 24 years."
Employees of the 51-year-old company welcomed the Dale's and celebrated Anthony's success with their technology, the Accent 1400. CEO David Moffett says, "To see someone like Anthony up close and meet his family, and hear what an impact the device has made for them, it's inspiring."
The communication devices PRC produces allow people who can't speak to have a voice. The spoken word is how we communicate, educate, and express ourselves and those things would not be possible for Anthony or those like him who can't speak.
The word board connects him to the world and has improved his life in many ways. Dad says, "He lives independently in his own bungalow, he can use the board like a telephone and he can text, which is what everyone else does."
Peter says that Anthony is the centerpiece of the family when it comes to communicating. "Whenever there's a bit of gossip or something, he calls up all the relatives to let them in on it. Sometimes you have to watch what you say around him."
The Dales are in Wooster until Friday, then are taking a trip to Pittsburgh. They are very thankful to be able to make this trip and for the opportunity to say "thank you".