An inspiring video shows a group of Irish students have created a remarkable device that enables a paralysed man to hold a pen and write.
Donal O’Flynn was paralysed while playing in a school rugby match when he was 16 years old. Since then he has been confined to a wheelchair and only has limited use of his hands.
O’Flynn is now in his 30s and has been unable to write since the incident on the rugby field.
He finds it difficult to hold things in his hands and isn’t able to carry out the day-to-day tasks that most people would take for granted.
When a group of students from NCAD heard O’Flynn’s story they got in touch with him and set about trying to use their skills to help him.
They believed that if they could work together with him, they might be able to produce a custom made device that would suit his needs and give him greater ability to express himself through writing.
In the video O’Flynn said: “I sign a lot of documents on a weekly basis and usually I have to get a family member to sign my signature on my behalf.”
When the group met O’Flynn they headed to their workshop to build prototypes that would help him to hold a pen.
They brought back an initial prototype that helped O’Flynn to write on a piece of paper.
He said: “I haven’t written in 15 years. It’s like been blind and then being able to see again.”
However, the group wasn’t finished and went back to the workshop to make some adjustments.
The result was superb and O’Flynn wrote a wonderful message to the group.
The video was posted by Fixperts and is really inspiring and emotional to watch.
Take a look at the video below.
