Meet who we support

Sean Kelly

Sean Kelly is a 37-year old former electrician who was paralysed from the neck down after an accident during a gap year in Australia in 1998.  He has become a real IT expert in the years since and after mastering the technology for himself, he decided to devote his time to enabling others to enjoy the digital world too.

Now as an IT Can Help volunteer he visits other disabled people and helps them unravel their technological problems – work which he enjoys immensely and finds hugely gratifying.

A man who also relishes finding practical solutions to circumvent his paralysis, he uses a typing stick attached to his hand when he needs to type something quickly like a short email reply.  And when it comes to text messaging he also has a quick fix: “Despite the sophistication of Apple's Siri and Google voice, sometimes texting with my tongue is just the quickest way to get the job done!”  

Laura Sygrove-Quickmire

Laura Sygrove

Formerly a nurse, Laura has MS which has affected her mobility and sight.  After leading an active life, becoming a wheelchair user and losing her independence came as a great shock. 

She says: “I became very withdrawn and bitter and spent a long time lying in bed sulking.”

However, with the help of family and friends and the support of the MS Society and AbilityNet, Laura is now an enthusiastic computer-user with a zest for life that impresses all who meet her.  After obtaining a BSc Hons in Social Sciences with the Open University, and beginning an MSc in Social Research Methods, Laura’s recent endeavours have included a totally new departure into property development!

Maxine Turkington

Maxine Turkington

Maxine Turkington (79) lost most of her sight some 30 years ago due to a type of inherited macular dystrophy.  Recently bereaved, she called in IT Can Help to assist her in acquiring the IT skills she needed since the death of her husband.  Explains Maxine:  “I was very reliant on Syd for everything computer related, but with my IT Can Help volunteer, Paul, I have discovered a whole new world.”

Now Maxine’s ‘Cookery for VIPs’ – a large print book of simple and easy to follow but delicious recipes for visually impaired cooks - is sold through the RNIB and she is in big demand for cookery demonstrations from support groups for the partially sighted.  As if this wasn’t enough, Maxine is also busy at work on a second book – a self-help guide on making the most of your life whatever your situation. 

In her ‘spare’ time, Maxine is a regional coordinator for the RNIB as well as a major contributor to the work of Cambridge-based charity, Camsight, which helps local people living with sight loss.

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