NARRE Warren South’s Danielle Faithfull has been given a new lease on life.
The much-loved Year 11 student at Narre Warren South P-12 school was presented with a new customised electronic wheelchair last week after the community banded together and raised more than $10,000.
Danielle suffers from cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia with athetosis and epilepsy and has attended the P-12 College since she began Year 7 in 2002.
Her only means of mobility is through her wheelchair and she does not have speech, instead relying on a laptop computer to help her communicate.
Since beginning secondary school Danielle has outgrown her old wheelchair and last year the school community, including Danielle’s mother; physiotherapist and integration aide, began seeking support to help purchase a new chair.
The three organisations that have led the drive have been the Oakgrove Community Centre in Narre Warren South, the Arthur Marsden Whiting Foundation, a non-profit organisation solely for the benefit of disabled people, and the Aids and Equipment Department of Dandenong Hospital.
Acting principal of Narre South P-12 school Ken Robinson said it was great to see the community coming together to provide a critical resource for a student in significant need.
Mother Lynda Faithfull said she had noticed an immediate change in her daughter after she began using the chair.
“Danielle, since having this chair has had less seizures and requires less medication, due to her postural positioning and control,” she said.
Physiotherapist Myffanwy Adkin said the provision of the electric wheelchair provided Danielle with independent mobility and access to the community.
Danielle is studying for her Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning and undertaking year 11 food-technology studies.
Integration coordinator Joe Haddad said the school had modified their food technology wing to accommodate Danielle’s needs and to provide wheelchair access to bench tops, stove, oven, taps and a sink.
Through the school’s integration program Dan-ielle is supervised at all times by highly qualified integration aides including Helen Owen, who helped attract community support for the new wheelchair.
The school has also purchased a classroom table that allows tabletop access from the wheelchair and a laptop and software that allows Danielle to read and write and has voice activation.
