Generous Stranger Changed a Boy's Life

[Hum]

A 10-year-old autistic boy who relies on an iPad to communicate had heartbreak quickly turn to happiness last week due to the generous good deed of a fellow Portland, Oregon resident.

The boy, Corbin Murr, who sometimes uses a wheelchair to get around, had his custom-app?packed iPad stolen off his chair last week while he was up and about, playing with his older cousin and caregiver, James Freeman, at a local playground.

?I felt really bad, you know, because that is his world,? Freeman explained in a local KGW TV news story about the theft. ?That?s his toy he communicates [with], it?s always glued to his hand, he doesn?t like sharing it with other people, and it just keeps him in his own calmness.?

Luckily, Portlander Charles Turner was watching the news that night. The real estate agent and father of one was so moved by the report that, after a quick discussion with his wife Jenny and their understanding 6-year-old son, he decided to donate one of the family?s three iPads to Murr. :happy:

?For me, an iPad is largely a toy and occasionally a business convenience,? Turner told Yahoo! Shine. ?To Corbin, it?s a thing of comfort, and a communication tool.?

Turner then contacted the news station and was put in touch with the boy?s mom, Gillian, who was thrilled to have a replacement for the tablet, a new one of which would have cost her upwards of $399. Luckily, Corbin was able to sync the new machine from Turner with computer downloads of his apps, some of which cost as much as $50 each.

For many severely autistic individuals like Corbin, iPad apps ? like those including AAC Speech Buddy, Articulate It!, MetaTouch, and Scene and Heard, according to the website Autism Speaks ? can be life-changing communication tools.

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[compl3x]

:angry:  @ the thieves

 

:wub: @ the Turners

[illage3]

>:( Who the ###### steals from an autistic kid in a wheelchair.  Sick people, truley sick.

[Soldiers33]

> :( Who the **** steals from an autistic kid in a wheelchair.  Sick people, truley sick.

in the same way who leaves their ipad out in the public. Its like me leaving my phone on the bench then complaining that someone took it.

[techbeck]

> :( Who the **** steals from an autistic kid in a wheelchair.  Sick people, truley sick.

 

May not have known the kind of illness the kid had.

[illage3]

May not have known the kind of illness the kid had.

He was in a wheelchair, how could they not have known how far his disablities extended.

 

in the same way who leaves their ipad out in the public. Its like me leaving my phone on the bench then complaining that someone took it.

He's autistic, he probably didn't know any better.

[techbeck]

He was in a wheelchair, how could they not have known how far his disablities extended.

 Other illnesses require a wheel chair as well.  And they more than likely just looked to make sure it was clear to steal the device.  I doubt he/she stopped to ponder "I wonder if he is autistic"  before stealing the device.

[Hum]

^ People kill, anyone without thinking, for less than $100.

 

The title would be more accurate to say this man prevented the boy's life from changing. ;)