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OGDEN — There are only a few phrases Jeremy Dixon can say on his own, but his mother, Laurie Vincent, says that doesn't stop him from making an impression.
"Jeremy is a happy young man, and he's a social butterfly," Vincent said. "Everybody who comes in contact with Jeremy pretty much falls in love with him."
But speech is only the beginning of Dixon's challenges. Vincent said her son was born with fetal valproic acid syndrome. He also has an airway disease, a seizure-disorder, and he's fed food, water and oxygen through tubes.
Dixon now speaks with the help of an iPad app. He can choose from simple words and phrases to communicate with others. Inside Mrs. Peterson's special-education class at Ben Lomond High School Thursday, he told his peers what he loves about school.
"My favorite thing to do is hang out with all the cute girls," Dixon said through his iPad.
Seeing Dixon struggle to keep the device at his side in his wheelchair, Jack Bice, a trainer for teachers in their first few years of their profession, went to the school's technology instructor, Zach Hirschi, for help. Bice wanted Hirshi to build something to help keep the iPad in place, but Hirschi had another idea.
"I said this is something the students could do really easily," Hirschi explained. "I gave them a couple of ideas, and they just kind of went and did their own thing."
Seniors Duncan Andrus and Elliott Jimenez modeled a few mounts for the iPad with the help of a computer program. By lunchtime the same day they had developed two prototypes. Putting together parts they built with the school's 3-D printer, and some tripod parts, they had a working mount for Dixon within a week.
"I love 3-D modeling, and I love being able to help people out," Andrus said.
"It actually feels pretty nice, just seeing how I could help out," Jimenez agreed.
Vincent appreciates the effort too.
"They actually care about others in the community," Vincent said. "I want to tell their parents, 'Thank you so much,' from our family. It means a lot to us."
