Eye Gaze
Imagine being unable to greet your friends, ask for help, or join in a simple classroom game. For some children, this is their everyday reality - navigating the world without the ability to speak, write, or point.
MCH Charity is calling on the community to help change this. We've launched a fundraising campaign to purchase cutting-edge Eye Gaze technology for the NHS Children’s Speech and Language Team at Hebden Green Special School.
Eye Gaze enables non-speaking children to communicate, learn, and play by using only their eyes. Through sophisticated cameras and sensors, the system tracks eye movement and translates it into computer commands—giving children the power to express themselves independently, many for the very first time.
We need to raise £13,000 per device, with hopes of purchasing at least one for shared use among the pupils. If enough funds are raised, the charity aims to provide even more devices to benefit additional children.
During a short trial with a loaned device the children at the school were able to:
- independently access games like popping bubbles, make music or 'fart' noises (an absolute winner for all our young people who tried this one!)
- ask for bubbles. That they want more bubbles, to pop the bubbles, open the bubbles
- ask for a book, choose which book that is, whether the adult should keep reading, turn the page or that they want a different book
- ask to build a tower, add more bricks, knock it down.
- build a train track piece by piece, ask for more track, ask for trains, quickly, slowly, crash.
- ask for playdough, choose shapes, cutters, whether to roll or cut, ask for help
- greet their friends at circle time
- say how they are feeling from a range of basic emotions
- direct staff to which staff member they should throw balls at!
- ask for more food at lunch time, ask for pizza for their tea
This is just the start of what would be possible if the team had a permanently available device. With your help the children could not only use the device to learn to express their thoughts and feelings, but the team would be able to much more easily refer more children to access funding for their own personal device, which would be the best outcome for these children and their families.
Meet one of our fundraisers
Helen is a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist based at the school who got in touch with the charity to ask about launching an appeal to fund the Eye Gaze.
Helen and her team are passionate about supporting their patients to be the very best that they can be and really understand how important the kit will be to their development and quality of life.
Helen said, "Without this technology, these children rely on staff to interpret their needs using paper-based systems, which are often inaccurate and frustrating.
“Eye Gaze is truly transformative - it gives children their own voice and the chance to participate fully in daily life."
On 10 May Helen, supported by members of the team, colleagues from the school, and families of the children who will benefit from the Eye Gaze, will take on the Sandstone Trail Challenge to raise funds for the appeal. Click the link on the right to donate to Helen's page.
How can you help?
As soon as we reach our £13,000 target we will be able to buy this much needed piece of specialist kit.
If you are able to support the appeal, either by making a one off donation, by becoming one of our regular donors, or by doing your own fundraising, we would love to speak to you.
If you'd simply like to donate click the Donate Now button on this page or if you'd like to donate another way, just get in touch and we'll talk through the options with you.
All our fundraisers benefit from dedicated support and resources such as t-shirts, collection buckets, help with setting up online giving pages and much more.
To register to be a fundraiser click here
Please note, if we don't reach our target (or if we raise just over) we will use the monies raised to purchase items for the Speech and Language Team at Hebden Green School which will improve care and experience for the pupils. If we raise lots more than £13,000 we will aim to buy a second device.
Speak to us about getting involved today so we can make a difference tomorrow.
Call us: 01270 273248
Email: charity@mcht.nhs.uk
Let's get social - find us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn @mchcharity
Donate to the Eye Gaze Appeal
Join us this July to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the NHS & support the appeal!
Can you support Helen's Sandstone Trail Challenge this May?
Supporting your local hospital couldn't be easier!
Click below or get in touch with the team to find out more, we're here to help.