Disabled girl's specialist laptop dumped in bin after burglary
- Published
Mark Williams said his daughter Celyn has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak or move her limbs
A disabled girl's computer, which she relies on to communicate with her family, has been found dumped in a rubbish bin having earlier been stolen in a burglary.
It was among a number of items taken from Mark Williams' house in Staple Hill, near Bristol.
His 13-year-old daughter Celyn has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak or move her limbs.
A man has been arrested in connection with the burglary and bailed.
Mr Williams said Celyn used the device "which cost between £5,000-£12,000" to help her make sentences and ask questions.
"Without it it has "turned her voice off," he said.
Police are hoping to return the item later.
Writing on Twitter under his pen name Mark Lawrence, Mr Williams said he hoped the computer still functioned as we had "a lot of rain last night".
"Excellent work from the police and sharp-eyed members of the public. Hopefully a conviction will follow," he added.
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It is believed burglars gained entry to the house while the family were sleeping by reaching through a cat flap to unlock the door.
An Eye Gaze computer allows children and adults with cerebral palsy to use their eyes to communicate
"They took equipment which was clearly not standard. It was a suction machine which clears her airways when she's choking, and they took an Eye Gaze which is her way of communicating with the world," Mr Williams said.
Eye-gaze software allows children and adults with cerebral palsy to use movements of their eyes to operate a laptop, computer or speech-generating device.
- Published20 January 2011
- Published20 January 2011