Ezekiah Alphonse
MONEY GRANT HELPS PURCHASE LIFE-CHANGING DEVICES FOR ALPHONSE
An Earlsdon resident has been awarded £2,850 worth of equipment from the WPH Charitable Trust to help him study and advance his career.
Ezekiah Alphonse, who is 37, was diagnosed with glaucoma at the age of 13 and slowly lost his eyesight throughout his teens and 20s.
Last year he successfully passed his maths GCSE after just 12 months and in September he started another GCSE in English.
Alphonse is hoping to go on to study an access course in social sciences with a view to studying a degree at Coventry University.
The grant from the WPH Charitable Trust has been used to pay for a laptop computer equipped with Job Access With Speech specialist software (JAWS) as well as a ReadEasy Evolve screen reading device.
Alphonse, who is also learning to read Braille, said: “One of the options I am considering at university is psychology.
“I would like to work with young people who face social challenges in today’s society. I would love to be able to help them steer their lives back on track.
“The grant I have received from the WPH Charitable Trust has been amazing and it has really helped me with my studies. The ReadEasy electronic reader takes a photo of my handouts or pages from a book and reads the text out to me.
“The WPH paid for the JAWS software which reads everything on my screen – whether supplied text or something I have written myself.”
“It makes everything so much easier for me – there is no way I would be able to do this work without these assistive devices. I would like to thank WPH as it has made a huge difference to my life.”
The WPH Charitable Trust provides funding for individuals, and groups and organisations which work to prevent, relieve and cure sickness in Coventry and Warwickshire. The Trust provides grants for medical research, buildings, equipment and other forms of medical care for residents of the region. All applications are made via the Trust’s website and are assessed on a quarterly basis.
For further details on the Trust, or to make an online application, log on to www.warwickshirehealthcharity.org.uk
