14 DAY TRIAL // 9-year-old Holly Bligh, who lives in Melbourne, Australia, has albinism. The condition affects her vision, making it difficult for her to read in class.
To help her with her studies, teachers made photocopies with enlarged text for her. When these weren’t available, she had to use a magnifying glass or other methods to read.
Most recently, though, she received an iPad.
The post-PC device, as Apple touts it, comes with a screen reader and other innovative universal access features to help students who have learning and physical disabilities.
According to Holly’s mom, Fiona Bligh, the tablet computer “completely changed” her daughter’s life.
Mrs. Bligh said Holly's attention span has increased and "visual fatigue" now takes twice as long to set in, she estimates.
"Holly's enthusiasm to read has grown so much, and it's definitely increased her independence," the mother said.
She was so happy to see how the iPad was helping her daughter that she decided to email Apple’s CEO and thank him.
According to the Herald Sun, just a few hours later Mrs. Bligh got a response.
"Thanks for sharing your experience with me. Do you mind if I read your email to a group of our top 100 leaders at Apple?" Steve Jobs reportedly wrote back.
The CEO asked for a high-resolution photo of Holly with her iPad and signed off with "Thanks, Steve."
"I never thought we would hear back," Ms Bligh told the paper. "I know a lot of people think it's just a great gadget, but it's completely changed Holly's life."
In her email to Steve Jobs, Mrs. Bligh also said "All the other kids think it's awesome that she gets an iPad!".
"Sometimes in the past Holly has found her extra equipment embarrassing ... But the iPad has a coolness factor!"