Through Technology, I Can Shine

Technology, it is often yet accurately said, sets you free. Nowhere is this more true than it is for disabled people, like myself. You often do not think about it: like so many other things in our day to day lives, it just fades into the background. Yet without technology, I simply couldn't be myself.
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Technology, it is often yet accurately said, sets you free.

Nowhere is this more true than it is for disabled people, like myself.

You often do not think about it: like so many other things in our day to day lives, it just fades into the background. Yet without technology, I simply couldn't be myself.

My name is Lyn Levett. I am a musician.

Last year I performed at the London 2012 Paralympic Games closing ceremony with the British Paraorchestra. However rather than using a traditional instrument like a violin, I use an iPad. My iPad lets me create music and express myself on stage.

Technology has a huge role in my life. I use my iPad for everything from giving instructions to my personal assistants to turning on my living room lights. I operate the pad with my nose.

Using my computer, I recently composed the soundtrack to a Spanish documentary about Paralympic cyclists.

Through technology, I can shine.

My newest piece of equipment is something my boyfriend christened the "Lynstrument" - a keyboard of eight buttons which connects to my laptop. It allows me to improvise and go with the flow of my fellow Paraorchestra musicians.

I developed this new piece of equipment with two researchers at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design. They were working on a project with the charity Scope and BT, to support disabled people to make the most of technology - and to make technology more user-friendly for disabled people.

You can see me working on the instrument with the researchers Sam and Ross - and find out more about why technology is so important for disabled people.