Blinking Brilliant

A young mum from Staffordshire has completed a university degree in Ancient History entirely by blinking.

Dawn Webster has locked-in syndrome, which means that all of the muscles in her body, apart from her eyes, are paralysed.  Dawn’s disability is the result of a stroke she had 11 years ago shortly after giving birth to her son, Alexander.

Emergency

Dawn was rushed to hospital only 26 weeks into her pregnancy with pre-eclampsia and gave birth to her son when he was just 1lb 8oz.  Shortly after having him she suffered from high blood pressure and suddenly woke one morning feeling dizzy with pins and needles rushing up one side.

She comments: “I immediately knew something was wrong and when I went to speak my speech was horribly slurred.”

Her condition was so bad that she couldn’t move any of her muscles, even though her brain was still fully functioning.  She had a breakthrough when her dad, Alec, asked her to respond to a question by blinking.  When she did the family were over the moon and she was soon provided with a computer which allowed her to communicate.

Determination

Determined to prove to herself and everyone else that she was still capable despite her disability, Dawn decided to undertake a university degree.  Dawn uses her head to nudge buttons that move a cursor onscreen and then blinks to confirm the letter.  At her average writing speed of 50 words an hour, Dawn painstakingly took six years to achieve her goal:  “When I passed my degree, I was so pleased and proud of myself.”

She enthuses: “My computer is my lifeline.  Never did I imagine when I got pregnant that my life would turn out like this.”

Dawn will graduate with a BA in Ancient History in October, in Manchester. Her dad Alec says: “It’s going to be such a proud moment for us all.”