LITTLELIAM’SAPPLEGACY
IT was the story of a little boy from Louth and the legacy he has left behind which captured the nation’s hearts.
The special bond between a tutor and her young pupil was featured on RTE Nationwide last week, as Lisa Marie Clinton told how that bond led to the development of ground-breaking software to help people with disabilities gain more independence.
Tutor Lisa Marie developed the idea for an app and supporting software that acts as a virtual personal assistant while working with little Liam McArdle from Louth Village, who had autism.
Tragically, Liam was diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer called DIPG and died in June 2015, when he was just five-years old. His parents, Eileen and Ronnie, have since set up the ‘Friends of Liam Foundation’ in Louth in memory of Liam.
Liam first met his tutor Lisa when he was just three-years old after he began attending for Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) tutor at ABACAS school in Drogheda. Although working one-on-one with many people with special needs, Lisa Marie formed a special bond with Liam.
Although he was ‘non-verbal’, Liam was a strong visual learner who loved using technology, and it was this that made social entrepreneur Lisa Marie realise the potential of teaching children and adults using digital technology.
‘No matter how hard I tried I could never imitate the animation and enjoyment that Liam got from his iPad so I started to develop avail to replace the redundant and time-consuming techniques such as laminated cards,’ said Lisa.
‘I wanted to create something that would ensure lifelong learning and would reduce the user’s reliance on other people, a portable and discreet system that delivers smart prompts based on the person’s ability,” says Lisa Marie Clinton, as she launched her new company, Avail.
Avail has developed an e-learning app and web portal for children and adults with intellectual or development disabilities.
Using step-by-step instructions through the use of pictures, video, audio and text prompts, it acts as a virtual assistant, allowing users to carry out day-to-day activities, such as brushing their teeth or taking a bus, which they are currently only able to do with assistance.
Speaking about the challenge of developing the app, Lisa said: ‘I was determined not to let fear hold me back so, with a picture of Liam with me always, I continued on my mission, which is to get avail into the hands of children and adults with special needs so they can reach their goals and be as independent as possible.
She added: ‘While developing the software, I was excited to envisage the possibilities it was going to have on Liam’s life, the tasks it was going to teach him and the independence it would bring him and his family as he got older,’ said Lisa
‘Liam has enriched and impacted my life more than I could ever imagine and, as a result, he is helping so many other children and adults.’
Liam’s parents were fully behind Lisa Marie as she launched her company.
‘We met Lisa when she came to tutor Liam and, from the start, she was just brilliant and so enriched his life and ours. We wish her all the best,’ says Liam’s mother Eileen.