In 1979, eleven-year-old Steve Harper, unable to speak due to physical disability, cerebral palsy, had never heard of Morse code, and struggled to communicate with a head stick, symbol board, and typewriter. Using these methods made communication arduous as someone had to be there with Steve when he was trying to get his messages across. He informed slowly pointing to various symbols and letters. He first had to gain the full attention of an adult and then feebly try to get them to understand his erratic gestures. Even using the typewriter was uncomfortable and painful. People were often ignorant of what he wrote, which constantly discouraged him. His frustration at not being able to enjoy the normal activities of children his age was compounded by his inability to interact effectively with others. He felt very little independence as speech eluded him, so he had trouble getting the attention of others.

That same year, the University of Washington received a grant to research the use of the code as an assistive technology for the disabled. Steve’s speech therapist allowed him to be a fellowship subject at the University of Washington, where he learned the code. Steve was chosen as one of four children to participate in this research. Although Steven and his parents didn’t like learning to code and initially resisted, in just two weeks he had mastered all forty-four characters of Morse code. He says that his life became much easier after he started using the code communicator because he sent his messages twice as fast as before and gained independence to function on his own.

Since then, he has used the code as his assistive technology. It has much more independence because the code is adaptable to the computer. Anyone using the technology can type and then “speak” using a speech synthesizer. Morse code has made life easier for Steve and other disabled people.

Most recently, Steve Harper serves as a volunteer mentor for the disabled at the University of Washington. In telling the story of him he says that he could not walk or talk due to oxygen deficiency that occurred at birth. He says: “I use a Morse code communicator, which is mounted to the front of my wheelchair. I have two switches on each side of my head where I play the code. The switch on the right side is dots, the left side is dashes, and I drive my wheelchair using my head too. I have a thing called “KE:NX,” a special adapter that allows me to use my code with a MAC computer so I can actually communicate with you.”

A brave young man who has overcome significant physical obstacles, he is now a guru of computer technology, believing that much of his achievements are the result of his experience with Morse code.