Fighting for the Dignity of Independence
In 2014, Shawn Sexton ’88 was diagnosed with bulbar onset sporadic ALS. Realizing he would gradually lose his ability to walk, communicate and eat, he and his son, John, set out to create opportunities for independence. Together they designed EyeDrive, an assistive technology that allows Shawn to adjust and drive his wheelchair using eye gaze technology. EyeDrive is one of three current solutions provided by John’s startup, LifeDrive, which also provides voice- and caregiver-controlled solutions.John is now a senior at Notre Dame and a participant in the Grand Challenges Scholars Program, which, along with the IDEA Center, has helped move LifeDrive from an at-home project to an expanded medical device company. John continues to lead its progress to commercialization and distribution, and he hopes it will soon help other patients like his dad find more independence.“To try and get this to patients by the time that we graduate is daunting and challenging, but it pales in comparison to the needs of those patients that we’re trying to serve,” John says. He explains that getting LifeDrive to patients is so important because not only does it give them technology and independence, but it gives them hope. That hope, he says, can be life-giving.Learn more: https://go.nd.edu/DignityOfIndependenceFF
More from What Would You Fight For?
- 2:07Fighting to Protect the InnocentThrough collaboration with the National Immigrant Justice Center, Notre Dame law students are able to participate in an NIJC externship program allowing them to work on asylum cases of immigrants entering the United States.Law School alumnae Stephanie Torres and Christina Shakour took on the case of Maria and Ariel, immigrants from El Salvador seeking a safer life after receiving threats of violence from gangs. The team worked up to 30 hours a week on top of their course work to help the family in need. In total, they filed more than 300 pages of documentation to prove that the family qualified for asylum. After hours of preparation, Shakour and Torres presented the case before Immigration Court and obtained asylum for Maria and Ariel in the United States.*Because the well-being of Maria's daughters is still in jeopardy in El Salvador, and because gang retaliation could still occur in the U.S., actors were used in this What Would You Fight For video.*
- 2:01Fighting to Explore the MoonIn the 40 years since Notre Dame professor Clive Neal started studying the Moon and its wonders, many discoveries have been made, boundaries pushed and technology improved. But now he’s focused on making sure the next 40 years hold ingenuity, growth and adventure when it comes to the Moon. And he’s going to find the scholars, explorers and researchers who keep the Moon firmly in their sights.