Mr. Fix-its help disabled stay on path to independence - washingtonpost.com

Retired engineers come in handy when students' assistive technology gadgets need repair
By Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post Staff Writer

Many students enrolled at Fairfax County's schools for the disabled cannot talk. But they greet their teachers every day, pressing a finger or a toe to a switch that prompts a recorded voice to say "Hello!" or "Good morning."

The switches are part of a breathtaking array of technology that helps students communicate or turn on music or choose what they want for lunch. Other devices help them move around the building and play sports. With so many gadgets, it helps to have someone handy around to fix them when they break.

That's where Lee Jost and Bill Porter come in. Both retired engineers in their 70s, they spent their careers working on satellites or elaborate circuits for the railroads. Now they are tightening loose wires and adjusting wheelchairs.
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