This is a remarkable story of advocacy and innovation.  Catherine Rose, the mother of a severely disabled child was working for Philips Healthcare when she noticed that the type of LED lighting used in the Philips Color Kinetics showroom could capture the attention of her seven-year-old daughter Alexis, who is deafblind.

The simple observation spurred the development of LightAide, an LED learning device designed for children with visual impairment.  The product was developed in collaboration between Philips and the Perkins School for the Blind.

In a world of e-patients we often forget about the e-parent and other surrogates who not only dedicate themselves to the care of their disabled children, but think of innovative ways to make their lives better.

Catherine Rose is one of the remarkable e-patients/e-parents speaking this weekend at Medicine X.