Pancho Ramirez is a man from Michoacán, México, living at a nursing home in Sonoma, California. At 20 years old, Pancho experienced a life-changing event when a car accident in June 2003 resulted in a brain stem stroke, leaving him paralyzed and unable to speak.

Despite these challenges, he taught himself English while living in a nursing home, earned a GED, and obtained a web developer certificate.

Pancho was a contributor in a groundbreaking clinical trial, conducted by the University of California, in San Francisco; that aims to advance communication technology for people who doesn’t speak, and restore independence by controlling a robotic arm.

Also, he is a board member of the nonprofit organization, CommunicationFIRST, the only national civil rights organization; that is run by and for what we estimate to be 5 million people in this country who cannot rely on speech alone to be heard and understood due to speech disabilities or conditions.

He continues to share his story to inspire and empower others,  who are facing similar challenges in their lives.