R J Cooper

For the first nine years of his life, Brent Weir has been trapped by his own body. Deprived of sufficient oxygen at birth, which severely damaged the parts of his brain controlling his limbs and speech, Brent has spent most of his life in a wheelchair, his only communication with the outside world being smiles and screams and cries. But because of the electronic and computer wizardry of R.J. Cooper, an inventor and computer programmer who volunteers his time at R.H.

For the first nine years of his life, Brent Weir has been trapped by his own body. Deprived of sufficient oxygen at birth, which severely damaged the parts of his brain controlling his limbs and speech, Brent has spent most of his life in a wheelchair, his only communication with the outside world being smiles and screams and cries. But because of the electronic and computer wizardry of R.J. Cooper, an inventor and computer programmer who volunteers his time at R.H.

Youngsters with disabilities shouldn't be deprived of playthings to develop creative and social skills, say several entrepreneurs who have started companies to produce toys specially suited for them. When R. J. Cooper of Dana Point, Calif., started adapting existing children's cars with switches and joysticks for disabled youngsters, he realized that he had found something that could become a low-cost alternative to electric wheelchairs.

Kids today have their Big Wheels, their scooters, their dirt bikes. Only a few have the CooperCar. The go-cart-like toy can zoom forward with the wiggle of a toe, the turn of the head, even the flicker of an eye. It could rival the high-tech store Sharper Image in gadgetry, but it is many times more practical.

Crystal Apple awards recognizing individuals and groups in Orange County for their contributions toward helping people with disabilities were presented by the Anaheim-based Dayle McIntosh Center for the Disabled at a banquet in the Irvine Marriott Hotel. Award winners were Golden State Bassmasters of Huntington Beach; Council for Exceptional Children, Chapter 188, in Westminster; Julie Kearns of Santa Ana; Rogers Severson of Newport Beach; James Colbert of Anaheim, and R.J. Cooper of Dana Point.