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Here's a thought to keep in mind as the Fourth of July approaches: Disabled people are still fighting for their independence. They struggle every day to be accepted into society as equals. And technology plays a major role in providing them more freedom of movement and expression.

One product providing such opportunities to disabled people is the Liberator, a device for the hearing impaired manufactured by Prentke Romich Co., a leader in the field of augmentative communication. Basically, the Liberator makes it possible to create an artificial voice through a digital keyboard. But composer and balladeer Snoop Botten (that's his real name) has advanced the product's use far beyond its makers' conception.

Botten, who has cerebal palsy and uses a wheelchair, is a frequent visitor to the Nicholette Mall in Minneapolis -- where he "sings" with his Liberator. The device has a keyboard with 128 different icons that when struck produce words, phrases, and expressions through an artificial- voice activator. Not only has Botten so mastered the keyboard that he can produce lyrics for his songs, he also programs the keyboard to assign to each icon stroke its own timing and pitch. He even composes songs in French and Spanish as well as English. He then stores his recordings in an electronic notebook, and voila! He composes and sings songs with the artificial voice.

At the mall, a shopper stops, listens to the music, and places money in Botten's donations box. "Everyone appreciates fine music," says the shopper, "and this is fine music."

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Barry Romich, CEO of Prentke Romich, says Botten's use of his company's technology has made Snoop an ambassador for the product. "When I talk about him to audiences, I refer to him as the world's authority on singing with synthetic speech," Romich says. One of the highlights of Botten's career was singing the National Anthem at a Minnesota Twins game several years ago. "The experience was marvelous," he recalls with just a trace of immodesty. "The voice was clear and carried as much soul as if it were sung by Whitney Houston." Now, Botten is producing a CD of his original compositions with digital technology expert Michael Ross.

Botten's accomplishments are a source of pride -- and frustration: He can't fully capitalize on his talent because of his disability. A combination of state and federal laws requires that any money he makes be deducted from his disability benefits. The more he makes, the less he gets in benefits. To make up for the costs of his personal attendant and to keep his wheelchair in working order, Botten would have to clear an extra $30,000 to $50,000 a year -- more than he can earn with his music.

This brings us back to Nicholette Mall and the reason Botten performs here. Because he isn't selling his music, but simply offering it to whomever will listen, he can receive donations without losing any benefits.

Earlier this month, the Senate passed the Work Improvements Incentive Act. The legislation would make it easier for disabled people to both work and maintain their benefits. If the House of Representatives follows suit, and the President signs the bill into law, life will improve for Botten. That would be fitting, given the example he's setting may help improve the lives of other disabled people.

To contact Snoop Botten, write to Dectalk@aol.com. For more information on the Liberator (which isn't cheap; it retails for almost $9,000), you can call 1 800-262-1984.

Share your opinion of Bowe's new book on BW Online's Assistive Tech Forum. Or, if you have a question about assistive technology, write to John at JMMAW@aol.com

EDITED BY DOUGLAS HARBRECHT