Making a Difference, One Meal at a Time by Page E. Bishop Published: August 2006 Bayton demonstrates use of his patented utensils. In 2001, when a near-fatal automobile accident left Robert (Bob) Bayton paralyzed from the chest down, he wondered if he’d ever be allowed to enjoy the pleasure of food again. A chef at the Dining Room at Ford’s Colony, Bayton knew he couldn’t return to work, much less a normal routine. After the accident Bayton was no longer able to hold regular utensils in his weakened hands. Mealtime became a painful chore, not the enjoyment it had once been. At mealtime, Bayton had to be spoon-fed by his wife, Debbie. “It was embarrassing,” he recalls. “I felt like a fish! I thought, ‘There must be a better way.’ ” In 2002, determined to regain a sense of independence, Bayton designed a set of personal utensils that, when slipped over his fingers, provided him greater control while eating. The utensils enabled him to dine at home and at restaurants while maintaining his independence and his dignity. Thus, Dining with Dignity was born. When friends and family learned about his invention, the word spread. An evident need among the disabled population prompted Bayton to patent the idea. The utensils are now sold online either as a three-piece set or as individually wrapped spoons, knives and forks (visit www.diningwithdignity.com for pricing). Assembling the devices in their home workshop using a flexible metal and a standard Oneida flatware pattern, Bob and Debbie struggled to meet the demand for the custom flatware. Now each piece is made in a local factory and packaged to order. Customers range from paraplegics to stroke victims to Parkinson’s disease sufferers. Bayton is currently promoting a program called Dining with Dignity wherein restaurants can purchase one or more sets to have on hand for their disabled patrons. A Dining with Dignity sticker now grazes the front door of the Blue Talon Bistro on Prince George Street in Williamsburg. Bayton hopes other local restaurants will follow suit and participate in the program. Bayton recently introduced a children’s line of utensils, an idea he came up with after several customers pointed out that the standard size was too big for small hands. He encourages public schools to offer the child-size utensils in the school lunchroom. “Kids, especially teens, are self-conscious enough,” he says, emphasizing the social challenges that many disabled children encounter. “These utensils are great because they’re hardly noticeable.” Though Bayton receives a stream of positive feedback on his website (some customers credit him with changing their lives), Bayton remains humble about his efforts. “I’m no hero by any means. I did what anyone else would have done in my situation. I learned to use what I had,” he says, pointing to his head. Bayton says his seven-month stay at a rehab facility in New Jersey changed his outlook on life. After 28 days in a coma, three surgeries to fix his injured trachea, and rigorous therapy for his spinal cord injury, he was finally released from the center in the late Fall of 2001. Knowing that the devastation of September 11th occurred just a short distance from the rehab facility, Bayton says he wanted to see firsthand the magnitude of what had occurred in downtown Manhattan. “We drove about five miles to an outlook where we could view the destruction,” he recalls. “That really put things into perspective for me. A life can change in a matter of seconds. It’s about how you choose to deal with that change. I realized I don’t need money, or a big boat. I’ve got a great wife and great friends. I’m truly lucky. I live a charmed life, as I like to say.” Learn more at www.diningwithdignity.com.

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