Cathy Hutchinson hasn't spoken or been able to walk for 12 years, but the indomitable Attleboro grandmother's example continues to speak out for hope and the rights of brain-injured people like herself.

Last year, stroke victim Hutchinson won a settlement from the state securing the rights of brain-injury patients to live in less restrictive environments as the lead client in a lawsuit.

Last Sunday, Hutchinson was setting an example again - as a symbol of hope for patients with neurological disorders on the CBS News program "60 Minutes."

The "60 Minutes" segment, reported by Scott Pelley, centered on technology that allows quadriplegics such as Hutchinson to communicate and control household appliances using their brain waves.

Hutchinson herself is able to read and respond to e-mails using brain sensor technology called Brain Gate. Hutchinson now lives in a Dorchester convalescent home.

Her son, Brian, says his mother continues to battle to regain function in her body that she lost more than a decade ago.

The 55-year-old is receiving speech therapy, he said, and recently said her first words in many years.

Hutchinson was one of two brain sensor patients interviewed for the network report.

The "60 Minutes" segment can be viewed online at: www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/31/60 minutes/main4560940.shtml