VIDBE-Q Volume 66 Issue 4
Spoiler alert...suddenly Eddie would participate. Imagine hating to use a
Braillewriter for years and then somebody sings "Rolling, Rolling, Rolling" as you
wind your paper in before you begin. You guessed it, Eddie laughed hysterically at
the fun. We incorporated more items of interest to him and found ways for him to
communicate choices through buttons, iPad apps, and tactile symbols. Through the
use of communication tools, he started speaking more words. By taking an interest
in him, he was interested in us, and therefore interested in the instruction we
provided.
When Eddie was entering seventh grade, we moved to Texas as I took a job
at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. As I engaged with my
new colleagues, my world opened even further. I was immersed in a place where
professionals had been researching building relationships with children like Eddie
for years. I attended a workshop with Barbara Miles that was life-changing. I sat in
deafblind team meetings with colleagues that could unwrap the topic of one
student-teacher or child-parent interaction over the course of hours. They knew
that every child had a lot to say and it was our job to listen and show them they are
heard.
As Eddie continues to access more tactile symbols at school and concrete
routines throughout his day, he is flourishing. He continues to learn braille letters
and phonics and is able to associate those items with relative information at school
