VIDBE-Q Volume 68 Issue 4
24
child who is DeafBlind. Liam can now use his tablet and refreshable braille display
to communicate with others who do not know braille or ASL. This would not have
been possible without those early years learning the value and appreciation of
braille.
Thoughts from Liam
I asked my son, now as a freshman in high school, if he would like to share a
few personal thoughts about literacy:
Mom made shapes on books a long time ago. I felt happy reading the shapes.
I am DeafBlind and it is important that I am good at reading books. I read
full books. I read books at high school. Reading helps me in math. I like
reading all books! My favorite things to receive are books (and beads and
candy!).
Encouraging and Empowering Families and Staff
From the beginning, I had a heart to share my ideas and books with other
parents and staff that were in my shoes. As I mentioned before, at the time, there
were not a lot of ideas on accessible literacy online that you could easily find. I
wanted to help other people that wanted to make accessible materials too! I
reached out to my state's DeafBlind Project Director and shared with her my desire
to share my ideas with others. She mentioned to me that there was a site that was
new and was looking for people to contribute ideas, Paths to Literacy. I reached
out the manager of that site and she ended up being a great resource, supporter,
