VIDBE-Q Volume 68 Issue 4
17
Sandra Gillam
Sandra.gillam81@gmail.com
My name is Sandra Gillam. I am beginning my 5
th
year as a teacher of
students with visual impairments (TSVI). Before that, I taught in general
elementary education classrooms as a third-grade teacher. I am a wife and a mother
of two busy, happy boys. My older son, Liam, is 14. He is deafblind. My younger,
Finn, is 11. He has typical vision and hearing. I am here to tell my story; a mother
who believes in accessible literacy for all. I want to share my journey towards
accessible literacy for my son, ideas to support a love for reading, and the
importance of encouraging families and staff to embrace literacy as a basic human
right.
Liam was born healthy and had typical vision and hearing. He was a chatty,
busy, and sweet little boy. Eleven years ago, tragedy hit our family. I was 6 months
pregnant with Finn and Liam was only 2 years old. Liam became extremely sick
with bacterial meningitis. He was airlifted to a hospital that was a five-hour drive
Accessible Books for My Son:
One Mother's Journey
