Non-Speaking teenager who wrote a book with his eyes says he's 'voice of the voiceless'

Richard_Scope

A teenager with severe cerebral palsy who wrote a book using his eyes has urged teachers not to underestimate their pupils.

When Jonathan Bryan started school, he was given the label PMLD, which stands for profound and multiple learning disabilities.

It meant he was placed on a sensory curriculum - essentially early years education - but his mother took him out of school and taught him to read and write using an alphabet board.

Mr Bryan told The UK Tonight With Sarah-Jane Mee he has become a "voice of the voiceless" over 10 years of campaigning to prevent people with complex needs and who are non-verbal from being overlooked.

The 19-year-old is now a published author and is studying creative writing at the University of Bath.

Asked if the school system was underestimating children with PMLD, he said the mistake was in thinking "it's something that's diagnosed" when it is "just an educational label given to children who look like me - usually in a wheelchair, with little or no means of communication".

Full Article on Sky News website

anisty

What an incredible story! I cannot imagine many things worse than 'locked in syndrome' and this must have been similar for this lad when he was a child - an intelligent brain with no means of communication.

Thank goodness for modern technologies and Mums!