Jonathan Bryan with, inset, the book he wrote using only his eyes,,,
A quadriplegic boy who’s unable to speak has founded a charity and written a book, saying: “Jesus has given me a job to do.”
Jonathan Bryan, aged 15, set up Teach Us Too, which aims to ensure all children are given the chance to read and write, regardless of perceived ability.
It’s a cause close to Jonathan’s heart after he was labelled unable to read and write because of his severe cerebral palsy.
Mum Chantal refused to accept that, removed him from his special school at age seven and taught him to use a spelling board, on which he spent many hours compiling Eye Can Write: A Memoir of a Child’s Silent Soul Emerging.
Before that, Jonathan could only communicate through a smile for ‘yes’ and a frown for ‘no’.
Chantal describes his progress as an “amazing journey”, and Jonathan gives the credit to God.
“I love writing and I love Jesus,” he said. “He gave me my voice so I can be a voice for the voiceless.”
He began using that voice immediately after learning to use the spelling board: “One of the first questions my family asked me was whether I knew Jesus. As the son of a vicar, this was an unusual question, given I’d been proving to everyone over the year before that I didn’t have a learning disability.
“For as long as I could remember, we read Bible stories at home and prayed, but my parents were not prepared for my answer that day. This was my chance to tell them about my time in Jesus’ garden. When I was very ill in intensive care, I went to a place which is beyond description where I’d climbed trees and ran about in an uninhibited body.
“This experience changed my view of death: I longed to go back forever. But I’ve been given a job to do.”
Jonathan, labelled in the education system as someone unable to communicate, was recently the keynote speaker at a Zoom presentation by Christian disability charity Through The Roof.
From Direction Magazine issue 232
