Book Recommendation: Eye Can Write by Jonathan Bryan
Eye Can Write: A Memoir of a Silent Soul Emerging
I’ve had a lot of experience over the last few years, working with young people with disabilities and learning difficulties, in particular those with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and I absolutely adore my job. These children who people regularly underestimate and speak to in a ‘baby voice’, have often been some of the most aware and intelligent individuals I’ve had the pleasure to work with. I’m so passionate about not excluding or dismissing people just because of their physical abilities but it happens every single day, not just by strangers, but families, friends, medical professionals, teachers and support workers. Its a difficult thing to tackle, because how do you go about changing the way people see these individuals, when you have no way of showing them that there’s so much more than what they can see, especially if the person cannot speak and needs help to eat, drink and even move about on their own?
Eye Can Write, is an incredible memoir written by one such boy.12 year old Jonathan Bryan, who has severe cerebral palsy and is ‘locked in’ so cannot speak or even sign, but despite the constant battle with his own body, he and an amazing support network he learned to read and has they have developed a way to spell words by just using his eyes.
This book is about his journey, his thoughts and feelings about finding his voice and his wish to help others like him labelled with PMLD to receive an education so they can find their voice too.
Please help to share this little miracle of a book! It’s available to buy online at Amazon and at most major booksellers. A portion of all book sales are being donated to Teach Us Too, a charity set up by Jonathan and his family to help teach children with PMLD to read and write!
Teach Us Too, website: http://www.teachustoo.org.uk/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eye-Can-Write-memoir-emerging-ebook/dp/B07BZMXRL7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534182486&sr=8-1&keywords=eye+can+write
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/eye-can-write/jonathan-bryan/9781911600787
