Bayron
                                                 

Bayron is an amazing child, who happens to be unable to hear.  My friend, Dick Rutgers, had met him at a wheelchair distribution.  Though he himself had no shoes, he would take Dick by the hand and lead him to other children without shoes, trying to get help for them.  His generous heart immediately endeared him to Dick.

Since communication systems are my "thing," Dick and I decided Bayron would be my first Guatemalan client.  Below are some excerps from my blog from the days we visited him in May, 2009.

As we entered the restaurant, Dick and I saw this little guy who could not speak [Bayron] had already gotten the attendant to turn on the computer for him! What independence. He had watched a little boy playing on it the night before. We helped him find some free games on the internet, but he wanted little if any help figuring out how to play them. He made it extremely clear that he could do this himself! It appeared that Bayron must have had some opportunity in the past to use a computer. After checking out a number of games, he did condescend to taking turns with a motorcycle game with Dick. We let him play until his breakfast arrived. Then it took the full willpower (stubbornness?) of two grown people to convince one little boy that he really did want to eat more than he wanted to play the computer. (Turning off the monitor helped, too.) Thankfully, we averted a tantrum this time.

Once again at breakfast, Bayron showed his independence. I’d forgotten to order him something to drink, but that was no problem. He just took the cup Dick was not using, poured himself a cup of coffee, and added two heaping teaspoons of sugar to it! Tasting it, he made a sour face, and added a third for good measure. And when the waitress returned to see if we wanted anything else, he very ably communicated to her that he would like a glass of orange juice just like Dick’s! What a kid!

Earlier this morning, Dick told me, Bayron had figured out how to use the self-timer on Dick’s camera and had a great time taking pictures of himself with it. He has quite the aptitude at using electronics, it seems. He learned my camera instantly, and occupied himself by taking pictures of everyone in the restaurant this morning!

After a quick swim, it was time to get to work at using his communication cards. I’d worried for weeks about how to communicate their use to a child who didn’t hear. This was all new to me. Silly me, Bayron took to using them like a duck to water. He especially liked the photos I’d included of his family and Dick. With no instruction, he immediately made it clear that his favorite activity of those on the cards was kicking a ball. We practiced some with using the cards to request different types of candy and colors of crayons. It was clear, however, that he didn’t need practice, just the opportunity to use the cards in the real world. He ran off excitedly to show his new cards to Dick.

Thanks to this remarkable young man, my first effort at using a communication system in Guatemala was an unqualified success.  I can't wait to get back to see how he is doing with his communication cards.