Perspectives: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Art as Communication
We were first approached late last year about the idea of Jonathan participating in the Thousand Words Photography project and we were very excited about the opportunity for Jonathan to be a part of this.
To test the waters to see how Jonathan might like photography, we gave him a camera for Christmas. He took over 300 pictures in about two hours. He took pictures of the towel rack in the bathroom and even closed the bedroom door, turned off the light, and took pictures in the dark. Obviously, Jonathan had discovered a love for photography. And we discovered a window into the world of Jonathan. It was interesting to see the content and the perspective of some of his photos. It was surprising to see how he found objects of beauty or points of interest where no one else had seen them.
Mostly, it was rewarding to see how this new hobby helped to expand Jonathan's world by allowing him an avenue to express himself.
Most individuals have the ability to communicate his or her thoughts, needs and innermost desires. But there are quite a few folks in our community who are unable to fully express themselves. Jonathan is just one of them. I was perfectly fine when we found out at his birth that he has Down syndrome. But I cried for two days when we received the diagnosis of his verbal apraxia because I knew that Jonathan's world was now made even smaller.
I tell you this not for your pity, but for your understanding.
Through arts, specifically photography, I can't describe how impacting it is for us to see our child's world expand because he now has another way to show his point of view. It's a pretty huge breakthrough. Jonathan's world will continue to grow as a result of the Thousand Words Project. We've already received a few requests for prints of some of his photos and are now considering how Jonathan may be able to take his new found hobby and develop it into a future career. We are excited for him to start on a path to be a happy and productive adult with a job that he loves.
A lot of it was because Jonathan's mentor, Bethany O'Bryant, was kind and full of patience but more importantly for consistently presuming competence. That confidence in our child's ability has helped to shape his future that is bright and full of hope. Discovering this avenue of photography and through the Thousand Words Project, it provided us with the wonderful opportunity to not only participate but also helped provide us with a path for our son that may ultimately result in a career.
We had no clue that Jonathan would enjoy photography until we put a camera in his hands. We had no idea how he would use photography as a means to express his point of view or how impacting it would be for our family. So, we encourage you to continually introduce your loved one, especially if he or she is predominately non-verbal, to new ways to express him or herself.
Photography, painting, music, dance or any of the arts should be regarded as an incredible opportunity for growth.
by Pam Gross
Tags: Making a Difference, Perspectives