One day Michael was feeling a little frustrated. He said to me he needed to get on the treadmill and work it off. He went to the small gym here at the blind center to do just that but he was not allowed to get on any equipment until he was trained by them personally. Never mind that he has been on a treadmill countless times. Here he is waiting patiently for the "training" to be done.
More often than not, when I come to the school to see Michael, this is where I find him, upstairs on the computer. He is not waiting for the instructor to teach him how to use the Jaws program. He is displaying an incredible amount of patience as he teaches himself.
He is however, spending time learning his braille. Here he is learning to read words. In a few days those words will be sentences. It reminds me of those days when he was in first grade and he sat and read to me. Now he is doing it again only I'm having to learn it along with him.
Michael received this blanket last week and it has some braille sewn on it. At that time, Michael did not know any braille and so did not know what it said. Now he does. It says "Michael Malarsie" on one line and "Hero" on the next. Very cool.
We went shopping and got Michael some proper church clothes. He has lost close to 15 pounds so I was not sure what size shirt to get him. You can't really tell, but this shirt was too small around the neck. He had to wear it unbuttoned under his tie, but you couldn't see it. He went to the Stanford University young adult ward. The people there were very welcoming and Michael had a good time.
Another activity Michael is enjoying is his banjo lessons on Wednesday nights. The store where he takes lessons lets people come and try out different instruments. So he wanted to go early last Wednesday and do just that. He sat on the stool and I handed him different instruments and he messed around with them. Here he is with a mini banjo-ukelele. As you can see, he loved it.
I homeschool my kids, and we are reading a book called, "Follow My Leader". It's about an 11 year-old boy named Jimmy, who was blinded in a firework accident. It tells about him adjusting to his new life, and going to a school so he can get a guide dog. It has been a fantastic read. My kids absolutely LOVE the book, and I am trying to put myself in Michael's shoes. Sometimes, we try some of the things that Jimmy has to do, and I must say, we fail quite frequently! For instance, the book explains a little bit about Braille. Wow! Only 6 little dots, but they represent so much!We have found a website where you type your message, print it out, and place dots of glue on the black dots. When it dries, it feels similar to Braille. It is much harder to read than I thought!
ReplyDeleteIt is such an inspiration to read about Michael's progress, and determination. Keep it up, Michael! We're rooting for you!
Saundra Taylor and Family