DESCRIBER: A title: ÒMeet Liam.Ó
SANDY: Hi, my name is Sandy Kenrick. I am the mother of two boys. OneÑmy oldestÑis six years old. His name is Liam; he is deaf-blind. My youngestÕs name is Finn. He is three years old; he has typical vision and hearing. Liam was born with typical vision/hearing; when he was 2 ? years old, he became sick with meningitis. After months in the hospital and therapies and such, we came home with a kiddo who was now deaf-blind. His vision isÉhe can see lights and darks, some movements, someÑhe can make out shapes and some objects. He is a braille reader. He also has no hearing. WeÕve had cochlear implant surgeries, two of them, both of which failed with different complications because of the meningitis. And so he has no hearing, so he is deaf and communicates using ASL expressively and tactile ASL receptively.
DESCRIBER: Outside, Finn stands at the top of a small slide going into a wading pool.
SANDY: LetÕs see it, Finn! Whoa, that was a good one! LetÕs see Liam go.
DESCRIBER: Liam climbs to the top of the slide.
SANDY: HeÕs gonna go.
DESCRIBER: He signs to Finn.
SANDY: Yeah, he has a rock. Finn, be gentle. Okay, go, Liam, go!
DESCRIBER: Liam slides into the pool.
SANDY: [laughs] Good one!
LiamÕs favorite things. Liam, I have to say, his very favorite thing to do is read. He loves to read his books; he loves his braille games; give that kid a new book, he is going to be a very happy boy. Liam really loves to play outside. He likes to go for walks on the streets, play in the park, walk in our neighborhood. Liam really likes to play with friends and familyÑheÕs very social, so anytime he can be with someone that he enjoys hanging out with, thatÕs one of his favorite things as well. He likes swimming, going to churchÑvery social, like I said. He loves to go to the store, the grocery store; that can be a busy time, but he likes to go. And restaurantsÑwe have a few family favorite restaurants that we enjoy going to together that weÕve worked very hard to make successful trips. He likes going to Grandma and GrandpaÕs house to play, and one of his other things he likes to do is to run. RunÑhe likes to run around the house, outside, with a friend. And yeah, very active little guy. My favorite things that I love about Liam is I love his laugh; he is a happy boy, full of joy, very social. I love how brave he is, how he embracesÉjust embraces life. HeÕs adventurous. He is independent and not afraid to let you know what he wants. He loves to make people laugh; heÕs a hard worker; he loves to learn and is very curious.
DESCRIBER: Liam plays with a toy. He turns a crank on one side, and strings of playdough are squeezed out from small holes in the top.