DESCRIPTION: Text, National Center on Deaf-Blindness. Meet Paul. Child in a mobility device. Parents address camera while son plays in background. ANGELICA: My name is Angelica. And this is my husband, Paul. And our son is Paul. He's six years old. And he has CHARGE syndrome. And when Paul was born, we didn't know he had any issues. So when he was born, about a week later, they said we think he has CHARGE syndrome. He was in the hospital for six weeks. And they did the testing. So it came back positive at about five, six months later that he had CHARGE syndrome. Of course, we didn't know anything about CHARGE syndrome. And we are still learning every day new things about CHARGE syndrome. Four-- five-- six-- ten-- all right. Nine, nine. DESCRIPTION: Teaching Paul numbers with a tactile toy. ANGELICA: He has many health issues. Right now everything is under control. PAUL (FATHER): Stable. ANGELICA: He is stable. And he has vision and hearing loss, heart issues. He also has a diagnosis of autism. DESCRIPTION: Paul explores tall grass with his hands. ANGELICA: Previous years, we were in and out of the hospital. I mean, for one thing or another, he was always in and out. And we'd spend many, many nights in the hospital. He has gone through quite a few surgeries. He's profoundly deaf on one side and moderate on the other side. He wears a BAHA hearing aid, which is a bone conductor hearing aid, where the sound travels to the bone. So he's able to hear. And right now he only wears it on one side. But he's going to go in for another surgery because he wears a headband. DESCRIPTION: Hearing aid. ANGELICA: So he's going to go in for surgery, so it's going to be attached. But it's going to be on both sides. His vision, you know, it's been really hard to find out how much-- how well he can see. His doctor thinks that he can see pretty much everything that is close to him. We don't know how far he can see. PAUL (FATHER): And they say he's nearsighted. ANGELICA: He is nearsighted. But he wears glasses. And lately he hasn't-- doesn't really want to wear his glasses. DESCRIPTION: Paul, walking and clapping, reaches up and pulls his glasses off his head. ANGELICA: But he's able to find the tiny little things on the floor. So he does use his vision really well. He does have colobomas in both eyes. I mean, it's always a concern because when a kid's got, you know, anybody that has colobomas, if there is a fall, if somebody falls or they get a big hit on the head, their retina can detach. So it's always a scary thing. But we try not to think about it because we have so many other things to worry. DESCRIPTION: Walking outdoors, Paul adjusts his lenses and smiles at the camera. ANGELICA: Paul is a really happy kid. He's very loving. I remember awhile back, he wouldn't be-- we wouldn't be able to touch him in his hands. Now he loves hugs, kisses. He has these giggles, like-- PAUL (FATHER): Contagious laugh. ANGELICA: Yeah. PAUL: [giggles] DESCRIPTION: Paul Sr. guides Paul Jr. down a sidewalk. PAUL (FATHER): More? ANGELICA: He's always happy. He's always happy. PAUL (FATHER): He is a happy child. ANGELICA: He is always happy. PAUL (FATHER): Even though he has, you know, his diagnosis of CHARGE syndrome, I wouldn't trade his personality for a normal kid. DESCRIPTION: Talking and signing to Paul. ANGELICA: What? You want phone? He's looking for the phone. PAUL: [laughs] DESCRIPTION: Holding hands with Angelica. ANGELICA: I don't have it. I don't have the phone.