"Eye on the Prize: Meet Jonathan Bryan - Author, Advocate, and University Student Breaking Barriers Through Words"
Special Feature by Ellise Hollie-Hayward, Disabilities Correspondent
Jonathan Bryan is 18 years old and studying Creative Writing at Bath Spa University.
He is a published author and founded a charity called ‘Teach Us Too’, envisaging a world where all children are taught to read and write regardless of their educational label or disability.
Jonathan is also a Jesus follower, literature lover, baker of the best brownies and pool player.
He was born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, which has robbed him of his ability to speak or walk but not his sense of humour!
Jonathan said that Bath Spa University has been very welcoming and accommodating. Creative Writing is Jonathan’s joy and gives him the ability to express himself in a level playing field.
Jonathan’s book ‘Eye Can Write’ is his memoir of how he learnt to read and write and the difference it made in his life as a non-speaker who could start spelling everything he wanted to communicate.
He wants to make a difference for pupils who are non-speaking and not taught to read or write in schools because of assumptions made about them.
With Teach Us Too, Jonathan speaks to many professionals involved in teaching children with complex needs with the hope that he can change attitudes and assumptions made about their students. In particular, he advocates for all children to be taught literacy in the classroom.
Jonathan also talks about disability and belonging in church. In the summer, he wrote a spoken word poem about this with his best friend and it was shown in front of 4,000 people at the Satellites youth event.
When Jonathan was 7, he was taken out of special school to learn to read and write because at school he was only given a sensory curriculum. As a non-speaking person, being able to spell with his eyes totally transformed his life and began to campaign for all children to be taught to read and write regardless of their educational label or disability.
Jonathan founded Teach Us Too to continue his campaign and receive royalties from his book ‘Eye Can Write’.
Teach Us Too presents to trainee teachers, SENCos and schools on why it’s important for all children to be taught to read and write and sponsors courses from experts in the field in how to teach students with complex needs literacy.
