The staff knew him as a quiet and easy-to-get-along-with kind of person. He was engaged, always busy, and wanted to lend a helping hand, whether it was learning new skills, volunteering, or just keeping areas organized. “He loves to clean,” recalls Nicolas Lallana, Community Services Manager for Easterseals Midwest. “It’s important to him to clean and keep things organized. He likes to always stay busy and make sure things are just right.”
But underneath everything, there was a lot more going on with Matt than anyone had realized.
Staff member James Krauss began working with Matt, starting with simple pen-and-paper communication techniques. “It started out pretty simply at first, like ‘yes or no’ kind of questions,” Krauss explains. “At one point, he marked one and just started writing to explain his answer a little bit. From there, it just kept going.”
And from there, everything began to change.
Matt was able to reveal a dormant side of himself through writing: thought-provoking, witty, and above all, profoundly reflective. “We got this whole new dimension from Matt,” says Lallana. “This person who had a lot of language, could communicate his wants and needs in a way we had never seen before. He really wants to advocate and share his story with everybody.”
“At one point, he marked one and just started writing to explain his answer a little bit. From there, it just kept going.”
Krauss concurs: “He had some pretty complex feedback about some of the volunteer sites that we were going to, why he liked the work that he was doing. It was really cool. He was really funny and really thoughtful.”
His progress has been a powerful lesson for his support team. “There are times when we put somebody in a box and have mentally thought that this is where they’re at,” says Lallana. “We always have to keep pushing and learning and trying new things with people because you just don’t know. Matt is a reminder to approach every person with what he calls a ‘beginner’s mind’ - not having your own expectations and ideas when confronting a situation, and just really seeing the person in front of you.”
“We got this whole new dimension from Matt. This person who had a lot of language, could communicate his wants and needs in a way we had never seen before."
That shift has changed Matt. Having new methods of communications, he’s been able to express himself and his goals, talk through trials and tribulations, and reflect on moments to process. “We have seen drastic improvements in Matt,” Lallana says. “Being able to debrief about situations and explain what happened, instead of being seen as his behavior has been transformational.”
Now, Matt has focused his attention to finding a job. Getting his voice heard and talents recognized, the path to aspiring future is attainable. It’s a reminder that when we take the time to listen, we can uncover something to make it all a little easier.
