Eye Can Write by Jonathan Bryan
Published by Blink Publishing, 2019
A few weeks ago a good friend said to me ” Sadly Jonathan Bryan has died”. I had not heard of him but she sent me a copy of his book as a gift. I have since bought 4 copies to give to others. Some of you may have been him on Songs of Praise but I sadly missed that
Jonathan was born with severe cerebral palsy following a serious road accident that caused damage to him in the womb a few days before he was born. Throughout the 19 years that he lived he experienced serious health problems but was lovingly cared for by his parents, Christopher and Chantal Bryan. Christopher is a vicar in Chippenham and they met the challenges they faced with much prayer, passing on their strong Christian faith to Jonathan.
The hardest thing for Jonathan was that he could not speak or write and so was unable to communicate by the written word until he was nine, although he could sign his basic wishes very clearly. At the special school he attended he was not given a chance to learn to write. Eventually his parents made the difficult decision to educate him mainly at home, and to use a special board which Jonathan used to spell out words with his eyes. He described this experience as his unlocking, and he was then able to communicate clearly, revealing he had a fine intellect and a desire to campaign for the rights of all disabled children to have the chance to learn to communicate. The charity he founded is called ” Teach us too” and for his work he received the Diana Legacy Award from Princes William and Harry.
Jonathan was always aware that he would die young, and he prepared his funeral service a few years ago, which I “attended” on live stream. The recording is still available . In that service his words were read at various stages by a friend, and reflected his strong commitment to improving education for disabled children, his love for his family, but most of all his faith in Jesus, in whom he had trusted from a young age and whose presence he had known throughout his life, especially during some very dark and difficult times. His concern for his 2 sisters, who he knew would grieve deeply after his death was deeply touching .