Jonathan Bryan
Founder of Teach Us Too
When Jonathan was seven he was removed from his special school for a few hours a day to be taught to read and write by his mother; and after a year and a half, had learnt enough to spell out everything he wanted to write and say using his eyes to choose letters on an alphabet board held in front of him. While recovering from a serious illness aged ten, Jonathan felt God had given him some extra time so he could try and make a difference for children like him in education.
During the summer of 2016 Jonathan started an online campaign for all children to be taught to read and write regardless of their educational label, which has now gained 750,000 signatures. It led to a meeting with the Minister responsible for Special Education, which was recorded as part of a CBBC My Life documentary, which followed Jonathan for a few months in late 2016 and included his confirmation service.
In 2018 his memoir, Eye Can Write, was published, and many people have contacted him to say it has changed their attitude to non-verbal people, and teachers have told him it has changed the education of their students. Jonathan’s portion of the profits from the book go to his charity, Teach Us Too, extending the work started by his campaign. With the charity Jonathan spreads the message of Teach Us Too by speaking at universities, events and schools, to education students, professionals and teachers.
“I believe that all children should be taught to read and write regardless of their educational label.”