Josh Crawford
Raising Josh Crawford has always been a family affair. Junior Blind is now honored to be part of that family.
When their son, Josh, was born 11 years ago with Down syndrome, Denise and Dave Crawford weren’t sure what to expect. With time, however, it soon became obvious that Josh was severely developmentally delayed. Milestones that any parent would relish slowly slipped away as their son remained unable to talk, eat solid food or sleep through the night. Josh also began to hit himself constantly, eventually striking his left eye with such frequency and severity that he detached the retina and lost vision in that eye.
Making sure Denise and Dave knew that they were not alone, family and friends quickly stepped in to form the village that would raise this child. Although just teenagers at the time, Josh’s brother and sister did all they could to help their parents keep him safe and healthy. In addition, a good family friend worked closely with Dave to create a helmet that would keep Josh from blinding his right eye. Along the way, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and countless others did all they could to share their time and their love.
However, once Josh became school age, finding a place outside the home that could offer him that same level of care was extremely difficult.
“When it became time for Josh to start school, we couldn’t help but worry,” recalls Denise. “He was literally still drinking water with a teaspoon and only able to eat puréed foods. He also loved to put every-thing in his mouth, so choking was a huge concern.”
Denise and Dave decided to enroll Josh in their district’s public special education school, but the intense one-on-one attention their son required became more than the school could provide. Recognizing that there had to be a better solution, a school administrator connected the Crawfords to Junior Blind’s Special Education School in 2006.
“From the moment we stepped onto Junior Blind’s campus, we were just so grateful that such a place existed,” says Denise. “From the classrooms to the teachers, they had everything that a child like Josh needed to grow.”
Concerned about the skills he lacked and confident about the progress that he could make, Special Education School staff worked together with Denise and Dave to create an education plan personalized to Josh’s needs. Top priorities became building Josh’s communication skills, increasing his mobility and helping him learn to eat and chew on his own.
After a year of witnessing how great Josh was responding to having a daily routine at school, Josh’s teachers suggested that he might also benefit from the added consistency a residential program would offer. While the decision was not easy, the Crawfords wanted to do what was best for their son and enrolled Josh in Junior Blind’s Children’s Residential Program in 2007.
In the short time Josh has been at Junior Blind, he has made tremendous progress. While nonverbal, he has learned how to communicate his choices using signs and actions—something he was never able to do before. He also pays more attention now to his environment and can get around better as a result. In addition, after just two weeks in our Children’s Residential Program, Josh slept through the night by himself for the very first time in his life. And now, at age 11, Josh is finally able to eat solid foods and use a fork.
Most importantly for Denise and Dave, they are overjoyed knowing that they have been able to add even more members to Josh’s family.
As Dave shares, “The staff here aren’t famous. You don’t read about them in the paper or hear about them on television. But every last one of them—from the teachers, to the caregivers, to the nursing staff, to those who work in the cafeteria— is amazing. They have taken a little boy who would otherwise be invisible and have made him feel very, very special. When it comes to meeting Josh’s needs, the entire Junior Blind staff treats us like family.”
The feeling at Junior Blind is mutual. Asked if he has children of his own, Adrian Jenkins, Josh’s caregiver, is quick to respond.
“No, I don’t,” he says. “But I do have Josh, and he is just like a son to me.”
| 
