Ishaan Holloway says that he is ecstatic to overcome all the presumptions about him and people like him.
Holloway, 19, has severe regressive autism and does not speak. The Calgarian is also an award -winning poet and published author.
Talk about his last achievement, a diploma of grade 12, writing his answers on a keyboard a letter at the same time.
“Sometimes it was difficult [but] I wanted to fight for the rights of people with severe disabilities, and the only way to do it was to give an example that is worth it, “Holloway writes.
That motivation is behind many Ishaan milestones. How is your family.
“We are very proud of him because, to be honest with you, they made us feel that he will not be able to achieve what he has, and that was a real disappointment for us for many, many years,” said Mousumee Dutta, the mother of Ishaan.
A system that is ‘involuntarily cruel’
Dutta remembers that Ishaan has developed as a typical child until the age of 18.
At that time, she says, she began to go back, lose her ability to walk, talk, show social skills. Autism was diagnosed at two years.
The couple finally enrolled Ishaan in a specialized private school for autistic children. However, they discovered that teachers continued to focus on learning the basic concepts, such as alphabet, and were not open to invest more time and energy to go beyond that, even when Ishaan began using a plaque to communicate.
“It is really required that a lot of perseverance be more challenging for the fact that the system is really designed, not cruelly intentionally, but involuntarily cruelly, to fire their children, to discard it,” said Ian Holloway, Ishaan’s father.
Then, in 2018, Dutta renounced his career to his son’s home. They chose a grade 3 curriculum to start, which he dominated quickly.
“These children are so locked in their bodies, and they are so intelligent, but they have no means to show how intelligent and intelligent they are,” said Dutta.
Empowering, inspiring
The family says they found a lot of support from home education agencies, the most recent is the Independent Summit West School (SWIS), which helped Ishaan during their high school.
The director of the Department of Education in the school of the school says that she works with many neurodive students and that it is rare that someone like Ishaan graduated from high school in Alberta.
“[But] What is not uncommon is our underestimation of neurodiverse children, and we have to change that, “said Grace-Anne Post, director of the school in the home of the school.
Post attributes Ishaan’s success to a support family that could access resources, its tutors and the trust and belief that it is capable.
“That empowerment is huge and open the door to know the possibilities, that is an endless story right there,” said Post.
One of his tutors, a fourth year neuroscience student at the University of Calgary, helped him in mathematics, physics and psychology.
“It’s very, very talented and very, very intelligent,” said Daniel Pytyck. “I admire it a lot.”
More dreams to fulfill
The only inconvenience of this trip, says Ishaan, is not to have classmates with whom collaborating or helping to motivate it when things get difficult.
“So it has been a bit alone sometimes,” he writes.
Even so, he has no plans to stop with a diploma of grade 12. He says he would like to go to university, recognizing that it would be a big step forward.
“I would like to study psychology, and one day help people like me,” he writes.
His parents say it would be too difficult for Ishaan to sit in a class until he builds his social skills. So, for now, they have begun to look for universities online and plan to start slowly, with a course.
“I am quite sure that it will be fine, but I am also sure that there will be settings involved,” said Ian Holloway.
As for Ishaan, it offers some tips to anyone who is struggling to achieve their goals.
“Do not give up! Sometimes you will have bad days. I know yes. But I never give up. I always remember that you are not alone and that there are many people who want you to succeed,” he writes.
