Hello:
I wanted to inform you about some of my experiences regarding Morse and young people.
1. During my Morse demonstrations to elementary school students as a speaker with the wonderful "A Touch of Understanding" disability advocate and inclusion workshops:
a. A third grade student at an ATOU workshop has Asperger's Syndrome. While the ATOU speakers were preparing for the workshop early in the morning, this solitary student in the classroom prior to the start of this schoolday sat at his desk, listening to the four speakers early chit chat. He spoke up and held up his school issued laminated identification card, speaking: "I like to show people this card while I am speaking to them because I am very shy and don't like to talk to people. Showing them this card while I speak helps me talk."
At the end of our speeches,this youngster approached me, held out his identification card and said to me,"Here, I want to give you this-- I think that it will help you talk." This brave, caring, neuro diverse third grade student sacrificed his communication tool because he noticed that my conversation during my speech was directed at the floor. My autism prevents me from looking at people while speaking to them.
We were all so impressed with his courage and compassion! I gave his parents an LNR PRECISION model "MTR 3B" qrp Morse transceiver because he wrote on the back of the card he gave me that he loves Morse.
b. One of the third grade students occasionally speaks in ATOU school workshops because he is neurodiverse. He loves fiddling with "Rubik's Cube" and can solve it in less than thirty seconds.
He was disruptive during his speaking involvement because he was fascinated with my three demonstration Morse instruments and fiddled with them while the other speakers tried to talk.
c. I gave an MTR3B qrp Morse transceiver to the mother of a neuro diverse teen. She told her mother that "listening to Morse Code relaxes me". They heard about my outreach and travelled many hours from Southern California to pick up the equipment.
d. A neurodiverse teen and her mother stopped by my outreach exhibit at an "Autism Vendor's Fair". She did not seem to want to look at the other vendors, simply fiddle with my Morse instruments. I gave her mother a Morse key and keyer to take home.
e. A teen approached my "ScholarShare" Morse outreach exhibit five times in one day to practice sending Morse with each of the three unique Morse instruments on display. He had a severe stuttering issue and had finally found a fun, challenging,unknown to peers and impressive to see and hear method of "talking".
Simply a few of my experiences- I could continue but this narrative is lengthy. Thanks!
