Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

“The single best thing to happen to me.”

Luke in his own words: Kamloops youth advocates for non-speakers like him

Feb 29, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — We first told you of Luke Verhoeff’s story back in late December. Fast forward to February, and his Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) practitioner Madison Imber is in town to work with Luke. We had to ask Luke how he felt about that first story.

“I was elated with the response,” Luke says, through Imber’s help with a letterboard. “The response was positive. Mom got a lot of emails.”

Despite spending 19 years as a non-speaker, Verhoeff is incredibly eloquent. Before he connected with Imber, you’d have never known it. However, now that he’s mastered RPM, he’s been enjoying the opportunity to strengthen connections with those around him.

The best part?

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“My family getting to know the real me,” Luke says.

Imber has been a certified provider of RPM since 2019 and has worked with more than 50 students. For her, helping these students express their voices is incredibly rewarding.

“I’m just really, really passionate about what I do,” Imber tells CFJC Today. “Guys like Luke are why I do what I do. I’ve seen so many students go from feeling locked inside, misunderstood and frustrated, to poets and published authors and advocates. It’s such a rewarding job.”

On Wednesday night (Feb. 28), Imber and the Verhoeffs held an information session about Spelling 2 Communicate and RPM that was attended by educators and caregivers from across the region. Luke spoke with those in attendance, to help them understand what he and other non-speakers experience.

“He finished the whole evening by saying, ‘Be the change,’” Luke’s mom Sandra recalls. “Support people in the school districts and the diagnosing systems. Once you sit and listen to Luke and you actually see him in person, live, and take the time to actually have a conversation with a non-speaker, that’s the most important part.”

With Imber here, Luke has been able to go to the doctor and vision therapist, and for the first time convey his experience and advocate for himself.

He’s also taking part in a study that utilizes a holo-gaze letterboard and augmented reality technology to allow him to communicate independently.

The work Luke does with Imber and the Rapid Prompting Method has opened him up to the world, as well as the world to Luke.

“It is the single best thing to happen to me,” Luke says.

To follow Luke’s journey you can visit ThisIsLuke.ca. For more information about the Rapid Prompting Method, you can visit Madison’s website at MentoringMindsAutismServices.com.