John Larry Black
John Larry Black
You want him to talk to you. You want him to say he loves you. You want all of those things. But I also want to enjoy my son as he is. We want him to continue to be happy here — because he is. He loves this place.
After their first tour, the Black family knew Bridgeway was the right fit — so in 2018 they moved from Georgia to Columbus to enroll their son, John Larry Black.
Throughout his time at Bridgeway, Marcia-Lynn and Bryan Black have watched John grow in meaningful ways. They were astonished at the pride John expressed every time he uses his speech device and delight in the joy he finds through music therapy.
One especially powerful moment came when John’s teachers and therapists helped him prepare for a big milestone: visiting his grandmother in South Africa. His teacher created social stories so he could understand every step of the journey — from what the airport would look like to the sounds of the plane and the challenges of transitions along the way. Because of that preparation, John was able to travel more than 16 hours across the world to spend time with his grandmother.
Above all, the Black family is grateful to the Bridgeway staff for meeting John exactly where he is at every stage of his growth.
You want him to talk to you. You want him to say he loves you. You want all of those things. But I also want to enjoy my son as he is. We want him to continue to be happy here — because he is. He loves this place. When we have our breaks, even though I wish we never had breaks, he misses it.
-Bryan Black
