Happy 2024! It’s our heart’s desire to amplify remarkable people of impact, and we could not think of a more impactful person to amplify this #Amplifriday than Luke Verhoeff.
We all have had challenges in our lives, but Luke has lived those challenges without the ability to verbally communicate freely, and easily, to share his heart, his goals, and his feelings. He was diagnosed at just 3 ½ years of age with mild to moderate autism with a global developmental delay, and his family tried everything to help him. Recently, his mom Sandra, read a book about Spelling as Communication, and the ‘world of Luke’ has not only opened up for his family, but accessing the world is now better opening up for Luke!
Luke’s Mom shares, “We are thrilled to begin getting to know Luke on a much deeper level. Each time we have the opportunity to chat with him (via his Communication Partner/Practitioner Madison Imber of Mentoring Minds Autism Services—Calgary), we are enriched by his intellect, his creative and articulate writing, his incredible intuition, his sense of humour, and his love.”
"We are thrilled to begin getting to know Luke on a much deeper level."
How incredibly beautiful and touching.
What’s more, Luke and his Mom have developed a website to share Luke’s story with others at www.thisisluke.ca. We learn that Luke wants to raise awareness about non-speaking autistics and the challenges they face due to apraxia. His mission is to help non-speaking autistics express their thoughts, opinions, and dreams using the spelling on a letterboard as a communication method. Luke is dedicated to creating a change in the diagnosing system to ensure that other children like him are recognized as struggling with apraxia and deserve the letterboard method to communicate.
Luke – you are a remarkable person of impact. As is our team at Amplify Consulting Inc.’s commitment, we will donate $100 to a charity of your choice to further amplify both your remarkable impact and the charity’s.
Nominate someone remarkable at the bottom of this page.
Watch a great interview with Luke and his mom on CFJC TV.
For our first post of 2024, we amplified Luke Verhoeff's remarkable impact. As part of AmpliFriday, we donate $100 to a charity of choice for our amplified individual, and Luke chose Smart Options.
Smart Options was his first choice, and it was an easy decision. Luke is a huge fan of his Smart Options employment coach, Brittney, and their work "to help people like me find meaningful employment."
Smart Options is a government-funded employment services program that connects Kamloops employers and job seekers with developmental disabilities. The organization encourages self-determination, focusing on the individual's skills and abilities and translating them into customized employment opportunities that enable their clients to reach their employment goals and improve their quality of life by experiencing the benefits of paid employment. Notably, some workers have maintained continuous employment since the program's inception over twenty years ago.
As an adult, Luke can access funding from Community Living BC and receive support through Smart Options. Luke met Brittney in August 2023. With his family’s support, Brittney was briefed on Luke’s progress with the Spelling for Communication program, and they discussed how it could impact many other Smart Options clients. Brittney was highly interested, and over the next few months, as she met with Luke to learn more about him and his future employment goals, she also witnessed him becoming “open/fluent” as he worked with Calgary-based Madison Imber of Mentoring Minds Autism Services. Brittney was in awe as Luke was finally able—after being trapped in his own mind for 19 years—to convey his thoughts and feelings in whole conversation through a letter board. After some research, she decided to take the practitioner course and will become Kamloops’ first Communication Regulation Partner/Practitioner (CRP) for nonspeaking autistic people! Recently, when able to start lessons with Luke, Brittney was in tears when they began communicating for the first time. She will work with Luke throughout her six-month training.
They are both excited to make Kamloops history together.
Congratulations again, Luke, on being amplified; we are exceedingly pleased to make a $100 donation to Smart Options in your honour.
Amplify Consulting Inc. is a company that helps leaders, and their organizations amplify their impact through communications and stakeholder engagement. #Amplifriday is our passion project we started in 2018 to amplify remarkable people of impact to inspire you, honour them, and support local charities. You can join the #Amplifriday movement as a supporter. Reach out for details.
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