Matthew Roush: From High School to SunTrust – One Young Man’s Success Story

Matthew Roush, 22, loves going to work at SunTrust Bank. His mom, Susan, knows that it was his hard work and persevering nature that got him there. With the support of family and the program Project Search, Matthew is proud to be part of the rat race.

Matthew’s struggles began shortly after birth. Visual and auditory losses contributed to his challenges as a student. Success sometimes seemed far away, but a loving family, dedicated professionals and innovative programs kept Matthew focused on a bright future.

KE: What were your biggest struggles growing up? What were your toughest challenges in the classroom?
Matthew Roush: Being in classes with different kinds of kids – I did not feel like I fit in with anyone in particular.
Susan Roush: Developing friendships with peers has always been difficult for Matthew.

KE: How old were you when you were diagnosed with a learning disability? What is your earliest memory of struggling in school?
SR: It was apparent that Matthew would learn differently from the time he was an infant. We did not know to what degree his sensory challenges (hearing and vision) would affect his development so we tried many different things. It seems like he began therapy the day he was born! There were periods of time where we saw very little progress but we never gave up.

KE: How did your challenges change as you progressed through elementary, middle school and high school?
SR: The public school system began providing services when he was 5. He was evaluated at the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf and attended school there until the third grade. We often re-evaluated his communication, learning and behavior and made changes to his program. Oftentimes he would make progress in one area, only to fall way behind in another. He learned to compensate for his visual and auditory challenges and learned to read sight words and to follow very short oral directions. Socially, he would gravitate towards teachers and adults, which he has continued to do. In the third grade, he began attending school in the Atlanta Public School System. Each year Matthew’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team met, reviewed his year and made plans for the next. Some years he was in a more inclusive environment, other years he was in a more self-contained environment. Our goal was always to help him be as inde- pendent as possible.

KE: Were there any particular interventions or teaching methods that helped you make gains academically?
MR: I have been lucky to have many good teachers and bus drivers. The ones I remember the most, are the ones who gave good hugs or let me know they cared about me. I always wanted to make them proud of me.
SR: From the beginning, Matthew had an IEP. Matthew made more gains when teachers would/could ac-tively engage him and make the appropriate modifications to his learning material. If he was asked to sit and “listen” for a long period or read books/tests with fine print, we would see significant negative behaviors increase. Once Matthew began using a personal FM system, we saw a marked improvement in what he understood as well as his self-esteem. Matthew has participated in Challenger baseball, the SOAR sports program at the Marcus Jewish Community Center and Special Olympics. He has attended day camps and spend-the-night camps. Currently he enjoys bowling with friends from Lekotek. He just thinks he is never busy enough!

KE: Did your struggles ever cause your self-esteem to suffer?
MR: I don’t think so. My family and friends always made me feel good about myself. They let me know that being different can be a good thing.

KE: Can you describe your social struggles in more detail and tell us what you think was at the root of those difficulties?
MR: I have always had trouble making friends on my own. I do have a few friends I e-mail. My job takes a lot of my time now, so it’s harder to have a social life!
SR: Matthew has always had difficulty communicating with peers and initiating activities. Classmates sometimes had a hard time understanding his speech due to his hearing loss. Typical peers were often nice to Matthew but did not spend extended time with him.

KE: Did you feel prepared to go to work after graduating from high school?
MR: Yes! I felt prepared and ready to go to work. I would much rather have a job than sit at home with nothing to do.
SR: Matthew tried an interesting mix of classes – some academic, some vocational, some independent living skills and some community-based work. He learned what things he did not want to do in the future and what things were important to him. At one point, it was suggested that Matthew attend the Helen Keller Center for the Deaf-Blind in NY where he could meet other students with sensory loss, and learn new techniques used by others with vision and hearing loss. Spending eight weeks away from home was a major step towards Matthew learning that he wanted to be independent and that we as parents would have to learn to let go. At age 18, he began participating in the Explorer’s Program at the Bobby Dodd Institute. He was chosen to participate in Project Search which was a partnership between SunTrust Bank, the school system, and Briggs and Associates. After several months of teaching and on-the-job training, Matthew was hired! He has his own cubicle and his responsibilities include imaging and scanning docu- ments. He is learning to adjust to real life situations such as getting used to a new manager.

KE: What advice would you give to parents of children who struggle with learning challenges?
SR: Every child’s needs are different and every family is different. Our family has tried to build on each other’s strengths to get through the tough times. We knew that we would set the tone for communication and attitude. We also felt that Matthew would have a better chance of success if he stayed in a school setting for as long as possible and had as many work opportunities as possible. Enable your child to see other children/adults who are dealing with a learning difference positively. Budget your time and be sure to record medical and educational data. Often teachers communicate by e-mail, and it is certainly easy to save their letters to a folder. Support your school and your teachers.

KE: Is there anything that you would do differently or think should have been done differently for you during your childhood education?
SR: There are certain class situations that I wish would have been different for Matthew, but they have helped prepare him for a world where he must constantly adapt. He has learned (with the help of other teachers) that he must advocate for himself. I wish we had taken advantage of re- sources for deaf/blind students at a much earlier age. The Georgia Sensory Assistance Project (GSAP) at Georgia State has been a wonderful resource. They provided assistance to teachers and enabled many sensory-impaired students within the state to network with each other. Lastly, I would have advocated for Matthew to receive Orientation and Mobility instruction in elementary or junior high school. Matthew has always had a keen sense of direction. Mobility and Orientation instruction and cooking instruc- tion provided hands-on decision making practice that made sense to Matthew and gave him pride and independence.

KE: How do you defi ne success at this point in your life?
MR: Success at this point of my life is having a job that I like and traveling there independently using a cane, the bus and the train. I was given several awards at my school at year end. It made me feel good to know that others noticed my hard work and progress.
SR: For years we have dreamed of this outcome –Matthew graduating from high school (North Atlanta) and working. The fact that he was already employed when he graduated was icing on the cake! Our focus now is on ad- justing to a workplace environment and developing an inde- pendent living arrangement with peers in which Matthew can maintain friendships and a social activity schedule. He will continue to have issues and obstacles to overcome, but given the right support we are confident that he will be able to tackle them.

Kids Enabled would like to thank Matthew Roush and his mom Susan for sharing their story with our readers.

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