In 2022 Chris Ulman featured Max, a young man who is Deaf-blind, in one of his interviews. The Special Books for Special Kids community funded Max’s family’s moving to attend the Perkins School for the Blind. On 14 October 2026, Mr. Ulman published a follow-up interview—sort of a pretest-posttest study.
After Mr. Ulman’s recounting of the story, readers will find links to both interviews.
Four years ago, I met Max, a DeafBlind teenager living in rural Ohio without access to the specialized education he needed. After his first interview, the SBSK community raised over $200,000 to help his family move to Massachusetts and build a life there so he could attend Perkins School for the Blind.
This week, I returned to see Max and his family as he begins his 4th year in this program. He can now communicate when he is hungry, wants a drink, or needs to use the bathroom. He can tell someone “no” or “stop.” These are meaningful changes in his everyday life, giving him more control over what happens to him and helping others understand his needs and choices.
His mom shared that when Max communicates something and someone understands, he smiles and shakes with excitement. He knows that someone listened. Watching that connection happen was surreal in the best way.
His family is learning beside him, too. His mom has taken classes through Perkins and shares what she learns with his grandparents so they can continue supporting his communication at home. They are learning how to give Max opportunities to explore while keeping him in control of his own hands and movements.
His grandfather shared that he had always believed he would find a way to make this move happen, but eventually realized he couldn’t have done it until the fundraiser made it possible. The community’s support provided Max an opportunity that continues to change his life four years later.
The 2024 interview
The 2026 interview
Learn more about SBSK and the interviews Mr. Ulman has conducted by reading the reading the SBSK site on Patreon. I snagged the quotation shown in this post from the page about this interview on that site. Once you are there, though, you can find links to many other interviews and even become a supporter for the SBSK advocacy work.