Luke Verhoeff lives in Kamloops, British Columbia, with his family. Luke is a vibrant individual with diverse interests. Despite navigating the challenges of apraxia/dyspraxia, which affect his ability to speak, Luke has a lot to share with the world and is on a mission to communicate his interests and advocate for more support for others who communicate in different ways.

Sandra, Luke’s mom, explained why they chose to use Individualized Funding (IF). “At the time, we didn’t have a strong enough team to create a Microboard, but we’re working towards one in the future,” she said. “IF allowed me to control the funding and hand-select our employees for a person-centred experience. I work from home, so I have more flexibility to manage Luke’s schedule. We are a tight-knit family and deeply love our son, so it was important that he have everything he wanted.”

Sandra shared how, around the time they decided to use IF, they were also getting to know Luke for the first time in 19 years through a spelling-for-communication program. This program allowed Luke to finally find his voice. “Luke is intelligent, but due to apraxia/dyspraxia—a brain-to-body disconnect—he was trapped in his mind and had been treated as ‘less-than’ his whole life. Luke needs us to see the real him and treat him with the respect he deserves. IF allows us to honour him.”

Community Living BC (CLBC) is the agent providing the funding, and Sandra manages the company. Since using IF, their lives have changed significantly. “It has given me huge relief because I am the person that knows Luke best, and I can be assured that he is living his best life,” Sandra said. “Because of his diversabilities, it would take a lot of time and genuine interest for people to really get to know Luke, especially because he is a non-speaker. Fortunately, Luke is now able to tell us through the letterboard what he wants and how pleased he is with his support workers. We have two men who are big fans of Luke and spend time doing what Luke wants to do—cooking, math tutoring, exercising, hiking, longboarding, and going for a social coffee. Luke loves coffee!”

Sandra learned about Vela through online research and CLBC workshops. “We were assigned a representative, Yvonne van Oort, who was amazing,” Sandra shared. “She joined me at the CLBC interviews and helped secure funding beyond our expectations. Her knowledge was invaluable, and she was there throughout the entire setup of the company. It was a daunting process, but Yvonne made it manageable.”

Sandra expressed her hopes for the future. “We are currently requesting further funding due to Luke’s newfound voice through letterboards. Our current funding is for community inclusion, but now we need communication funding. Luke finally has a voice, and I pray CLBC and Vela can make another miracle happen to support Luke’s right to communication.”

Sandra also emphasized the need for more awareness and support for spelling for communication and letterboards in communities and schools. She praised the Edmonton School District for integrating letterboards into classrooms and hopes other districts will follow suit.

“Luke is on a mission for non-speakers to be heard and to have financial access to letterboards and spelling as a communication method,” Sandra said. “Our non-speaking children deserve a communication method that works. Luke’s request: Be the change.”

For more information about Luke and his journey, visit www.thisisluke.ca.