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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Greetings, all,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>This is an amazing story that I know you will enjoy reading. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>It also reminds me that you won’t want to miss the presentation at convention by our very own Christopher Sabine on a condidtion that combines autism and visual impairment. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Chris has his own business, consulting with families who experience this condition. He also chairs Cincinnati’s membership committee and, as of yesterday, is our new secretary. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Read on and prepare to be amazed by one mor blind individual and his family.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Deborah<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div id=ygrp-mlmsg><div id=ygrp-msg><div id=ygrp-text><p style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>BLIND photographer captures heartwarming images of his nonverbal <br>autistic twin sons in order to truly 'connect' with the pair<br><br>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3317809/BLIND-photographer-capture<br>s-heartwarming-images-nonverbal-autistic-twin-sons-order-truly-connect-pair.<br>html<br><br>Bruce Hall, of Santa Ana, California, was declared legally blind <br>after he was born with an underdeveloped optic nerve<br>Over the past 14 years, he has taken 150,000 photos of his sons, <br>Jack and James, as a way to bond with them<br>The stunning shots are part of Bruce's book about autism, which he <br>co-wrote with his wife, Valerie<br><br>By Emily James For Dailymail.com<br><br>Published: 18:09 EST, 13 November 2015 | Updated: 18:30 EST, 13 November <br>2015<br><br>{Some texts are photo captions.}<br><br>A legally blind photographer has debuted a striking series of photos of <br>his twin sons, who both suffer from nonverbal autism, in an effort to <br>raise awareness about the boys' condition.<br><br>Bruce Hall, whose work has been featured in National Geographic and in <br>numerous museum exhibitions across the world, was born with an <br>underdeveloped optic nerve, which means he can only see objects when <br>they are a few inches from his face.<br><br>Although Bruce, of Santa Ana, California, specializes in underwater <br>photographer, his latest project focuses on his twin sons, Jack and <br>James, and their experience with autism over the past 14 years of their <br>lives.<br><br>Stunning: Bruce Hall, a legally blind photographer from California, <br>debuted a striking series of photos of his twin sons, James and Jack, <br>who both suffer from nonverbal autism. Above, Jack finds comfort in the <br>water<br><br>Laughter: Since Bruce can't communicate with his sons, who are now 14, <br>he took their photos as a way to bond with them. He is releasing the <br>pictures in a book to raise awareness about their condition<br><br>In their book, Immersed: Our Experience With Autism, Bruce and his wife <br>Valerie shares photos of the boys throughout their lives and detail <br>their sons' struggles with communication and social interaction.<br><br>Bruce, who holds a PhD in Educational Psychology from University of <br>California, Los Angeles, said he began taking photos of the kids when <br>they were toddlers in order to get closer to them, since they were <br>unable to speak.<br><br>'I do this to look at them... I followed them into their space, and <br>these chance encounters opened up an entirely new perspective on my <br>photography and this project,' he told The Mighty.<br><br>'So much of what's gone on over the last 14 years has been so chaotic, <br>so photography has been a way to look at them and gaze into their eyes,' <br>the photographer added.<br><br>Dad and the boys: Bruce says he has taken 150,000 photos of his sons, <br>Jack and James. The pictures are featured in Bruce and his wife <br>Valerie's book, Immersed: Our Experience With Autism<br><br>Playing around: Bruce, who was born with an underdeveloped optic nerve, <br>can only see objects close up. He uses his photography to see the boys <br>more clearly by zooming in on the pictures<br><br>Close-up: James uses his face and body to express himself since he <br>cannot communicate<br><br>Water lovers: Bruce says James, and especially Jack, find comfort and <br>peace when they are in the water<br><br>Many of the photos in the book are underwater shots of Jack, who finds <br>comfort and solace in the water.<br><br>'It seems like the water is the place where Jack seems the most calm and <br>content,' he said.<br>'In some of the those photos, that look on his face, you don't often see <br>that. It's a way for us to connect, and I want to share it with other <br>people.'<br><br>Bruce went on to share of the project: 'As a whole, the narrative <br>describes the journey our family took during the early years of the <br>boys' lives, from the time before the diagnosis to their tenth birthday.<br><br>'It honestly describes the struggles and sorrows, as well as the courage <br>and laughter, that accompanied those most difficult years.'<br><br>He said that life was very difficult for the family before the boys were <br>diagnosed with autism, and that she and his wife still constantly worry <br>about their futures.<br><br>Silly: Jack smiles and jumps around in his bathing suit in this sweet <br>picture<br><br>Striking: Bruce says the boys were not diagnosed with autism until age <br>10. Since then, things have gotten better for the family, but he and his <br>wife still worry about their futures constantly<br><br>Beautiful: Bruce shares of the photos, 'It's a way for us to connect, <br>and I want to share it with other people'<br><br>Amazing: The photographer, who has started a Kickstarter in order to <br>fund the publishing of his book, said he hopes his photos will inspire <br>people to be kinder and more accepting of one another<br><br>'It is estimated that 25 per cent of people with ASD, Autism Spectrum <br>Disorder, are non-speaking and cannot speak for themselves,' shared Bruce.<br><br>'People like our sons are often underrepresented in the media, and we <br>want to give them a voice in the discussion. I want the public to think <br>about how these people are taken care of, and that they deserve <br>everyone's consideration,' he said of his book.<br><br>Bruce, who has started a Kickstarter in order to fund the publishing of <br>his book, said he hopes his photos will inspire people to be kinder and <br>more accepting of one another.<br><br>'Societies will be judged on how they treat their most vulnerable <br>people,' he said, adding: 'It's in everyone's best interest to be good <br>to one another, because if something happens to you, you hope that <br>people will want to help you or that you will be treated humanely.'<br><br>Read more:<br>Blind Photographer Gives Intimate Look at Raising Twins With Autism | <br>The Mighty<br>Immersed: Our Experience With Autism by Bruce Hall and Valerie Hall - <br>Kickstarter<br>Bruce Hall: using photography to see.<br><br><br>C Associated Newspapers Ltd<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></body></html>