Josh is on the shared list, but our staff met him in 2016 at an advocacy camp and loved him! I put a couple pictures of him from when he was younger and in the care of Bethel and a couple from the AOH camp he participated in.
Josh is a handsome twelve-year-old boy. He has been waiting far too long for a family to see him! His file is quite outdated, yet so very thorough.
Josh has had a lot of opportunities and experiences, including learning Braille, English, and French. Josh lived at Bethel for the Blind from the time he was a baby until about 5 years of age, when he was recalled to the orphanage.
He has been to museums, the supermarket, restaurants, a movie theater, and he has also participated in many Children’s Day activities and other performances. Josh has won many awards and medals.
The orphanage Josh comes from is part of the One Sky program and not only takes very good care of the children in their center, but prepares them well for families and life in general. Josh’s caretakers have spent a lot of time working with him so that he can be independent in his care. Josh has learned how to take a bus, go up and down the stairs of the bus, and how to buy a bus ticket. He uses a white cane when walking. He is good at folding clothes and is not a picky eater.
Josh struggled a bit with his academic skills around age six because he started to enter a bit of a naughty stage. He has a great smile and enjoys playing the piano. Josh is diagnosed with a congenital cataract and nerve deafness (note that he speaks two languages and seems to hear just fine). In 2011, Josh had a surgery for a right femoral shaft fracture, which has since healed.
Videos from September 2016:
Videos from May 2015:
Josh participated in an Ambassadors of Hope camp in the fall of 2016 with MAA. Josh’s volunteer was adopted from China at an older age and could still speak Chinese. She said: “Josh is so smart and he plays the piano. His only special need is that he is blind, but it’s not holding him back from anything! Josh carries a radio around with him wherever he goes – he loves listening to music. One of the volunteers started singing and he turned his radio down to hear her.”
The entire team loved Josh and noted over and over how musically gifted and intelligent he was.
Josh is waiting for a family on the shared list. There is a $4,000 agency grant for Josh’s adoption with Madison Adoption Associates. Other grants may be available based on the adoptive family’s circumstances. Agency grants are awarded as agency fee reductions. MAA also partners with the Brittany’s Hope Foundation for matching grants, which are given out twice a year (January and July) and to families that are officially matched with a child.
Josh needs a family with an approved home study to be able to hold his file or move forward with adopting him. If you have an approved home study or a home study in process and are interested in adopting Josh, please fill out a free PAP Waiting Child Review Form, which can be found here.
Leave a Reply