Trevor Bush Honoured with 2023 George Klukas Achievement Award

If there is a DSRF student who embodies the word achievement, it is Trevor Bush.

Trevor has been a familiar face at DSRF for over 10 years, having attended many of our adult programs as well as speech therapy and one to one reading. But it has been in the past two years that all of Trevor’s efforts have really paid off.

In the spring of 2022, Trevor went from severe hearing loss that was managed with a hearing aid in his right ear, to becoming fully deaf. With this sudden change in his hearing profile, Trevor was no longer able to rely on his hearing to understand others.

As a result, he had to learn to use a combination of sign, spoken, and written language to communicate, along with visual aids. The improvements in Trevor’s reading comprehension and writing skills, which he developed over the past decade, proved crucial as reading and writing became his primary forms of communication.

Trevor also began using a variety of communication devices, including a book filled with pictures and information about his life. He is constantly adding new pages to his book so he can share about himself and learn about others.

Trevor did not skip a beat in the face of his big life change. He continued doing all the things he loves, including socializing with his friends and family, and taking programs at DSRF.

In September 2022, Trevor underwent surgery for a unilateral cochlear implant. He took to his cochlear implant from the start, which is no easy feat considering it takes lots of dedication and practice to adjust to hearing through this device.

Trevor has met every challenge head on with a resilient and positive attitude. He has an infectious zest for learning and is always up to trying new things. His warm spirit is welcoming and generous, and we are grateful to have him as part of the DSRF family. Congratulations, Trevor!