Just over a year ago, Bryson had been transferred from the Claude W. Richardson Child Development Center to the Harry E. Blair Learning Center in Bakersfield for MOVE training. He has Down Syndrome and at the time was unable to make a connection between bearing weight and moving.

“He wasn’t aware he had feet and couldn’t walk,” said Teacher Linda Ynostroza.

MOVE curriculum is designed around exercise and repetition teaching severely disabled children they can sit, stand and walk independently. The MOVE staff all agree Meadors was a fast learner.

“We started Bryson in a gait trainer which allowed him to stand upright in a vehicle designed to promote walking. It increased his weight bearing, got him used to movement and let him gain responsibility for movement,” Ynostroza said. “In a short time we were able to remove the trunk restraint that held him in place. Then Bryson developed to the point where he didn’t need arm prompts any longer.”

Ynostroza points out that each student is different in terms of how long it takes them to make a major break through. One of the first signs for Bryson came in May, when his parents sent him to school with his Kaye Walker, a restraint-free device enabling the user to move forward without assistance from someone else.

“They weren’t having any luck with him using it at home,” Ynostroza said. “For some reason he took to it right away at Blair and began moving around the classroom on his own.”

The major events leading up to Bryson’s first independent steps all took place in October. Ten days before the historic moment, his mother called to let Ynostroza know Bryson had done something amazing. The family had gone out to dinner. Bryson picked up a fork and on his own started eating rice off his mother’s plate. It was the first time he had independently fed himself.

A tonsillectomy looked like it was going to delay further progress but on the first day back at school Ynostroza called Bryson’s mother to tell her he was looking sturdier on his feet and more confident.

Two days later, Bryson was pushing another child around in a toddler chair with wheels.

“He stopped and got preoccupied with some yarn tied to the back of the chair,” Ynostroza said. “Then he let go of the chair and stood on his own playing with the yarn. We knew it was time to see if he would walk independently.”

It was Williams’ turn to walk with Bryson. As they walked, Williams let go of the strap and Bryson kept right on walking back to his chair.

“We had to restrain ourselves from screaming out loud so we wouldn’t scare the rest of the children,” Williams said. “But it really got emotional when his dad came to pick Bryson up after school. Bryson took a few steps towards him leaving his dad in shock. And then, he said, ‘Da-Da,’ for the first time. I don’t think any of us were ready for that.”

Since Bryson’s historic walk, another student in the same MOVE class has also begun taking independent steps. Ynostroza won’t predict how long it will take but expects Bryson and his classmate will be MOVE graduates in the foreseeable future.