My First Steps with Alissa: A journey of art, connection, and sisterhood
The day I walked into Alissa’s life, I think she came to me with a neutral expression. Her father and the caregiver were pushing her wheelchair in outside like an evening walk , but she couldn’t talk with me even saying hello and she was the one doing all the work of greeting me. When our eyes met, I saw something I didn’t expect— that is expectation and hope.Then, without a pause, without speaking single word she stole my heart.It was a mixed feeling of welcome with sadness and happiness beyond the professional boundary. I had a feeling of sisterhood too . I introduced myself, her father shared a few quiet facts about his daughter and it gave me great help to understand her situation at that time.
Honesty Through Art
Our second meeting stripped away that certainty and replaced it with something harder but more valuable: honesty. This time, it was just Alissa and me. The silence between us felt different now—less sacred, more like an empty space I didn’t know how to fill. I suggested coloring, and she agreed. Wanting to offer something meaningful, I painted flowers she loves. I think her favorite colors are red pink and purple as other girls .She watched me draw, and when it was time to add color, she chose every shade and she wanted to do it nicely and i felt it. Her finger, light on the back of my hand, guided me where she wanted the paint brush to go. We worked together in that quiet rhythm—her directing, me following—until the page came alive with her mind.
Growing Together
After about twenty to thirty minutes, the energy drained from her little and attention spans on sometime She signaled that she wanted something new. So I switched the task and made curiosity After these beginning sessions i was so familiar with her and started asking questions and tried to get responses , the kind that come naturally when you’re getting to know someone. Now i am like her sister and classmate at same time. We worked together with making crafts and drawing some arts , by the way sometimes she listened music with active mode on her version and she loves to listen and watch Christmas songs and some kind of fairy tales while doing arts and she repeats listening those. We made small ornaments and decorations with using polymer clay and colored them. Dried flowers and leaves, small pebbles, wooden pallets, ceramic plant pots, paper materials and acrylic paints are the things what we used to do art and crafts.
Learning Her Language
The moment the questions left my mouth, I saw my mistake. Alissa can’t answer with sentences. Her world of communication is built on yes and no—a glance, a tiny nod, the slightest shift in her expression. My questions were books she couldn’t read and answer. Each one I asked created a small wave of frustration in her, and an identical positive reaction to me.
I felt the weight of my own unprepared at first meeting , but in that moment, I was only highlighting what she couldn’t do. The silence between us grew heavy. But now i know her vibe and her interests so i can make her happier with small things. That first hour was hard. It was frustrating for both of us. But it was also revealing. I had arrived with a plan, certain I could predict what Alissa needed and when she would need it. She showed me that she is not a problem to be solved or a child to be gently occupied. She is an adult woman same as me who is 25 years because she also likes to talk about love, partner and family. She wants what anyone wants—to be seen, to connect, to share something real with another person. She just does it in a different language. And if I want to be part of her world, it’s my job to learn it and observe her mind not physical body.
Nithya Pieris is a passionate volunteer worker who finds purpose in service. She is an active member in Bright foundation for make awareness about the brain injury community in society, by helping them to find their voice in modern world and sharing tips for efficient communication and journey.