Visibility Boxes

If I could sum up my summer or the goal of my summer it would be to Make the Invisible…Visible through Christ, Children, Community, which is our mission statement for the Miriam Center. Everything I did was to accomplish further our mission statement. All the therapy, all the training, all the paperwork, all the love I poured out, all the trials I faced, and all the frustrations I dealt with was to make these children & their families Visible in a country that does not see them & that does not see their worth. Probably the biggest way I was able accomplish this goal was through the development of the new Visibility Boxes.

I did not go into Haiti planning to create this system nor did I even have an idea about or for this project. The idea for the Visibility Boxes was developed out of a conversation I had with Janiel Owens during a meeting which triggored a memory of a project Courtney & I had talked about trying a few years ago but never got around to. Truly the Visibility Boxes were developed throughout the entire summer. They started out as just a box of toys with the child’s picture & name attached. They quickly acquired multiple dimensions as the weeks rolled on.

Where Did The Name Visibility Boxes Come From?

(Written by Courtney Peirce)
What do you do in a country that sees those with limitations as an obstacle to survival? What do you do when a culture sees through the eyes a belief system that deems those with disabilities less than human? What happens when a percentage of your population, due to physical or mental limitations, isn’t seen at all –– is invisible? The answer is simple –– make them visible. Open eyes to their presence; their needs; their value and show the world just how BIG our God is. Open any dictionary and you’ll find a myriad of definitions for the word “invisible.” The simplest form, of course, is “that which is not visible.” That may answer the “what” question –– but it doesn’t answer the “why.” The definitions I have found that get more to the root of the issue are:
• Withdrawn from, or out of the site of people
• Not perceptible or discernible by the mind

People are not naturally “invisible.” God created each of us to be seen –– to be loved. In order for someone to become invisible someone had to withdraw them from the site of others. In Haiti these children are often hidden away by their parents –– hidden from the site of those who might hurt them, reject them. They become locked in their own world –– denied the opportunity to interact with others, to learn, to contribute. But sometimes the invisible is right in front of us and still we do not see. Why? Because too often we ignore the things we don’t understand. What we can’t perceive/discern becomes invisible to us and we simply live our lives ignoring it –– even when it’s a human being living with a disability. The Miriam Center operates around the simple belief that everyone deserves to be seen. By caring for those with special needs; by training and assisting parents to care for their children; by bringing them out into the world we are making the invisible VISIBLE.

Even the idea of “community” is an often invisible factor in Haiti –– survival is an utmost concern and people must watch out for their own needs and the needs of their immediate family. But as neighbors come alongside our families, as they learn to love and be loved by these children, even a spirit of community is restored and becomes quite tangible and visible. And perhaps the most invisible presence in all of this is Christ Himself. The people of Haiti have sometimes placed their trust –– their faith is misdirected places. But they are seeking –– searching for answer that will give them peace and a hope. Here at the Miriam Center we serve a mighty God who is bringing about mighty change in a hurting place –– and so, as we go, as we serve, the greatest blessing we can pour out is to make Christ visible to these people. To meet their needs as we can, but more importantly to introduce them to the One who can meet all their needs and more. Christ • Children • Community... together, and with God’s help, we are making the invisible VISIBLE! Praise God!


So the name for these boxes came from idea that these boxes help make the Miriam Center children more Visible to our Hatian staff & to the hundreds American’s that come through the Miriam Center doors every year was to create a way that they could easily & comfortably step into these children’s world. The Visibility Boxes allow for this.


What Exactly Are Visibility Boxes?

The visibility boxes are full of toys specific to each child to help them meet their goals. Attached to the outside of the box is a ring with the child’s picture; their biography; their Occupational Therapy & Educational Goals; pictures of each toy with a description of the different ways to use that toy; a card with pictures of the most appropriate ways to position the child that will help for people to fully see them; and a packet of communication pictures (PECS) to allow the child to more fully communicate their needs & wants.
Visibility boxes allow you to walk into these precious children’s world and know exactly what how to interact with them, engage them, and at the same time help them make progress towards their therapy and educational goals through purposeful play. To see the invisible as VISIBLE.

How Exactly Do Visibility Boxes Work?

The Visibility Boxes contain everything you need to walk into the child’s world. It is so simple that I had the privilege of watching a 4 year old & a 6 year old utilize the boxes. Multiple times throughout the summer these 2 precious children would find me & excitedly ask to pull boxes for certain kids. I got to watch barriers fall as they had a blast playing together.
Right when you walk into the Miriam Center there are 2 big wooden cabinets that are labeled VISIBILITY Boxes. 1 is labeled Higher Functioning with pictures of each child that has a box in that cabinet. Each of the children in this cabinet has their own box. The children in the low functioning cabinet share 4 boxes & a variety of equipment to help with positioning. The cabinets are labeled with pictures so you can easily find where the child you want to play with is.
It is very simple…if you have a specific child in mind that you want to work with you simply have to find out what cabinet they are in, pull their box, read their bio, look at appropriate positioning, pull any positioning equipment (if they are lower functioning), & find a place to interact/play with that child.
So many people have told me they feel overwhelmed when they walk into the Miriam Center…They don’t know how to interact with kids…they don’t know how to position them…How to play with them. These boxes break all those barriers.

The Results…

I had the privilege of watching the boxes get used throughout the summer. I had such joy watching people walk right into the children’s world & have so much fun doing so. I had multiple people tell me how much easier it was for them to interact with the kids, how they felt like they new how to play with the kids, that they felt they were making a difference. I am so excited for the huge potential these boxes have in making the Invisible…Visible.


My Hope For The Future With The Boxes

I hope to be able to expand in the variety of toys in the boxes. I hope to get some specific therapy equipment to put in the boxes that can be used with specific kids. The goal is that every 2 months that toys are rotated so that the kids have new toys in their box.
My plan from the Nevada is to be in contact with every group that plans to visit the Miriam Center & based on how big their group is provide them with a couple specific kids (both higher functioning & lower functioning) that I would encourage them find a few group members from their team to commit to spending 30 minutes at least 1x during their stay at the mission. I would also attach the children’s bios so that they could start praying for the children & have the opportunity to start making a connection with them.
I also want to be able to provide each of the groups with a bunch of different group activities they could do with the kids (shaving cream, cornstarch, face painting, painting, finger painting, wheelchair races, glow in the dark nights, take the kids for ice cream, go to playground, take the kids for sapebones, take the kids to the beach, etc.) & allow them to plan for what activities they want to do. So they no longer come the Miriam Center & ask to do an activity but have no idea what they want to do. This would allow them to plan for what they want to do & walk in ready to engage & interact with the kids. I am so EXCITED for the potential this has.