Finding His Voice at Elim – Julian’s Story

October 15, 2026

When Julian’s mother, Debra, learned during her pregnancy that her son would be born with a disability, she and her husband immediately began searching for the best pathways to support their son. At that time, a family friend mentioned Elim. What they didn’t realize then was how meaningful that recommendation would become to their family.

Years later, while Julian was enrolled in a public school district, school staff told his parents they could no longer provide their son with the best resources, and that they would need to transfer him to another school.

Debra felt devastated, saying that conversation was one she didn’t expect to hear.

But she heard the name Elim again, and immediately thought back to the conversation she had with her friend, all of those years ago.

“I thought, ‘God, I see Your hand, and You are in this. I may have forgotten about Elim, but You did not.”

When the family came to visit Elim, the decision to enroll Julian was solidified.

“We immediately felt like God was at Elim,” Debra says. “We have to go where God is, and God is here.”

Julian was born with Down syndrome and was later diagnosed with autism and a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. He is nonverbal, and his biggest challenge is communication – a goal that Debra says Elim staff and her family are working to improve every day.

At his previous school district, getting an AAC device for Julian was a struggle, with a constant back-and-forth about whether he was at a point where it would be useful for his growth. But once he came to Elim, staff immediately began working with his insurance to get him a communication device.

And at 10 years old, Julian is entering the 5th grade, completing his first full year at Elim, and is finally learning how to communicate on his device.

“Progress is slow,” Debra shares. “But before, he would push things away from him. Now he is pushing buttons and trying. Word commands are limited, but I know he still has growing to do!”

Elim felt like a different environment right from the beginning, and Julian’s whole family felt that. Julian even ate lunch on his first day of school at Elim, whereas at his other school it would take him months to feel comfortable eating, and most days he wouldn’t eat his lunch. Small wins like this make a life-changing difference for his family.

“At Elim, our children are not judged for their disability.” Debra shares. “They are loved, valued, and appreciated because they are all made in God’s image.”

Every day at Elim, students and adults like Julian are discovering new ways to grow and communicate. Your generosity makes these opportunities possible and helps families like Julian’s experience the blessing of Elim’s support.

Will you make a gift today and help more students and adults at Elim thrive?