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Home>Service> Awardees of Fervent Global Love of Lives Award> 9th Fervent Global Love of Lives Award 2006> Music genius with multi-disability-Liao Ting-Hao
Run through multi-barrier; light up music life
      Liao Ting-Hao, a multi-disabled student in Taipei Municipal School for the Visually Impaired, won the championship in 2nd national talent contest for multi-disabled people, the third place in the national music contest for the multi-disabled. He always had excellent achievement in piano, accordion, organ, recorder, jazz tomtom, especially in piano and accordion. He worked for a long time in Mentally Retarded Children Parents’ Association of the Republic of China, Taipei Emergency Relief Association, Chinese Learning Barrier Association, Taipei Visually Impaired Music Literature and Education Foundation, Ci Chi Charitable Meeting, National Taiwan University Hospital, Wang Fang Hospital, Ba Li Retirement Home, Miaoli Collection Facility charitable performance to raise fund for helping people. 

      Ting-Hao was multi-disabled in total blindness, autism, mental retardation, self-destruction, emotional barrier, language barrier, irritable temper. Before the age of 10, he had a fiery temper and cried all the time. He was refused by the therapist; although by great effort of his parents Liao Mao-Tang, Li Su-Chun, he could not get help. His parents never gave up on him and decided to be with him and see him grow.

      At 10, he went to Taichung County Da Du Village Crown Kindergarten and studied under the instruction of the director Ms Wang Jiao-Qi. One day when he worked on the cleaning job for teacher’s organ, teacher discovered that he could play musical scale of rhythm. Therefore, he started the career of music from studying piano. The journey of music was full of difficulty and finally became a success for him and got him the constant winner for all kinds of contest, especially in piano and accordion. Ting-Hao, as a completely blind and being multi-disabled, learned songs and memorized thousand music pieces including Chinese and Western music, Chinese old songs, Taiwanese old songs and Western Jazz. To date, Ting-Hao can play a music instrument for a whole day and walk out of barrier to play the music of hope. He lives the life in music and confirms life dignity. He deserves to be called “multi-disabled music genius”. 

      Liao Ting-Hao is currently a senior high freshman in Taipei Municipal School for the visually impaired. He was born 1988 in Taipei County Xin Dian City Geng Shen Hospital. Being a premature infant with weight of 1300 grams, he lived in the warming container for two months and was diagnosed by doctor that he had retinal detachment. From 1-3 years old, he had unsuccessful operation in National Taiwan University and Veteran Hospital and resulted in the complete blindness of both eyes. The following challenges he encountered include:

      The obstacles before 10 

      Total blindness of eyes, emotional barrier, autism, language barrier, self-destructive behavior, irritable temper have made him a bad-tempered person who was refused by therapist. His parents felt helpless and disappointed by the frustration; and yet, they wouldn’t give up on Ting-Hao because of his multi-disability. They had done their best to find doctor for him so that he would improve after rehabilitation.
      A turning point
      When he was ten, teacher unintentionally discovered that Ting-Hao could play accordion by a single finger; and since then, he started the journey of playing music.
Change
      Because he can play music, his emotional obstruction gradually improves and his gifted ability is inspired. With a good memory, he had music talent better than normal people. From that time, he began to recognize himself and work hard in learning instruments.
Ting-Hao started his journey of learning music from playing piano. The instruments he learned include: piano, accordion, jazz tomtom, recorder. He has the most achievement in playing piano and accordion and constantly received awards in all kinds of contest. Because of total blindness, Ting-Hao learned music by recording and can memorize thousands music pieces including Chinese old songs, Taiwanese old songs, classical music and Western jazz music.
      Ting-Hao at present
      With improvement in emotional state, Ting-Hao has the tendency of autism and seldom has interaction with classmates. He doesn’t like to speak and expresses feelings with simple language; he continues to receive occupational and language therapy.
      Hope from Ting-Hao’s parents
      Ting-Hao’s parents expect Ting-Hao to use his skills and benefit people by bringing beautiful music; at the same time, he gives inspiration to people by his struggle in life.
      The performance in the activity for public welfare
      The record to share special life music in the activities of public welfare and charity:
      Year 2001 performance in prisons nationwide with 1/2Jazz Musical Group 
      Year 2002 Piano performance invited by public TV
      Year 2002 Musical performance in Crown Children’s School
      Year 2002 Chinese Telecommunication “Peak-reaching by leaping for growth” Social Evening 
      Year 2003 “Permanent Home for Children with Mental Retardation” charity sale
      Year 2003 Chinese Learning Barrier Association Annual Meeting—The Best Spiritual Award
      Year 2003 Chinese Buddhism Hwa Yen Society—Life education lecture performance
      Year 2003 11th Visually Impaired Music Day—Melody of Love Performance
      Year 2003 Mentally retarded Children Parents’ Association—battery recycle activity 
      Year 2003 Bei Tou Hot Springs Museum—Voluntary worker evening event at the end of year
      Year 2004 Wan Fang Hospital—Accordion group performance
      Year 2004 Afternoon tea between First lady and leader of social service in Ambassador Hotel
      Year 2004 Birthday party in Taipei Emergency Care Association
      Year 2004 Maioli collection facility—Accordion performance
      Year 2004 Ci Ji Wam Hua District Dragon Boat Festival, Accordion and piano charity performance for the elders who live alone 
      Year 2004 CKS memorial Hall, Ba Li Retirement Home, National Taiwan University
      The accordion group performance in hospital
      Year 2004 Ci Chi Double Ninth teacher—accordion performance
      Year 2004 Pu-li Ireland Elementary School Special education week, performance of piano and accordion.
      Year 2004 Piano and accordion performance in Nantow Guang Rong Elementary School Sepcial Education 
      Year 2005 Ying Ge “Art Space of with and without” performance in ceramic section
      Year 2005 Rotary Club one hundred year celebration, accordion performance for physically and mentally disabled family
      Year 2005 Ci Chi charity performance of accordion
      Year 2005 charity accordion performance in Mentally Disabled Association Asia-Pacific region annual meeting
      Year 2005 Ms. Wu shun-hua music performance, piano and accordion (Taiwan Technical University)
      Year 2005 Music performance for visually impaired and joint performance with accordion group
      Year 2005 Ms. Yi Hui-wen music performance, piano and accordion
      Year 2005 Taiwan Power Company accordion performance in New Year
      Year 2005 Accordion performance in professional manager social activity
      Year 2005 Taipei School for visually impaired, piano and accordion performance
      Year 2005 Ci Chi “painting and music interaction” performance (with mouth and foot artist Hsieh Kun-shan)
      Year 2005 Ban Chiao City Offices, accordion performance
      Journey of learning music
      Year 1998 start to learn piano
      Year 1999 Ms. Wang Chien-ju—Classical jazz piano (visually impaired music teacher)
      Year 2001 Lin Kuo-hwa – Jazz piano
      Year 2002 Yi Hui-wen – Jazz piano (continuing)
      Year 2002 Huang Kuei-hsiung -- accordion
      Year 2003 Chen Han-bing – accordion (continuing)
      Year 2004 Ms.Wu Shun-hwa – Piano (visually impaired music teacher)
      Special difficulty:
      Premature born and multi-disabled to face the difficulty in life
Being a premature born, Ting-Hao was total blind and had serious problems of cognitive learning. He had extremely slow language progress (cannot call parents when he was 5) and curious active and loves to climb high and explore. When he tried to express in language and failed, he could easily get irritated. Without adapting to outside environment, they always faced the situation of crying when they ate out. Parents were totally tolerant with his emotional turmoil without any solution.
      Hard times from the beginning; many switches between schools
      When he was 3~4 years old, he studied in kindergarten; and entered care center for the multi-disabled at 7. Students in the class had more serious condition in disability than Ting-Hao without speaking ability. Without the stimulus, he lacked a model to imitate and could still not speak. In order to find person to imitate, he was transferred to a care center; and yet he was kicked out of school because of his curiosity made him touch all things around the care center, which made the teachers very anxious.

      His parents had yet found an appropriate school for Ting-Hao at this time. He was taken by a friend of his father’s in the kindergarten for one year. During the year, the director provided the opportunity for him to learn children electric piano. Ting-Hao started to calm himself down by learning music and found a channel for expressing his emotion. Hence, his father began to find tutor and teach him to play piano at home. During the one year in journey of music therapy and the experience of building up rhythm of “mambo”—he had the smooth learning experience in music. For a child with multi-disability, as long as he has interest, he was encouraged to try and learn. Yet, in fingering technique of music, he had the habitual tendency of “the first time is forever” and it was hard to correct the mistakes. 

      Since he was seven or eight years old, his father hired a tutor to teach him Braille. For 2~3 years, he only learnt individual Mandarin Braille symbols and could not spell, not to mention writing or reading. At 11, he was transferred to Taipei School for the visually impaired and started to read books in Braille. He had a hard time in learning things which he had never experienced before. Because of total blindness, he cannot learn from visual learning. With the problems in understanding and the learning experiences in “transparency”, many things has not entered the world for Ting-Hao.
      Need assistance to live independently; need more time to learn things.
      Ting-Hao has a normal life by the help from his parents to keep his routine schedule ready and finished step-by-step. The communication between school and his family has to rely on the notebook. As long as Ting-Hao learns, he would never forget; except music, he has to spend more time to learn things in other field.