Pulaski County Special School District

SHERWOOD, Ark. (THV11) — A student with special needs at Sylvan Hills High School is breaking down barriers during COVID-19.

Campbell Eddleman is best known as the delivery guy at school. 

Every day he makes sure teachers have enough personal protective gear to fight off COVID-19 in their classrooms.

He loads his cart with wipes and hits the hallways.

“Campbell has down syndrome, and he also has a trach,” said Robbin Dunlap, a life skills teacher. “The reality is young people with significant disabilities have very limited opportunity.”

He became non-verbal after a difficult surgery when he was just a small child.

Dunlap said he’s struggled to communicate since.

“He just didn’t seem motivated for so long,” said Dunlap. “So, the whole thing with Campbell being the delivery guy, it promotes him to want to talk.”

Campbell has an app that says his words for him. He’s using it to communicate on the job and the teachers interact with him.

Like when he delivers his wipes, he pushes a button that says, “excuse me, here’s your delivery.”

He also pushes a “you're welcome” button once the teacher thanks him.

“When I developed this activity for him, he had to talk,” said Dunlap. “He had to come up with language that he wasn’t used to using.”

Since the start of his senior year, Campbell has made years-long strides in just a short time, learning life skills that one day he could possibly take beyond the classroom.

“In my mind, I can see him working in a mailroom delivering packages to cubicles,” said Dunlap.