Advocacy

Bringing Understanding to Our Community

Beyond individual sessions, Outspelling Barriers is passionate about creating greater awareness, understanding, and acceptance of nonspeaking individuals in our community.

Together with Rae, an open speller, and her mom Jennifer, we visit community events, organizations, and places of business to present. Rae has a passion for advocacy and sharing her story and experiences with those in her community to help them better understand nonspeakers, unreliable speakers, and minimally speaking people. Together we present: Understanding Nonspeaking Communication: A Community Introduction to S2C, Motor Planning & Presuming Competence

These presentations offer an opportunity to learn more about nonspeaking communication, understand the role of motor planning and apraxia, and challenge common misconceptions about nonspeaking individuals. Most importantly, they encourage a shift toward presuming competence and recognizing that the ability to speak does not determine a person's ability to think, learn, understand, or communicate.

We believe meaningful change starts with understanding, and we're always happy to bring these conversations to new spaces and audiences.

Interested in hosting a presentation? We would love to come speak at your next community event, organization, or place of business! Reach out to learn more or schedule a presentation.

Invite us to Present

  • "Knowing is not the same as showing, the star activity really opened my eyes to what it might be like to know something and not be able to show it."

    -- Presentation Attendee

  • "How intelligent and aware these non-speaking individuals are of everything going on around them. It breaks my heart that they are not heard or understood."

    -- Presentation Attendee

  • "I just think Rae is amazing! It was so wonderful to see her spell and see inside her head/heart. Thank you to you all for sharing with us."

    -- Presentation Attendee