SPELLERS Conference

Last week I had the immense pleasure of attending the SPELLERS conference at the Mall of America, in Bloomington, MN.  Spellers Freedom Foundation (  www.spellersfreedomfoundation.org ) put the conference on as a conference FOR SPELLERS and BY SPELLERS.  It was amazing.  While there are critics out there regarding letter board use, you CANNOT DENY the amazing moments I and other attendees witnessed from the SPELLERS.  Young men and women who are THANKFUL and appreciative for the opportunity to learn how to Spell to Communicate via a letter board and eventually onto a keyboard.  Luckily these individuals are no longer stuck in their minds with no way to communicate.  Spelling to Communicate (S2C) has saved allowed them to become who they want to be!  Authors, Song Writers, Poets, COLLEGE GRADUATES, Valedictorians, Political Council, Advocates for spellers and other disabilities plus athletes and an active participant in LIFE.  There is no denying that this method works!!!!!  We all came together as a Spellerverse that PRESUMES COMPETENCE and there is no doubt in my mind that I was among BRILLIANT and ELOQUENT spellers at the conference.  Spellers usually have "apraxia", a brain-body disconnect that doesn't allow the individual to speak, but they sure CAN think, write, and learn just like anyone else.  The speeches, poetry, songs, presentations, answering on-demand questions from the audience and so much more was phenomenal.  Now that we all KNOW - we cannot turn our back on the non-speaking, echoic speaking or unreliable speaking individuals that do have intact thinking and cognition.  These individuals CANNOT be discounted, they CANNOT be thrown to the side or dismissed.  They need to be SEEN and HEARD for their beautiful, individual and unique selves.  They are a force that needs to be reckoned with in a POSITIVE way because they DESERVE to be a productive part of society like everyone else.  Let the REVOLUTION of SPELLERS continue on and on.  I am so proud to be a part of the SPELLERVERSE helping individuals with apraxia and more.  I PRESUME COMPETENCE and our office is a safe place for anyone with disabilities!