Have you ever witnessed something and thought, “That’s not okay,” only to be discouraged from speaking up? I have encountered this countless times: “Let’s give it time.” “Maybe it will get better.” “Let’s just let it go.” Too often, concerns are pushed aside while the people affected continue to go unheard. I have witnessed this in several settings, especially when advocating for students with complex communication needs and other disabilities. Recently, a friend shared a pow

By: Amy McDowell MS, CCC-SLP/L I am definitely an over-celebrator. Sometimes my speech students look at me like I am a little bit crazy—Why are you so excited?! You got your /r/ sound right for the first time? Huge celebration. You’ve worked on that sound forever and suddenly you’re using it in conversation? Huge celebration. You used your communication device independently to tell someone what you wanted or how you felt? Huge celebration. You followed a direction independen

Amy McDowell, MS, CCC-SLP/L President & Co-Founder When Lisa, my co-founder, first joined our inclusion efforts, the work was still part of the school district where I worked. She attended our Inclusion Night at the SHS football game and loved what we had started. After being involved in our district-wide inclusion efforts for a few months, she suggested creating a nonprofit. It definitely sounded interesting to me, but the logistics felt overwhelming at first. My mind usuall