Welcome to Everyone Communicates!

As our name indicates, we believe that everyone communicates, in one way or another. We also believe that communication is a basic need in life. When an individual does not have fluent, natural speech, it is urgent that other methods of communication, often called augmentative or alternative communication (AAC), be explored exhaustively.
Being unable to speak does not mean that an individual does not understand, cannot learn to communicate, or cannot think and reason. It only means that the person has a barrier to communication. With access to a variety of methods, and with creative, attentive, and dedicated people providing support, people with communication impairments caused by a wide range of disabilities can work to develop effective communication.

Freedom to Communicate

Freedom to Communicate
Stick figures, one with communication device and speech bubble; "Freedom to Communicate = Access to conversation anywhere, anytime, about anything with anybody through technology and personalized supports if needed.

Dedication

DEDICATION: This site is dedicated to people who are still waiting for a means to communicate more effectively. We hope this site helps to bring access to communication to more people so that someday soon everyone will have the opportunity to communicate effectively, and no one will have to spend days or years or a lifetime in silence.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Official support for Facilitated Communication


Some Government Programs or Government-Funded Programs implementing or supporting facilitated communication training around the world (not a comprehensive list): 

State of Massachusetts, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  Facilitated Communication is included in the Guidelines for Preparation of Teachers of Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities: "Approved programs should ensure that teachers of students with moderate or severe disabilities: 1. understand educational, communication and professional terminology and concepts related to augmentative and alternative communication and assistive technologies; 2. are familiar with the range of AAC devices and methodologies as defined in 603 CMR 7.02, and facilitated communication, that can be used to effectively teach students. Some examples of ACC devices and methodologies include: Communication Aids‐‐Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)…Dynamic displays…Auditory Scanning…Facilitated communication..." http://www.massadvocates.org/documents/DESEAACGuidelines.pdf

Programa de Habilitación del Lenguaje a través de la Escritura en Autismo y otros Trastornos Severos del Desarrollo.  This program is now an Extension Program at the School of Psychology of the University of Buenos Aires, and as such has undergone stringent reviews.  Below is the link. 
Director: Lic. Daniel Orlievsky (who has published widely in Spanish language journals on his research on facilitated communication)
http://www.psi.uba.ar/extension.php?var=extension/programas/orlievsky.php

Italy has four accredited FC centers:  the Centro Studi e Ricerca in Neuroriabilitazione CNAPP in Rome, the Centro Studi sulla Comunicazione Facilitata – W.O.C.E. in Zoagli (GE), the Instituto M.P.P. Padri Trinitari A. Quarto di Palo in Andria (BA), and the Centro Sperimentale per i Disturbi dello Sviluppo e della Comunicazione in Padua.  These are noted in the chapter “Statistical Analysis of Textual Data from Corpora of Written Communication—New Results from an Italian Interdisciplinary Research Program (EASIEST) by Lorenzo Bernardi and Arjuna Tuzzi, University of Padua, Italy, in the book A Comprehensive Book on Autism Spectrum Disorders,in the Acknowledgements on page 429. 

Vermont Communication Task Force
http://ddas.vermont.gov/ddas-boards/boards-dds/boards-dds-vctf/


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