Dear Beloved Blog Readers,
I hope you are doing well.
I am thankful for the wonderful support you are giving me for the campaign I have going to ‘dare my life to get better’ for good. For more info on that please click here.
I greatly am saddened by the need for us to defend the right for people that use Facilitated Communication (FC) and Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) like me and my friend Graciela against the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) ad hoc committee's assertions that they not be used. If they are heard, OUR BOLD VOICES PROCLAIMING OUR COMPETENCE will not be heard.
I follow good guidance from my communication colleague Angie Sylas. She says "The future is outside of the naysayers. I promise you that the powerful energy moving is so much bigger than ASHA. In fact, FC is so validated in research as a nervous system movement disorder support that, guaranteed, Speech Language Pathologist’s won’t be a part of the movement. Keep your hope-keep the cobwebs clear-this isn’t about FC-it’s about PRESUMPTION OF COMPETENCE. They won’t win.”
I will be submitting my comments which you can read here. For more info please read Jean Trainor's ‘call to action’ from the Wellspring Guild. You can see it here.
You can also support a fund for students like Graciela who will be most affected by these decisions by clicking here.
Here is what stuff like this does to nice men like me and Tracy Thresher:
Mark: I am really angry after reading that proposed stance by the ad hoc committee members of ASHA. Joyful that so many voices will rise up against it. Find yours and I will find mine.
Tracy: That is on my mind as well. I am tired of more statements against the way people communicate, and that we keep having to deal with facilitation being overly attacked puts me in an agitated way. Let’s get together for plotting soon.
I am really thankful to have YOU all in my life.
Fondly,
Mark The Defiant
