Big news from Ghana! We officially launched the Smiles for Speech Early Learning Center in Northern Ghana. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible volunteers, sponsors, families, and community for making this unforgettable journey possible, and for the continued support of our mission.

…FOR THE GLOBAL SCHOLARS CROSS-CULTURAL INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

Richardson, Texas — Parkinson Voice Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the voices of people with Parkinson’s, named Smiles for Speech a 2024 SPEAK OUT! Grant Program recipient.

Grant recipients include hospitals, universities, private practices, and other organizations providing speech therapy across the United States and abroad. Each Clinical Education grant recipient receives training for their speech-language pathologists and students, SPEAK OUT! eLibrary access, and the opportunity for SPEAK OUT! workbooks and other materials.

The SPEAK OUT! Grant Program honors the late Daniel R. Boone, Ph.D., a world-renowned speech-language pathologist who recognized in the 1950s that individuals with Parkinson's could improve their communication by “speaking with intent." Based on Boone’s teachings and developed by Parkinson Voice Project, the SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program is a highly effective, comprehensive program that helps people with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders regain and retain their speech and swallowing. By combining individual and group SPEAK OUT! Therapy with ongoing patient and family education, people with Parkinson’s learn to transition speech from an automatic function to an intentional act.

“Up to 90% of people with Parkinson’s are at risk of losing their ability to speak. In addition, swallowing complications account for 70% of the mortality rate in this patient population. Our vision at Parkinson Voice Project is to make quality speech therapy accessible to people with Parkinson’s worldwide,” said Samantha Elandary, Parkinson Voice Project’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer.

As a 2024 SPEAK OUT! Grant Program recipient, Smiles for Speech is committed to offering Parkinson Voice Project’s SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program to help people with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders in their community.

About Parkinson Voice Project
Parkinson Voice Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization solely dedicated to improving speech and communication in individuals with Parkinson’s.  The organization is headquartered in Richardson, Texas and has trained more than 10,000 clinicians in more than 40 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, France, Ghana, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Israel, Greece, Lebanon, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Slovakia, Slovenia, Thailand, South Africa, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

Richardson, Texas — Parkinson Voice Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the voices of people with Parkinson’s, named Smiles for Speech a 2024 SPEAK OUT! Grant Program recipient.

Grant recipients include hospitals, universities, private practices, and other organizations providing speech therapy across the United States and abroad. Each Clinical Education grant recipient receives training for their speech-language pathologists and students, SPEAK OUT! eLibrary access, and the opportunity for SPEAK OUT! workbooks and other materials.

The SPEAK OUT! Grant Program honors the late Daniel R. Boone, Ph.D., a world-renowned speech-language pathologist who recognized in the 1950s that individuals with Parkinson's could improve their communication by “speaking with intent." Based on Boone’s teachings and developed by Parkinson Voice Project, the SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program is a highly effective, comprehensive program that helps people with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders regain and retain their speech and swallowing. By combining individual and group SPEAK OUT! Therapy with ongoing patient and family education, people with Parkinson’s learn to transition speech from an automatic function to an intentional act.

“Up to 90% of people with Parkinson’s are at risk of losing their ability to speak. In addition, swallowing complications account for 70% of the mortality rate in this patient population. Our vision at Parkinson Voice Project is to make quality speech therapy accessible to people with Parkinson’s worldwide,” said Samantha Elandary, Parkinson Voice Project’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer.

As a 2024 SPEAK OUT! Grant Program recipient, Smiles for Speech is committed to offering Parkinson Voice Project’s SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program to help people with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders in their community.

About Parkinson Voice Project
Parkinson Voice Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization solely dedicated to improving speech and communication in individuals with Parkinson’s.  The organization is headquartered in Richardson, Texas and has trained more than 10,000 clinicians in more than 40 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, France, Ghana, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Israel, Greece, Lebanon, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Slovakia, Slovenia, Thailand, South Africa, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

On January 18, 2024, founder, Sandy Dorsey and the Smiles for Speech Ghana team had the invaluable opportunity to meet with the World Health Organization in Accra, Ghana. The meeting was truly productive and insightful, particularly in understanding the challenges faced by children with communication disorders in rural and urban communities in Ghana.

Together, we explored effective approaches and identified next steps to make progress with expanding our efforts. Sincere appreciation to our Smiles for Speech Ghana team for their time and expertise in making this conversation a success.