My name is Lora Rogers, and I am a speech pathologist at TLC. In that role, I get to see the tangible, life-changing impact TLC makes every day with our clients and residents. Most of my clients have varying degrees of intellectual disabilities, which sometimes makes it difficult to know my true impact. But occasionally, I meet someone who can clearly communicate the impact I have had in their life. One of those clients is Kelly, a 40-year-old who, like me, works and advocates for disability rights. The main difference between us is that Kelly lives with cerebral palsy. When I met her, because of her speech and physical challenges, Kelly was using a head pointer—a metal stylus on a rod strapped to her head with head bands—to type single letters at a time. It was leaving her exhausted, and her neck, shoulders, and back were very sore. Kelly said there were days her energy was so limited she had to decide between showering or typing an email. Her ability to move through life was affected in a way I couldn’t fathom, but I knew we could find something to make her communication less taxing and more fulfilling.

As Kelly’s speech pathologist, I worked with her to try an eye gaze communication device. This device is similar to a Windows computer that Kelly can operate by moving her eyes. Now, Kelly can text, search the internet, interact with friends on social media, write her speeches, and more by simply moving her eyes.

TLC’s Therapy Services uses an interdisciplinary approach that brings together representatives from different disciplines to collaborate, assess, and diagnose clients and develop intervention plans. This team includes me as the speech language pathologist, psychologists, dietitians, a physical therapist, and an occupational therapist. Each of us support clients like Kelly, and their families and caregivers. We work alongside them, we support them, and we care for them. And, perhaps most importantly, we listen to and advocate for them.