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IMMEDIATE ACTION ALERT - 4/26/26
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Step 1: Call the NY House Speaker, Carl Heastie 518-455-2322, and thank him for supporting A7363C and that we look forward to it passing again on 4/29. Tell him we'll be there to celebrate!
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​Step 2: Call ALL the NY House members who weren't yet co-sponsors of the bill and ask them to sponsor it and vote yes again (like they did in 2025), this Wed 4/29.
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​Step 3: If you're in/near NY and a typer/spellers, please go to Albany on Wed 4/29 by 10am to flood the House floor with our presence and to celebrate it's passage.
What Happens Next Will Define Our Generation
Nonspeaking individuals with autism or apraxia are being denied critical access to communication, endangering health, safety and personhood. We're coming together - with love, urgency, and purpose - to make sure every voice is heard.
A JOINT CAMPAIGN BY
MEET OUR LEADER
Elizabeth Bonker
My mission is Communication 4 ALL. I know what it feels like to be locked in a silent cage and how learning to type saved me. When I was 5 years old, I was taught to point to letters on an alphabet board and now I type on a keyboard. With communication, I was able to be mainstreamed in first grade public school. I want that opportunity for every nonspeaker.
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In 2022, I graduated from Rollins College, and my valedictorian commencement address went viral with 4 billion media impressions propelling our mission onto a global stage. I have been fighting for communication rights for more than a decade, and I believe we are finally at a point where the world is beginning to understand that nonspeakers have a motor disorder, not a cognitive one. Today, I am honored to serve on the federal government’s Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, Autism Society’s Council of Autistic Advisors, and Autism Society of Florida’s Board.
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My mentor, Judy Heumann, the “Mother of Disability Rights” taught me to think about communication for nonspeakers as part of the Civil Rights and Disability Rights Movements. The Blind have Braille. The Deaf have sign language. Now is the time for nonspeakers to type.
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Our efforts to give nonspeakers a voice and stop discrimination against them extend across the country. We applaud the New York State Assembly for passing unanimously the Communication Bill of Rights. We are working with local advocates to turn that bill into law.
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The Americans with Disabilities Act is clear. Nonspeakers have their own voices with whatever method of communication they choose. Please help us tell the world COMMUNICATION IS A HUMAN RIGHT!
OUR WORDS. OUR TRUTH.
Meet More of Us - the Spellers & Typers
We are the people at the heart of this campaign. Our stories are why this matters.
"Knowing my limits is no longer an issue for me. Spelling removed the chains that bound my life."
"Spelling changed the entire course of my life from one with bouts of despair to one with endless hope for the future!"
"Pre-spelling, frost covered my limbs. Now, as a speller, my heart whispers of hope that I am going to be ok."
"I'm now able to advocate for things like my education, what I do everyday, and where I want to live someday. I wish I had learned to type to communicate in elementary school!"
- Lora, age 21
Oceanside, CA
- Evan T, age 22
Carlsbad, CA
- JT, age 23
Orinda, CA
- Madison, age 28
San Clemente, CA
Are you a speller or typer with a story to share?
TAKE ACTION
4 Ways to Help Right Now
WHATS HAPPENING
We Need Your Support
We are nonspeaking individuals with autism and apraxia who found a pathway to spelling and typing - finally able to communicate, often for the first time in our lives. Working alongside trained communication partners, we developed reliable ways to share our thoughts, feelings, and decisions with the people we love. Our lives have been TRANSFORMED.
Communication is a human right that no state agency should be able to take away.​
The Americans With Disabilities Act* guarantees that protection.
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We, the nonspeakers who spell and type to communicate, are standing up for equal rights, as human beings who get to participate in our own lives. Will you join us as allies and help amplify our voices?
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*A person's right to their primary, most effective form of communication is detailed in 28 C.F.R. § 35.160(b)(2) (Title II) and 28 C.F.R. § 36.303(c)(ii) (Title III) of the Americans With Disabilities Act. It emphasize that the individual's choice should be honored unless an equally effective method is available.
"Needing a communication partner to get started is like needing someone to push your wheelchair before you learn to move it independently. The support isn't the problem - it's the door to everything that comes next."
- On what communication partners actually do for those learning to type & spell for communication
What's at Stake:
Medical Voice
The ability for us to tell doctors about pain, symptoms, and care — in our own words.
Education
Full participation in our IEP meetings and the chance to show what we truly know & understand.
Connection
Real friendships, relationships, and the joy of being truly known by another person!!
Self Determination
The right to choose our own path — services, housing, education, and future.
WHO BELONGS HERE
Everyone is Welcome in This Movement
Whether you spell, love someone who spells, or simply believe every person deserves to be heard — there is a place for you here.
Spellers & Typers
Parents & Families
Communication Partners
ACC Specialists
Disability Advocates
Donors
Concerned Citizens
Legislators
Legal & PR Volunteers
IN COLLABORATION WITH
OUR PARTNERS
We are stronger together. This is a coalition built on shared values — and it's growing.
Email us if you’re interested in supporting as a partner.
STAY INFORMED
Join The Movement
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