nonspeaking does not mean nonthinking
I am a registered Spelling to Communicate (S2C) practitioner, working with nonspeakers and their families in San Diego County through my practice, Possibilities in Communication.
Since early 2020, I have worked as the primary Communication Regulation Partner (CRP) for my brother Danny Whitty (check him out!), a nonspeaking autistic & apraxic writer and advocate who uses S2C. Prior to this, Danny had no means for reliable communication in his daily life; prior to 2015, we had no idea he could communicate. His introduction to S2C that year was his first opportunity to reliably communicate in his 30 years of living.
It’s been a remarkable, life-changing, astounding journey into Danny’s – and my – exciting new life. He’s now a published author and well-known, award-winning advocate on social media.
Beyond supporting his actual communication itself, I function as his executive assistant, agent, mentor, occasional teacher, and collaborator. I manage logistics for his Danny With Words social media accounts (FB, IG) and website, as well as the Leo in Bloom online magazine, featuring writings by spellers (nonspeakers using S2C and similar methods). We are co-hosts of the All Our Brave Hearts podcast (on Substack, with transcripts, as well as anywhere else you access your podcasts). We recently launched our training platform, Brave Changes, offering courses for fellow spellers and their families.
In October 2023, I earned my S2C Practitioner certification with International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC) to support communication access for more nonspeakers and to be better equipped to work on future community building and education programs that we develop. I am in the early stages of building momentum for S2C in the Philippines.
This is the most meaningful thing I have done in my life.
Tara Sayuri Whitty 