Grassroots Action Needed

🛑 History is Repeating Itself: Don't Let Them Silence Non-Speakers 🛑

For decades, the medical and educational establishments committed tragic injustice against the Deaf community. So-called "experts" banned sign language, dismissing it as fake or inferior, silencing Deaf children. The establishment decided how a person was allowed to communicate, stripping away their fundamental human right to a true, independent voice.

Today, that exact same dark history is repeating itself in New York.

Autistic and non-speaking people have finally found their voice through spelling to communicate. You can imagine the powerful lobby of speech pathologists, government bureaucrats, education specialists, autism agency owners, and even some doctors fighting fiercely to suppress it. Just as they once did to the Deaf community, vested interests are trying to lock non-speakers into therapies that make them money but simply do not work. They are protecting their own status quo at the expense of a child's right to connect with the world.

New York Bill S7792B could change everything and be a lifeline for these kids. But one senator has made amendments that threaten to narrow communication choices and keep non-speakers trapped in the silence.

Please urge Senator Patricia Fahy to drop her amendments.

Please help to give non-speaking kids their voices back. Take action below.

✉️ Email (fahy@nysenate.gov)

Emailing takes less than two minutes and will have a huge impact. Read this email below and share your thoughts in your own words:

Subject: Restore S7792B language and stop narrowing communication choice

Dear Senator Fahy,

I am writing to ask you to restore the broader S7792B language and reject the narrowing changes in S7792C.

Please remove the words “autonomously” and “validated communication supports” from the bill. Those changes narrow communication choice and create barriers for autistic and non-speaking people, including people who use spelling and typing-based communication. Did you know that professionals tried to kill off sign language before it was accepted. Don't silence autistic kids like Deaf people were silenced.

S7792 should protect the right of people with disabilities to communicate in their preferred manner and use the communication supports that meet their needs.

Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Town]

☎️ Call

Calling takes less than two minutes and will have a huge impact. Read this script below and share your thoughts in your own words to the staffer who answers the phone or leave a message on the Senator's voice mail:

Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I live in [Your Town]. I am asking Senator Fahy to restore S7792B and drop the narrowing language in S7792C. Please remove “autonomously” and “validated communication supports” and protect spelling and typing-based communication choices. Non-speakers deserve a chance to communicate! Thank you.

Other members of the New York State Senate Disabilities Committee you might want to contact:

Senator Bill Weber Albany office: 518-455-2991 Email: weber@nysenate.gov

Senator Jacob Ashby Albany office: 518-455-2381 Email: ashby@nysenate.gov

Senator Monica R. Martinez Albany office: 518-455-2765 Email: martinez@nysenate.gov

Senator Roxanne J. Persaud Albany office: 518-455-2788 Email: Persaud@nysenate.gov

Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton Albany office: 518-455-2437 Email: spanton@nysenate.gov

Senator Sam Sutton Albany office: 518-455-2754 Email: sutton@nysenate.gov

Who is sponsoring this page?

Dr. Adam Probolsky is a Senior Research Fellow at Claremont Graduate University* and Education Specialist.

Mrs. Desiree Probolsky is a credentialed teacher and holds an MBA from the Merage School at University of California, Irvine.

Together they are the parents of three children, the youngest, is autistic and non-speaking. But he has started to spell to communicate. So many other kids like him are on the verge of being able to tell the world all their thoughts and contribute to society. Adam and Desiree just want their son and all the kids like him to have the basic human right to communicate - to have a fair chance like neurotypical kids get every day.

When a child a can communicate it changes the lives of the whole family.

*The views and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of Dr. Adam Probolsky and Mrs. Desiree Probolsky in their personal capacities. They do not represent the positions, policies, or endorsements of any institution or organization.