Rob, Rosa and Scott are taking on the challenge to cycle the 1000 miles from Lands End to John O' Groats to fundraise for "Spelling to Communicate." Inspired by a non-speaking autistic family member, Tom Watson, we've witnessed its transformative impact on lives—ours and theirs. Please support us in our efforts to spread the word about Spelling to Communicate and to help fundraise so more people like Tom can access this transformative communication method.

What is Spelling to Communicate:

Spelling to Communicate (S2C™) is primarily used by non-speaking individuals. It involves the use of a communication board where individuals point to or select letters or symbols to spell out messages. By pointing to such characters, these boards empower non-speakers to overcome communication barriers posed by traditional oral communication.

S2C™ teaches individuals with motor challenges the purposeful motor skills necessary to point to letters as an alternative means of communication. As motor skills improve through consistent practice, students progress from pointing to letters on letterboards to typing on a keyboard.

The fair and necessary assumption is that all individuals can and want to learn and communicate, regardless of their perceived limitations. By presuming competence, typing and spelling embraces non-speakers’ cognitive function and focus on purposeful motor movements.

The overarching message is that not being able to speak does not affect your ability to understand and think.

Why is spelling to communicate important:

Tom Watson is a Speller and with the help of his Dad Kev, he wrote the following using his spelling board to share the transformative effect S2C has had on his life.

I first started spelling with Mum in 2021; it didn't go particularly smoothly at first. After a few months, I nearly gave up. Then, I went to London to see a perfect angel called Elizabeth Vosseller. This changed my life forever.

Post that visit, we started to get better and better. Soon thereafter, we were able to talk about lots of things, and then I could express what I was feeling and thinking. Today, I can write quite fluently, as demonstrated in this introduction.

This is only possible because of the training that Mum and Dad received, but there are currently no practitioners in the UK. Therefore, we are trying to raise some money to train more angels so that lots more non-speaking autistic people can find their voices. This is the most miraculous thing that I could ever have imagined, and it is so important that everyone has the opportunity to finesse their communication methodology.

We are not yet at the stage where we can talk openly with people who have not been trained in how to use the boards, but hard work and practice will engage others so that I will really be speaking. There are no real words to praise the parents of autistic people enough, but they are true forces of nature.

The last thing I want to say is that my life is now full of optimism, whereas before, it was very bleak.

Please give what you can.

Love, Tom

If you'd like to know more about S2C please see Act for Autism Spellers page and International Association for Spelling as a communication website.