Join us to #rethinkautism and celebrate the gifts of nonspeakers! 

Watch this film to see why we must re-evaluate our outdated beliefs and practices that have limited opportunities for nonspeaking people in our schools, therapy clinics, places of worship, and communities for far too long. 

Let’s create Optimal ACCESS to Life, Learning, Communication, and Community for individuals with complex communication, sensory, and motor challenges by supporting all  SPELLERS to enjoy the rights the rest of us enjoy! 

Casey DePriest

Inspired by the book Underestimated, the new full-length documentary SPELLERS challenges conventional wisdom regarding a group relegated to society’s margins: nonspeakers with autism, who most “experts” believe are cognitively disabled. As the film opening asks, “What if we’ve been wrong…about every single one of them?” SPELLERS answers that question, in convincing fashion, through the stories of eight nonspeakers—Aydan, Evan, Sid, Maddie, Jamie, Vince, Cade, and Elizabeth—who all found their voice through the miraculous process of using a letterboard to communicate their thoughts and feelings. As Jamie explains, “we think, feel, and learn just like everyone else.”

Inspired by the book Underestimated, the new full-length documentary SPELLERS challenges conventional wisdom regarding a group relegated to society’s margins: nonspeakers with autism, who most “experts” believe are cognitively disabled. 

As the film opening asks, “What if we’ve been wrong…about every single one of them?” SPELLERS answers that question, in convincing fashion, through the stories of eight nonspeakers—Aydan, Evan, Sid, Maddie, Jamie, Vince, Cade, and Elizabeth—who all found their voice through the miraculous process of using a letterboard to communicate their thoughts and feelings. As Jamie explains, “we think, feel, and learn just like everyone else.” 

SPELLERS

We are excited to host this free screening of SPELLERS as a part of our Grand Re-Opening Celebration at Optimal Rhythms! Join us to celebrate our updated center, our breathtaking new mural by Ashley Nora Art, our incredible ACCESS Academy students, our dedicated families, our live panel of typers and spellers, and the global movement to #rethinkautism!                         

Ribbon-cutting at 12:00PM; 
Facility tours 12:00PM - 3:00PM; 
Mural Unveiling at 12:30PM; 
Film Screening and Q & A by nonspeaking panelists at 3:00PM - 5:00PM