Are Charities Bent or Daft?

Are Very Dozy Sheep in Charge of Charities?

Do charities care more for their mortgages than you? Let's look at evidence of some that are meant to assist disabled kids.

Disabled kids are not being catered to properly and people -sometimes -tend to get wealthy on their pain and vulnerability- sadly there are no doubts at all about that. 

Communication devices to non speakers:

I had a fey-kind but watery- response from the government regarding this-an attempt to shut me up (lol) - absolute evidence I am correct about all this...

Proof that professionals get it wrong across the board- kids are unique -but the stupid, very, very, painfully, lazy training - hasn't allowed for this absolute science. 

The funds go to pay all the bloody professions and NOT to the disabled kids themselves!!! It is RAMPANT exploitation by people with nice homes thank you- who purport to live and breathe for good causes- as long as they get all the mod cons and 4 holidays a year in Corsica and staff to do the - well- the 'work" of pushing around old data, re-worded but always the same *paperwork* that defies modern science but puffs the pockets of the- terminally dim -quota and paper pushers.

Huge lots of charities have done *not very f*cking much* to get effective and modern apps and communication devices out to kids who feel lost, alone & isolated -who do not have the correct devices to help them- shame on group-think, policy, speech therapists, educational psychologists (*&^$) - child shinks of *all descriptions* - shame shame shame on you short-sighted automatons! Stop being bloody sheep! 

Communication Rights for Disabled Children – Failure of AAC Provision

I am writing to demand urgent action on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for disabled children in the United Kingdom.

Every child is unique. Yet our current systems flatten children into averages as it fits the narrow frame that pays them- handsomely. 

 Charities, speech therapy services, and public bodies prefer blanket policies because they look neat in reports.This pays their salary.

But children are not data points. Or 'Targets'!

They are *individual HUMANS with rights*

Legal duties already exist. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the UK, requires states to accept and facilitate AAC (Article 21). 

The Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments in communication. NHS England has issued a Specialised AAC Service Specification confirming these duties. The law is clear.

 The problem is compliance, not lack of law. (Thank you law)

The evidence is equally clear. Autism and developmental conditions are heterogeneous (Lord et al, 2020, Lancet Commission). 

Reviews confirm that AAC does NOT hinder speech; Speech 'often improves' (Millar, Light & Schlosser 2006; Schlosser & Wendt 2008). Success depends on matching the tool to the child and training the child’s circle of support (Baxter et al 2012).

More importantly (much more) we also have the testimony of AAC users themselves:

• DJ Savarese: “Begin by asking me a question and offering me a few choices written on a piece of paper.”

• Ido Kedar: “I communicate by typing on an iPad or a letter board.”

• Carly Fleischmann: “I am autistic but that is not who I am.”

• Amanda Baggs: “They are rich and varied forms of communication in their own right.”

• Jordyn Zimmerman: “I am only one nonspeaking autistic person… I can only share my experience.”

• Jim Sinclair: “Don’t mourn for us. We are alive. We are real.”

These are just a few voices that prove that lack of speech does not mean lack of thought. Get that in your F****** HEAD!!

Yet in practice, large charities such as Mencap, Scope, and Sense have failed to ensure AAC provision. This is vital to note.

Their focus remains on ads, branding, conferences, and awareness campaigns- but implementation? That's left to teaching assistants- mostly-low waged, under appreciated- stars -who sometimes fight huge battles unseen for their charges- when they don't have the tools they should have- empower them- they actually *care* and make a huge difference in lives that can be full of hardship and vulnerabilities.

 Thousands of children still sit without a reliable means of communication at home, school, and in hospital. 

Speech therapy services ration devices, dismiss typing and text AAC as unscientific, and force children into blanket programmes. 

This is not science at all. It is neglect by proxy. It is state sanctioned harm.

What needs to be done is simple:

• Presume competence. Offer AAC early without waiting for “proof of readiness.”

• Provide tools that fit the child—letter boards apps, text-to-speech, access to all modern apps, smartphones with 'Fluid' app for fun ( non-verbal folks like fun too!

 *also watch Neuralink.com and Elon Musk for developments

• Train families, teachers, and peers. A device without trained partners is useless.

• Protect rights by enforcing UNCRPD Article 21 and the Equality Act.

• Measure outcomes that matter—autonomy, social connection, and participation.

• Involve AAC users in policy decisions as equal participants.

In the UK context, regional AAC hubs exist (ACE Centre North, Barnsley Assistive Technology, Kent and Medway, and others). 

Local Trusts are expected to provide ordinary AAC. Yet provision remains a postcode lottery. *Take note London councils. The law is most definitely sniffing around YOU.

The Care Quality Commission has already flagged inconsistency. Big kudos.

I ask you directly:

• What steps will you take to ensure that every disabled child has timely access to AAC?

• How will you enforce compliance with existing law and specifications?

• When will AAC access be treated as a safeguarding issue by regulators?

Children are not averages. Communication is not a privilege. It is a right. The UK has the law, the evidence, and the testimony.

What is missing is enforcement. Who is responsible?  A seedy or stupid sort?

I ask you to act. Today. 

Yours sincerely,

Liz Lucy Robillard PS >

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#disability #nonverbal #speech #SEND