At the SPEAC Lab, our mission is driven by our commitment to supporting participation and advancing equity and access to communication for adults with speech and voice disorders, and adults facing other communication changes. For people with communication challenges, participation in daily activities can be affected by not only their own communication abilities, but also their social interactions with others, the environment in which they communicate, and the resources that are available to them to communicate authentically. We are passionate about finding innovative ways to help individuals with adult-onset speech and voice disabilities and communication changes to stay connected with others through communication by reducing potential communication barriers in their environment. We are also interested in interpersonal connections beyond the individual – to explore how communication difficulties affect the loved ones of those with communication disabilities and challenges. Our goal is to empower everyone involved to be connected through the different ways in which we communicate so that everyone can express themselves authentically.
At SPEAC Lab, we are not just researchers; we are clinicians and advocates for better communication and stronger connections. Public awareness and education is a key path forward to helping everyone who experiences communication disability to have access to full engagement in our world. Join us in our journey to make communication accessible to all, bridging gaps and fostering understanding across diverse groups of people.
The SPEAC Lab’s primary investigator is Dr. Carolyn Baylor, PhD, CCC-SLP, in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington.