How it all began

Aphasia Access grew out of the unmet needs of people living with aphasia. Clinician frustration with dwindling aphasia treatment funding met squarely with the movement toward patient-centered interventions to better prepare persons with communication disorders for life ahead. 

Healthcare providers across the continuum of care, community aphasia groups, speech-language pathologists and interprofessional teams have needed a resource to share information, support aphasia research, and solve challenges. Aphasia Access is meeting these needs. 

In 2011, at the Adler Aphasia Center in Maywood, NJ, then again in 2013, at the Aphasia Center of West Texas in Midland, TX, aphasia leaders from 15 US cities and two Canadian provinces gathered to realize the potential of their collective impact. By May of 2014, Aphasia Access was granted 501 (c)(3) status. The organization’s inaugural Leadership Summit was held at Boston University in March 2015.