Finding My Voice

By Brett Auten

REDEFINED, and possibilities are reimagined for those with special needs, Variety St. Louis is doing its part to bring this ethos to fruition as it rolls out a new initiative for those in St. Charles County

A World Where Abilities Are

The program is now available to help those who need assistance to express their wants, needs and feelings every day.

The initiative addresses the tribulations felt by children who are unable to communicate verbally. While some (depending on the school district) can use communication devices at school or during speech therapy, often they do not own them, leaving many kids literally voiceless in the evenings, on week- ends and during the summer.

Between costly communication devices and even communications apps designed for tablets, the payments are not affordable for many families. With My Voice, Variety provides eligible participants with the device, the prescribed communication app, a protective case and any necessary accessories (wheelchair mount and more), and a two-year warranty.

Variety works with the child’s speech-language pathologist to determine which specific tools will meet the child’s needs and to help integrate the device into the child’s everyday life. My Voice is currently available to children ages three to 20 years old in St. Louis City and St. Charles County.

“The costs vary, but the baseline model, before even putting on the apps, is around $5,000, minimum, with the apps being $2-300,” Brian Roy, executive director of Variety St. Louis, said. “We realized they needed the whole package. This is a