RICHARDSON, TEXAS — Parkinson Voice Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the voices of individuals with Parkinson’s, has named West Liberty University as a recipient of its 2022 SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd Grant Program.
“We are pleased to receive this award that will allow us to offer specialized training to our speech pathologists and graduate students as they address the treatment of those suffering with Parkinson’s Disease,” said Dr. Carol Zombotti, CCC/SLP, WLU director of Clinical Education in Speech-Language Pathology and assistant professor.
Grant recipients include hospitals, universities, private practices, and other speech therapy clinics across the United States and abroad. Each clinic receives speech therapy workbooks and free training for their speech-language pathologists and graduate students. According to the Parkinson Voice Project, the award is made because West Liberty University is committed to offering Parkinson Voice Project’s “SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd” program to their Parkinson’s community.
“Up to 90% of people with Parkinson’s are at risk of losing their ability to speak. In addition, swallowing complications account for 70% of the mortality rate in this patient population. Our vision at Parkinson Voice Project is to make quality speech therapy accessible to people with Parkinson’s worldwide,” said Samantha Elandary, Parkinson Voice Project’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
This grant program honors the late Daniel R. Boone, Ph.D., a world-renowned speech-language pathologist who recognized in the 1950s that individuals with Parkinson’s could improve their communication by “speaking with intent.” Parkinson Voice Project’s highly effective speech therapy program is based on Boone’s teachings and combines education for the patient and family, along with individual and group speech therapy.
ABOUT PARKINSON VOICE PROJECT:
Parkinson Voice Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization solely dedicated to improving speech and communication in individuals with Parkinson’s. The organization is headquartered in Richardson, Texas and has trained more than 10,000 clinicians in more than 40 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, India, Israel, South Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and wishes to schedule an appointment, please contact the WLU Clinic at 304.336.8199 or email: shc@westliberty.edu for more information.
ABOUT WLU’S SPEECH AND HEARING CLINIC:
WLU’S Speech and Hearing Clinic is now accepting patients for the upcoming school year. The low-cost clinic is open to the public and serves patients from birth through adulthood.Evaluations and treatment for speech, language, voice, fluency, swallowing and hearing disorders, along with service for augmentative/alternative communication evaluations is available. Including four full-time speech-language pathologists and one full-time audiologist and located in the Campbell Hall of Health Sciences, the clinic is open from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays; and from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning in August 2022. Please call 304.336.8199 to schedule an appointment.