Speak Out – Parkinson Voice Project

Parkinson Voice Project is a non-profit organization based in Richardson, TX, whose mission is “to preserve the voices of individuals with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders through intensive speech therapy, follow-up support, research, education, and community awareness.”  Since 2008, they have offered a wonderful pay-it-forward model for their local clientele who are not charged for individual voice sessions or classes, but they are able to contribute donations so that other patients may receive speech therapy services at no cost.  Parkinson Voice Project has two well-known therapy programs called SPEAK OUT^® and LOUD Crowd^® that train practitioners to teach these methodologies throughout the world.

Samantha Elandary, MA, CCC-SLP, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Parkinson Voice Project. She holds a BA in communication disorders and English and holds an MA in speech-language pathology from the University of North Texas. While Samantha does not have a family history of Parkinson’s, she was born with a cleft palate and struggled with her speech from childhood until she was a young professional. She understands how vulnerable someone who has a communication disorder feels and how other people judge a person’s intelligence and competence based on the ability to communicate.

Since 1999, Samantha has worked exclusively with individuals with Parkinson’s and has devoted her career to making speech therapy services accessible to this patient population. She created “The LOUD Crowd^®”, a maintenance program consisting of speech and singing groups for individuals with Parkinson’s to help them maintain the treatment results achieved in individual speech therapy. This unique program also provides ongoing support and encouragement from a qualified speech-language pathologist. The LOUD Crowd^® started in Samantha’s home with one group session per month and has now expanded to over 600 group sessions annually at Parkinson Voice Project.

Here is a link to access free SPEAK OUT^® Home Practice Videos led by the Parkinson Voice Project speech-language pathologists. Simply click on the photos of the therapists to access their videos.

And here is a link to an archive of Samantha’s Live Practice Sessions, which are recordings of her full-length voice classes found on YouTube.

Take advantage of this excellent free resource to keep your speech and swallowing in top shape!